The Best House Mods For Skyrim Special Edition, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Skyrim’s
  modding community offers a variety of housing mods, including estate-like homes and town-building opportunities.
• Mods like “Build Your Noble House” and “Levelers Tower” enhance player experience by adding unique features to their homes.
• Players can find mods like “Unlimited Bookshelves” and “Haven Bag” to personalize their gameplay and enhance storage options.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is undoubtedly one of the best RPG titles of all time. When the game was released in November of 2011, players were blown away by the vast world, breathtaking landscapes, and engaging questlines. When Bethesda released Skyrim Special Edition, it breathed new life into the game for the modding community to take advantage of. This included a wealth of housing mods that went far beyond what the standard vanilla experience had to offer.

These mods allow players to live like virtual Kings and Queens in a variety of abodes both humble and grandiose. What’s more, thanks to the tireless efforts of Skyrim modders looking for that perfect domicile to put their feet up after a long day of “Fus Ro Dah’ing” foes off the cliffside, more great Skyrim house mods are being created all the time. The modding community of this game continues to be highly active to this day, and it’s easy to see why players can open the mod pages for Skyrim after months and still find new, well-decorated houses to mess around with!

Updated November 30, 2024, by Hamza Haq: The only thing that continues to breathe life into The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim after 13 years is an extremely dedicated modding community that uses the game as a playground for creativity and imagination, treating the Nordic snowscape as a blank canvas in all the right ways. A key category of mods players jumping into a new run will always want to include in their load order are Skyrim house mods that either add new player homes in hand-placed locations throughout the vast open world or rehaul the existing ones completely. For those wanting to immerse themselves in the game, adding lore-friendly buildings to call home, ones they haven’t already explored, is a huge boon to the roleplay.

32 The Riften Garret SE

Downloads: 7,306

Players who opt for a minimalist character will find that The Riften Garret is the perfect house for them. The mod adds a small apartment home sandwiched between the Snow-Shad Manor and Riftweald Manor in Riften City. This house is perfect for players who are just starting out and need a place to stay and rest.

The house is better suited for bachelors because the interiors can get a bit cramped with followers or a spouse. The mod provides plenty of storage options for players to store away their loot, and plenty of clutter to give off a deep sense of immersion and aesthetic value.

31 Honeyside Thane Of Riften

Downloads: 11,076

Becoming the Thane of Riften is no easy task, with players having to purchase a home to stake their claim for this title. However, despite all the money that players invest to get this house, the Dragonborn is bound to be underwhelmed by how basic this house is. Clearly, most players in Skyrim shared the same opinion, with this mod being a great way to add some glamor to this residence and giving players a reason to deck this place out as they see fit.

It’s everything that the original Honeyside should’ve been, and more. Players will actually feel like a Thane as they check out this house and decorate it to their heart’s content, turning this impressive property into something beautiful.

30 Oldhollow Chalet – Player Home

Downloads: 17,753

For those who love the idea of living in a Hobbit-style home, Oldhollow Chalet might be the premier choice. This cozy little home is built into a cliffside and features the same traditional doors one might find at Bag End, not to mention the rustic and charming qualities that make for a comfy abode.

Inside the house is an incredibly comfortable collection of nick-nacks, decorations, and furniture designed for a simple, yet somehow luxurious living style. It’s probably not well-suited for followers or spouses, but as a getaway, it’s hard to beat.

29 Winter Cove

Downloads: 30,766

Located south of Helgen and near the Cyrodiil border, Winter Cove is a small to medium-sized house boasting a stable, outdoor crafting area, plenty of storage, and room for up to 3 followers. Players will enjoy the warm and cozy atmosphere inside the house, especially after trekking up the snow-covered mountain path to get there.

The house also comes with a secret armory to display and store equipment, and a nice indoor hot tub to soak in after a long day of adventuring. It looks like a cozy off-the-grid cottage that one can escape to in order to be around nature, and away from the bustle of towns and villages.

28 Springwood Estate – Player Home

Downloads: 39,485

Solitude gets a shot in the arm with this player home mod that injects some high-life beauty into the city. Springwood Estate is a luxurious mansion with a beautiful outside courtyard featuring a biophilic design and furniture to enjoy a warm day in the sun as citizens pass by.

Inside, the home is beautifully laid out with high-quality furniture and decor, plus multiple functional areas including a dining room, living room, and a fully stocked kitchen. There’s a wealth of things to see and do inside the home, making it one of the most glorious house mods around.

27 Mirele Bismath Reborn

Downloads: 52,832

Mirele Bismath Reborn adds a brand-new player home in the form of a large yet cozy tower in a scenic spot near Lake Ilinalta. While any sort of character can use the tower, it is themed as a Mage Tower with Wizard paraphernalia scattered throughout the interior and exterior to give it that authentic lived-in look. Think of it as an Archmage’s hideout away from the College of Winterhold, with all the amenities a spellcaster in Skyrim could ever need. The house includes every crafting station in the game, an autosort system to store loot in appropriate chests automatically, an immersive way to Fast Travel, two bedrooms, an herb garden, and a basement. There are multiple displays players can use to showcase their most valuable trophies from their adventures around the house and add a personal touch to the decorations.

26 Leaf Rest

Downloads: 122,655

Riverwood is the first region that players visit and get the chance to explore after their escape from Helgen. The town doesn’t offer much but being a starting area, it always has a homey feeling whenever players visit. So, it is only natural that Skyrim house mod Leaf Rest by aukmat is also located in Riverwood to maximize that feeling of home.

The mod adds an interactive and customizable house that includes a full forge, an interactive gardening system, a wood-burning fireplace, a business ledger trading system along numerous other features. Players will find the marker for the house when they install the mod and only need to follow it to locate their new home.

25 Frostspire Tower

Downloads: 120,383

A newcomer to the house modding scene is Frostspire Tower, a full player home with ancient people that has been slightly retrofitted to add some comfortable amenities to the mix. This Skyrim house mod can be located in the northeast portion of the province and features everything from training rooms to a bathhouse for a mixture of utilitarian and comfortable.

Aside from the obvious aesthetic appeal, Frostspire Tower also boasts 40 new spells that can be learned, plus a portal hub for quick transport to various areas of the province and thralls that can be assigned duties including ore mining and ingredient gathering.

24 Winterstone Castle SSE

Downloads: 152,820

This mod adds a dark castle rather than a cottage or a manor. Winterstone Castle is perfect for players who wish to roleplay a noble and rich Dragonborn in Skyrim. The castle is located between Riverwood and Falkreath and can be purchased for 40,000 Septims.

The mod is best suited for those who like to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle in their playthroughs. The interiors remind players of Castle Volkihar, sans the vampires and death hounds lurking about. It is better suited for late-game use, and can’t be lived in until players manage to raise enough money to buy it out.

23 LC_Citadel

Downloads: 158,957

LC_Citadel adds not just a house to the game, but a whole city to go along with it. The Citadel is located just north of Whiterun near the base of the mountains. This Skyrim house mod comes with full lore and a progression system through which players can acquire the castle.

Players may not be able to access all areas of the castle immediately, but they can work up to it by following the progression system. This mod delivers the quintessential royal experience, thanks to the addition of an entire city built alongside the castle home.

22 Haven Bag

Downloads: 161,677

The Haven Bag mod adds an entire home in a bag that players can keep in their inventory, which is added when the mod is activated. Players can access it by selecting the bag in their inventory and using it. The Haven Bag comes with some basic amenities, a few crafting stations, and a bed to rest on.

The house is exited by reactivating the bag in the inventory, whereby players will find themselves back in Skyrim. They will not be able to take their followers inside the home, which means it’s best suited for players who prefer to go solo throughout the province.

21 Ebongrove – Recall And Teleport SE

Downloads: 162,363

Ebongrove – Recall and Teleport SE adds a player home located in Eastmarch between the Eldregream Sanctuary and the ruins of Mzulft. Ebongrove is located inside a cave-like area that is illuminated by a Dwemer Sun and features interiors in the Dunmer style of décor.

Players with Dunmer or Dunmer-influenced characters will feel right at home with Ebongrove. The mod adds nearly all the crafting stations, up to eight beds, and even a small indoor fish pond, making it one of the most unique player house mods ever made.

20 Riverside Lodge

Downloads: 180,526

The Riverside Lodge is located smack dab in the middle of the area that falls between Whiterun and Riverwood. The location is excellent as much of the early game is spent adventuring back and forth between the two major cities and, later, Falkreath. The Lodge is a multi-tiered structure built into the landscape rather than on top of it. It neighbors the rapids waterfall along the road to Whiterun from Riverwood. A balcony overlooks the vista below, a gorgeous view that is especially breathtaking with the best graphics mods for Skyrim installed. There is a small, fenced-off garden to the side where players can grow vegetables and a stable by the river to house any horses that might need it.

The Riverside Lodge also comes equipped with a fully stocked kitchen, enchanting table, alchemy table, forge, and everything else a budding adventurer might need. A book placed on a table just outside the main structure allows players to alter or add certain rooms at will. A followers room, sorted storage containers, and custom master bedrooms to personalize the interior are all available to mess around with.

19 Dragon Keep SSE

Downloads: 187,221

The Dragon Keep SSE adds a gigantic player home on a mountain peak almost directly in the middle of the map, west of Whiterun. All areas of Skyrim other than Riften are within reach. Dawnstar is to the north, Falkreath is to the south, and so on. The Dragon Keep itself contains more than just a place for players to stay; it serves as a boarding school for up to 12 orphan children, who come fully equipped with everything they need for anything they want to learn. Players can send children they find elsewhere to this school, which is under the supervision of adult NPCs who come prepackaged with the mod.

There are rooms dedicated to Alchemy, Enchanting, sword fighting, archery, and housing in separate sections of the Dragon Keep. Servants’ quarters to house the help, a kitchen to prepare food for everyone, a dormitory for the students to sleep in, and much more. As the de facto principal, the Dragonborn can stay in private quarters inside the school or in a separate building just outside the main structure, which comes equipped with every amenity imaginable.

18 Lakeview Manor – As It Should Be

Downloads: 190,186

This mod does not add a new house, but rather takes an existing one added by the Hearthfires DLC and changes it into something worthy of the Dragonborn. Lakeview Manor – As It Should Be adds a dynamic lighting system, custom displays for all weapons and armor, a treasury, 6 beds for followers, two beds for children, and a functional bathtub with a toilet.

Players who want to enjoy something new, yet still want to keep close to the vanilla Skyrim experience will feel right at home with this mod. It’s essentially a booster shot for an existing abode that boasts a few more bells and whistles.

17 Airship – Dev Aveza

Downloads: 205,772

The Dragonborn that likes to travel a lot will find right at home with Airship – Dev Aveza by Deapri. As the name suggests, the mod adds a flyable airship to the province of Skyrim which players can live in. The mod comes packed with the usual refinements including all the crafting tables, tons of storage, a kitchen, a bathing area, and displays for different weapons and armor.

The ship can be found parked behind the Blue Palace in Solitude, and players will have to battle a small group of Thalmor to get to it. Dev Aveza is one of the Skyrim house mods better suited for the single Dragonborn or one that has not adopted any children.

16 Unlimited Bookshelves

Downloads: 283,731

Placing items on bookshelves is pretty great, but there’s only a limited number of items that can be placed before players end up without any space. This can be pretty disappointing, especially since bookshelves clearly have more space for items than the game allows.

This issue becomes a thing of the past with the Unlimited Bookshelves mod, which does precisely what is stated in the title. It’s a small change, but players will love just how many items they can stuff into these bookshelves with no issues whatsoever.

15 Rayek’s End – SSE Expanded Edition

Downloads: 326,202

There are several custom-made hubs and homes that are available in the form of mods. Rayek’s End is one of the most popular ones that allows players to enjoy a secluded retreat and relax as they hear the sound of a waterfall while getting their bearings together.

This modded hideout contains a display room and an underground garden where players can spend some time too. All in all, Rayek’s End is one of the better custom Skyrim house mods that players should check out.

14 Whitepeak Tower – Dawnguard Themed Player Home

Downloads: 307,945

Whitepeak Tower adds a Dawnguard theme player home on a small hill in the plains on the outskirts of Whiterun. The key to the house can be found inside a nearby wooden tree stump. The interior is statuesque and feels like the residence of a local Jarl or a noble instead of a regular player home, with mood lighting, carpets, drapes, and high-quality furniture.

The tower is split into six different floors, first is a basement with esoteric stuff, one is a dining space, then there is a display room with multiple ways to showcase the player’s items, an expansive bedroom for the Dragonborn to sleep, one floor solely for any followers and kids the player adopts who need beds to sleep in, and one laboratory with multiple crafting stations. There is also a secret room accessible from the basement, with even more display cases for various unique items found throughout Skyrim.

13 Wind Path SSE

Downloads: 339,802

Wind Path is perfect for players who want to live in a small, yet comfortable house. Players can find it close to the town of Ivarstead by following the river past the bridge and down the hill. Those who want to enjoy a quiet and simple life will appreciate Wind Path.

The house has a homey and rustic feel that fills the player with warmth from the second they set foot inside. A must-have house mod in the load order, especially for players who love a more rugged home aesthetic.