Make Your Minecraft House Look Better!

– [Narrator] 41 Unexpected “Minecraft” Build Hacks. Building is just as synonymous with the game as mining or crafting, which means that the building community is always innovating new ideas that you’ve gotta try, so in this video, here are some of the best building hacks

To help improve your world, and hey, Steve at YouTube bets me that you can’t subscribe to the channel before he reaches these diamonds, so to prove him wrong, insta-mine that red sub button below. It’s free and it helps out a ton. Number one. Sometimes while building in “Minecraft,”

The grid system might be a frustration and while command block systems give us a workaround, there actually is a way to do this in survival. See, the way that stairs connect, if you place a ring of them like so, then the center connects in the middle of the blocks.

Do the same with another on top, and you too can make a pillar in your house that’s visibly off the grid. Number two. Ladders definitely have their purpose, but unlike the real world, we can’t just place one of these out in the open. Or we can’t like this.

But if we use the trapdoor and ladder trick, it’s possible to make not only a freestanding ladder, but also have it climbable on both sides. Simply place the ladders where possible on the trapdoors and you climb it just the same, just make sure you don’t flip one of the trapdoors.

That’ll take your ladder a step down. Number three. In case you didn’t know, we’re fully capable of using unicode and special characters on a “Minecraft” sign. And while that allows us to type an arrow like this instead of this, it also opens up a neat little detail. See, by putting this black square

Along the corners of the sign, we can make it look like it’s nailed down to the wall. It’s a simple detail, but it’s also simple to do, which I’d say makes it worth your time. Number four. “Minecraft” has come a long way from just the stone and oak buttons of the past,

But what the new additions don’t add in new pulse lengths, they do make a great candidate for detail. Take, for example, this stone wall. By itself, it’s nothing too fancy, but add some of these colorful buttons, and the thing becomes a convincing rock climbing wall. Or for those of you in creative,

Concreting in invisible item frames should work just as well, maybe even better. Number five. “Minecraft” doesn’t offer up much of its own vehicles, but that doesn’t stop the community from building plenty of their own, so if you like building excavators and tanks at your base, maybe add this to the mix.

By using blocks with different depths, such as sandstone stairs in a desert biome, we can make vehicle treads for extra realism. And now we just need dirt stairs to make this in the rest of the overworld biomes. Number six. One of the many challenges in the building community

Is how do you make circles in a game made of blocks? Now, the simple answer should be you can’t, but that doesn’t stop building hopefuls from making the illusion. So while everyone else looks for pixel art circle guides and generators, let’s deviate, and use stairs instead.

With an example like so, we can make a ring design inside of your base’s wall, and now we’ll just wait until Mumbo turns this into a door. Number seven. One of the major changes in the first part of the Caves and Cliffs update was the revamp of ore textures,

And regardless of how you feel about them, the new looks offer up some new details and my favorite might just have to be gold ore. As some have pointed out, by mixing these in the stone floor underneath a bee hive, you can make it look as if honey is dripping out

Of the overstocked nest. And I think that’s just adorable. Number eight. With 16 different dyes to choose from, “Minecraft’s” carpet collection clearly has a lot of variety but just in color, not as much in texture, so if you’re looking for a bit more depth to your floor’s rug, maybe try this instead.

Through the help of waterlogged slabs, we can keep the coral alive to make fuzzy counterparts to the usual carpets. Granted, there’s not as many colors to choose from, but the first impression of seeing this on your floor more than makes up for that. Number nine.

Campfires can be a plenty useful block to have in your base, but even if you’re not cooking, you could also use these for their smoke effects, and surprisingly, that smoke can even move through blocks so by placing a loom on top of campfire,

We can get a pretty solid vent effect to put to use. And hey, even better is that the campfire won’t start a flame, letting you get the effect of smoke, without the burning that comes with it. Number 10. For the building community, the advent of glow ink sacs

Is a pretty big game changer. And while the glow squid itself has been talked about to death, its drop actually gives some neat opportunities. For instance, with the ability to make text on signs glow in the dark, we could tuck some of these in a dark cave

And add in some creepy, atmospheric eyes in the darkness. And as long as your visitors don’t step too close, this illusion should more than hold up. Number 11. While I doubt we’ll get any kind of build craft style pipes in game anytime soon,

That doesn’t mean we can’t play the part and for that, our top candidate is the new copper lighting rods. These are already perfect additions to a steampunk build, but add some levers and the pipes come together themselves. And if you got yourself a drowned farm, the supplies are already there,

So while hoppers might have more functionality than these, I think the aesthetic champion is clear to see. Number 12. Sometimes, the hidden details can make all the difference and no where is that more true than the debug stick. After using this command to get the tool,

We’re able to rearrange the hit boxes of things like fences and iron bars to get better looks. By themselves, these decorations always do what they wanna do, but through some persuasion of the debug stick, we can realign them back to our liking, and from there, the results are definitely a step up.

Number 13. One of the coolest hacks for “Minecraft” building is mixing entities with pistons to create something truly unique, and nowhere is that seen more apparent than this stove top. After throwing some hopper mine carts on top of a campfire, we can push an iron trapdoor into collision with the cart

And make an impressive stove fixture. And hey, I guess you could always flip down the trapdoors and use those secret campfires underneath for actual cooking. Number 14. Adding custom plants to your base can really improve a build just like that, though not everyone is looking to sink the time

Into building a custom tree, so why don’t we start small and just improve your pumpkins and your jack-o’lanterns. By throwing a sea pickle to the top of one of these, we can add a nice little stem to the picture, or hey, candles could do the same effect. And either option

Will definitely step up your game next Halloween. Number 15. When you’re trying to sell the atmosphere of a build, it’s the small things that’ll make the biggest difference, and when we talk about that, particle effects definitely stand out against the rest. You see, say you’re building a dungeon or a basement

In a world, and you wanna prove that its run down. Well, add some water over top and a water-logged stair below, and now you can prove that this place is damp and dreary, which I think makes a nice touch. Number 16. Sometimes, it pays to have a different perspective

So while a block might look one way while its facing you, if you flip it around it might just be used in an entirely different way. So, sure, you could use a lectern as just that, but if you rotate it 180 degrees,

Then it makes for a fancy banister to use on your staircase. And folks, it’s those little experiments that yield the best results and show that sometimes all you need is a different angle. Number 17. It seems like everything these days is getting a while spectrum of wood types to choose from.

All, except for ladders. So if that lack of representation is getting you down, then smokers might be a surprising solution. As you’ll see, using the backside of smokers, you can give a somewhat spruce-like, kind of industrial texture to use in your world. And then, even if you add ladders on top for functionality,

That extra border’s gonna give a lot more depth than just a ladder on cobblestone. Number 18. Clearly, a little detail goes a long way, so, while it would be nice to add a potted plant to your “Minecraft” house, why stop there? Instead, we could add something like vines

To the outside of the leaves, and give some much needed depth to the vegetation. So if you’re not already playing with something like Vanilla Tweak’s Bushy Leaves add-on, this might be a good alternative. And hey, it’s always fun to have something to climb. Number 19. Invisible item frames open up a whole range

To creative mode building, and while we could fill a whole video just with ideas for those, one of my favorites might just be used in these young bushes. By doing this, we can not only add some sparks of color to your hedge maze, but also create our kind of bushes,

Whether that’s rose, berry, or something entirely new. The customization is definitely there and now it’s just up to you to experiment. Number 20. With how clean “Minecraft’s” textures can be, it can often be tough to make something look weathered or destroyed. Take a ruined portal, for example.

These are supposed to be burnt up and badly damaged, but the regular stone brick doesn’t always sell that, so instead, we could add some deepslate and blackstone variants to the mix and make charred and damaged stone to your builds, which not only gives the blocks their use and some personality,

But also helps your build tell a story. Number 21. Every now and then, Mojang will reuse a texture, and while sometimes that can seem odd, or even lazy, there are cases it works in our favor, like did you ever notice that the spruce door and spruce trapdoors look eerily similar?

Well, using that, we can place two trapdoors on the floor and make the illusion of a torn down or damaged front door, and funnily enough, this should actually keep out adult zombies better than the actual door anyway. Number 22. While hoppers definitely have their use, if you don’t have the iron on hand,

Then the water is the obvious choice. But hey, just because we’re ditching the metal doesn’t have to keep us from being industrial. On the contrary, if we put these fluid dynamics inside of trapdoors like so, we get both stylish and functional pipes to use in your world.

And even if it’s not as thorough as the hopper solution, I’d much prefer to use this for my next item transport. Number 23. Even though “Minecraft” does have birds, it’s funny that the only eggs hatching are turtle eggs. And while I doubt that’s changing anytime soon,

We can at least play pretend using this trick. By throwing down an egg of choice on top of a bed of coral, we can make a pretty convincing egg-in-a-nest effect. And hey, if you can add a waterlogged slab, then the coral sticks will have a lot more color as well. Number 24.

Let’s be honest, waterfalls in “Minecraft” are kinda lame. Here, they’re majestic and a force to be reckoned with, but in game, they barely even generate, let alone seem powerful, so to make your waterfalls a bit more cool, maybe turn to the particle effects instead.

By adding campfires to the mix, we can use the smoke to give off the illusion of roaring water. Sure, it’s a bit gray, but from a distance, I think this can sell the look pretty well. Number 25. Now, as you know, lanterns cannot be placed unsupported,

Which unfortunately means we can’t hang these off our walls, or so you thought. Instead, if we place chains above and a lever like so, we can give the facade of the lantern hanging from the wall and I’ve gotta say, looks pretty convincing. So if you’re looking for the next way

To light up your castle build, maybe reach for these instead of a stack of torches. Number 26. When it comes to storing items, “Minecraft’s” got plenty of options but displaying those items, that’s a bit more limited, so if you’re looking for something a bit different

Than a standard item frame, might I suggest campfires? Now, sure, when they’re lit, these things only keep the items on for so long, but as soon as you put out that fire, they’ll stay in place. So if you want a shelf for your steaks, I guess this does the trick. Number 27.

When it comes to lighting up a body of water, the answer isn’t always straightforward. Obviously, torches don’t gel in that situation, so we’ll need to look elsewhere, and if you’re looking for something less costly than glowstone or sea lanterns, then regular lanterns might be your pick.

By throwing these on the underside of a lily pad, we get a really slick way to subtly light up your ponds and lakes. And hey, soul lanterns might work even better, so it’s definitely worth experimenting. Number 28. If you ask the building community, “Minecraft” is always in need of more trees

And with 1.17’s azalea trees just reusing the oak log, we’ll have to look elsewhere to play with a new texture so how about we leave the caves and instead look to these palm trees? Now, while ancient debris offers up a great texture for these tropical trees,

I figure the solution only worthwhile on creative mode, and even if it looks great, it’s definitely not a tree you wanna punch. Number 29. Sometimes, the blocks that you need can be the least expected. For example, why would you ever think to mix basalt and dead coral?

But when you mix them like so, we can make a cool-looking stone tree. And while these do make good candidate’s for the Yogscast’s cobblestone trees, another stone worth trying is using the dripstone blocks as a new bark texture. So the next time that you’re mining these blocks, maybe consider their dual purpose instead.

Who knows, it might just help your build. Number 30. While armor stands can open up plenty of possibilities, unfortunately, on java, they don’t have their hands by default, though if you wanna at least pretend that we do, there is an option worth trying. By overlapping the hit boxes of an armor stand

And an oak fence gate, we’ll get a pretty solid set of arms on our mannequin. And while these aren’t nearly as functional as Vanilla Tweak’s Armor Stand data pack, they do beat out the original. Number 31. Waterlogged slabs can be a real ace up your sleeve

Because what everyone sees as a normal block, actually has the same properties as a water source. So while sure, we can’t place lily pads on dry land, if we waterlog a slab in that floor, then we can play by our own rules. So to anyone looking to open up their aquatic details

To the landlubbers on shore, this might just be your golden opportunity. Number 32. One of the inescapable truths in “Minecraft” is that grass has a different colormap depending on the biome. Meaning, if you place a green grass block from your inventory inside of a desert,

All you’re gonna see is yellow, and that’s unfortunate. Or it was until the Caves and Cliffs update. Now, with the help of the moss blocks and azalea leaves, we can get green lush colors wherever we’d like and that’ll definitely help your oasis to actually look like an oasis. Number 33.

Every now and then a simple trick is all you need, so while I’m sure your harbor already looks great, wouldn’t it look that little bit better if you switch the sunken oak logs for dark oak instead? That way, the darker texture would make the logs look water-worn and wet,

Adding that little bit of character to your build. After all, “Minecraft’s” blocks only have so many coded-in properties, so sometimes we’ll have to make up our own. Number 34. When overlaying blocks in a build, you’ve not only got to consider the texture on top, but also the background.

Let me explain with this scenario. Say you’ve got a set of vines climbing along the stone wall. It looks fine, but if we add some copper ore to the backdrop, then it gives off the illusion of flowers on the vines. And it’s the little things like this that definitely help to show

That you’re considering all parts of the build, and that’ll for sure set you apart. Number 35. If you ask me, it’s fun to build things in “Minecraft” that don’t make sense at a first glance. Like, take a look at this pond for example. As it appears, the stone pattern is placed off center

From the actual grid, but what’s actually happening is that we’re use waterlogged stairs and slabs to keep those textures, but make the blocks our own way. And while it’s a fun surprise to pull on your friends, I also think it looks quite nice as well. Number 36. Despite how it is in game,

Not every tree has a trunk this size, but since “Minecraft’s” blocks are one size fits all, we’ll have to get creative, and for that, walls actually work quite well. Using diorite walls for birch and andesite for acacia, we can make our own skinny trees to use in your world.

And while the illusion might break if people get too close, this could do the trick for some landscaping at a distance. Number 37. Now, I doubt anyone’s first pastime in “Minecraft” is reading, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look the part, so while your friend’s might settle

For a regular written book inside of their lecterns, if we just place two of these facing inwards, then we’ve got a supersized tome to use at your desk. And funnily enough, if you use “Minecraft’s” scale, this is actually a book that’s two meters wide, which should be plenty of room

For any flip books you add on it. Number 38. One of the pain points in creative building is that you can’t place a block freestanding, so if you mess up on a floating block, you’ve gotta build off it just to replace the original so instead of that hassle, maybe try this.

By holding a block in your offhand, all it takes is hitting the left click and right click buttons at the same time to replace a freestanding block, and then, simple as that, the mistake is fixed. Number 39. While “Minecraft’s” signs allow you to use emojis and unicode characters, those don’t exactly have detail,

So to spice up the signage at your next shop, why not mix together item frames and signs to do the trick? Since these can overlap, we can both denote and show the item in question, and I’ve gotta say that adds a nice bit of clarity to your new potion shop.

And from there, it’s up to you to choose what to sell. Number 40. While “Minecraft” allows for logs and wood blocks to have different orientations, the planks are a different story, though to offset that pain, we could turn to a different path entirely. Sure enough, the next time

That you go to build a dark oak wall, maybe add some cartography tables for detail. As you can see, these have a vertical texture compared to the standard horizontal, so until rotated planks become a base feature, this might be your best bet. Number 41. The swamps have not received a lot of love

In “Minecraft’s” history, and really the most unique thing to the area is just the abundance of lily pads, so to help out this desperate destination, maybe we can make a plant of our own. If you add a piece of coral to the top of your warped trapdoor,

We can make somewhat of a lotus plant inside of your world, which gives some much needed color to a biome that’s been neglected. And with that folks, construct that sub button below, and have a good one, alright?