Scandinavian houses
Build a row of colourful merchant houses on the quay of Nyhavn, a Danish half-timbered farm with a thatched roof, a red Swedish wooden house with white corners, a Norwegian log house with grass on the roof or the narrow houses of Gamla stan in Stockholm. Choose how many houses stand side by side, how tall they are and which colours they get. Below you can see how everything is calculated.
Point at a block for the explanation. Click a block to mark it as placed. The side view shows the section at the chosen column, Layer shows the chosen layer from above.
Build plan
Per layer
| Layer | Parts | Blocks |
|---|
A number is the count of blocks of that part in that layer, in the colour of the part. Click a layer to see it from above.
Build tips
- In the north it is dark and cold for a long time. That is why the houses have small windows, thick walls or logs and a steep roof the snow slides off, or a grass roof that keeps them warm.
- Bright colours stand out in the snow and the grey winter: that is why many Scandinavian houses are red, yellow or ochre.
3D and layer-by-layer build plan
To Minecraft
Download the houses as a schematic file and paste them with WorldEdit, or build them with a hologram in Litematica.
How it is calculated
History and fun facts
Nyhavn in Copenhagen
Nyhavn means new harbour. The canal was dug from 1670 to 1673, from the harbour into the middle of the town, so ships could bring their cargo close to the market square. Merchants built their houses along the quay, with storage lofts under the roof.
The writer Hans Christian Andersen lived in three of the houses on Nyhavn: at numbers 20, 67 and 18. Today the brightly coloured fronts are one of the best-known places in Denmark.
Half-timbering and the four-winged farm
In Denmark people built with half-timbering for centuries, in Danish bindingsværk: a frame of oak beams, with panels of clay or brick between them, whitewashed or limewashed yellow. The roof was thatched with reed.
A large farm often had four long wings around a yard: the house, the cowshed, the barn and a cart shed. Such a firlænget gård kept the wind off the yard.
Ribe
Ribe in the south-west of Jutland is the oldest town in Denmark: trade was already going on there at the start of the 8th century. In the old streets there are still many half-timbered houses with red tiled roofs.
Falu red in Sweden
The red paint of the Swedish houses comes from Falun. The copper mine there left a red earth behind, from which paint was boiled. Rich people built in brick; with the cheap red paint a wooden house looked a little like that.
The paint protects the wood against weather and mould. White corner boards and window frames finish it off. The mine of Falun is on the World Heritage List.
Grass roofs in Norway
In Norway people built houses of lying logs that interlock at the corners. On the roof there was first a layer of birch bark against the water, and on it turf that kept the house warm and the bark in place.
In summer the farmers took their cows to the mountain pastures. Small log houses stood together there: the seter, the summer farm where butter and cheese were made as well.
Gamla stan in Stockholm
Gamla stan, the old town, lies on an island in the middle of Stockholm. The town is first mentioned in 1252. The narrow houses stand with their gables to the street, in ochre, orange and yellow, around squares such as Stortorget and along alleys that are sometimes only one metre wide.
Did you know?
- Falu red is still for sale: many Swedes paint their summer house with it every few years.
- On some Norwegian grass roofs goats walk around in summer to keep the grass short.
- A thatched roof can last 30 to 40 years if it is well looked after.
- In Minecraft grass does not grow under another block, but a moss block always stays green.
About this tool
With this Minecraft generator for Scandinavian houses you build a colourful row of merchant houses on a quay like Nyhavn in Copenhagen, a Danish half-timbered farm with a thatched roof, a red Swedish house with white corner boards, a Norwegian log house with a grass roof or the narrow gabled houses of Gamla stan in Stockholm.
You choose the number of houses, the width, the storeys and the roof: with the ridge along the street, a gable or a low grass roof. Turn on half-timbering, give every house a different colour or make the farm a four-winged farm around a yard. Eleven examples help you start.
The tool counts all blocks, with a build plan per layer, a 3D preview and a .schem download. This way you build a Scandinavian village in Minecraft. For the Vikings there is Longhouses, for half-timbering from the rest of Europe Timber-framed houses.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a grass roof in Minecraft?
Choose Low grass roof. The roof rises one layer per two blocks, like real grass roofs, and is made of moss blocks. Moss stays green, even with something on top. Put a few ferns or flowers on it for a real Norwegian roof.
Which block looks most like Falu red?
Red terracotta has the dark, slightly brown red of Falu red. Mangrove planks also work if you want to see boards. Turn on Corner boards and choose white for the frames.
How do I make half-timbering?
Turn on Half-timbering. The tool places an upright beam of logs every three blocks, a lying beam on every floor and braces in the panels. The infill gets the wall colour: white or yellow is the most Danish.
Can I build this in Bedrock?
Yes. The front view and the build plan per layer work in every version. The .schem file is for Java Edition with WorldEdit or Litematica.