Nether Lava Flow House

This structure was inspired by a weird house I made some time back; it started out as a rather nondescript dirt house with a pyramid-like roof, and then I replaced the floor with cobblestone and changed the second layer from the floor to glass blocks; and then, on a whim, replaced every other layer of the roof with glass as well, dumped water on the roof (and then had to make little enclosures at the base to contain the water), and grew wheat on the dirt blocks that weren't covered by water. I still think it looks kinda cool, though my brothers think it's crazy! XD

So recently I thought, "wouldn't it be cool to have a similar house, but made out of nether materials, and flowing with lava!" So I made one to see how it would turn out. This one is made in creative mode for simplicity (and easier overview screenshots from the air), but there's nothing to stop you from doing it in survival if you have the materials.

You can use it as a normal house, or build a nether portal in it, or fill it with chests to serve as a storage shed... or you can do like I did and make it a sorcerer's lair, with an enchanting table, brewing stand, etc (pics in last step). Or whatever floats your boat :-).

Step 1: What You Need

To make this fine edifice, I used:

• 125 blocks of soul sand
• 76 blocks of netherrack
• 58 blocks of glowstone
• 2 buckets of lava
• 2 pressure plates
• 1 iron door
• a few blocks of dirt (5 or so) to aid in constructing the roof; none of them remain in the finished structure

There is some room for variation; for example, you could use just 99 blocks of soul sand (for the floor) and 26 blocks of netherrack to contain the lava at the base, or if you don't like walking on soul sand (I use it because I like it), you can use whatever you prefer.

I used an iron door and pressure plates instead of a wooden door, to avoid risk of fire due to the proximity of the lava.

Also, if you are doing this in survival mode, I recommend taking these precautions: make sure your home bed is nearby, so if you happen to have an accident with the lava, you won't respawn halfway across the world. I also recommend putting everything except for your construction materials in a chest, to prevent it getting burned up in the event of such a mishap. Hopefully everything will be just fine, but when it comes to working with lava, you can't be too careful!

Step 2: Laying the Foundations

With your floor material (I used soul sand because I like the effect when I walk on it), lay out a rectangle 9 blocks by 11 blocks (the extremely observant may note that the rectangle in the picture is 12 blocks wide; that was a miscount and was corrected afterward, though I didn't get another screenshot), and fill it in.

Step 3: Building the Walls

In the center of one of the long sides, note where the door will be. Place netherrack all around the rectangle, leaving a space for the door. Place a layer of glowstone on top of the netherrack.

Step 4: The Roof, and Enclosures to Catch the Lava

Locate the center of the base on one of the short sides, and place a block on each side of the center (I used soul sand). Place three blocks in front of those two blocks and the center, leaving a one-block opening in the middle. Repeat on the other short side. Go to the side with the door opening, and place a block on the ground in front of the door. Place a block on each side, leaving a one-block space between them and the center block. Then place a line of five blocks in front of that. Repeat on the other side, with the center of the wall instead of the door opening.

Climb back onto the wall (maybe with a dirt block inside the house). Place a dirt block on top of the glowstone, and place a netherrack block on the side of the dirt, over the open space. Add netherrack blocks on the sides of this block, to make a layer set inward by one block. Place another netherrack block above the door opening (not shown in the picture, but I had to add it to make the lava flow properly). Repeat this process, alternating layers of netherrack and glowstone, until you get a line of three glowstone blocks at the peak, removing the dirt blocks as you go. Place a dirt block in the center of the peak, and another on top of that. Facing a short side of the house, pour a bucket of lava onto the roof. Turn around and repeat on the other side. If all goes well, the lava should flow down into the little enclosures at the base and be neatly contained. Now carefully dig away the dirt blocks on the roof. You should end up between the two lava flows, from whence you should be able to run down off the roof with minimal damage (though this is the most dangerous part of the process). If you do happen to catch on fire, don't panic, just get clear as fast as you can! (Of course none of this is a concern if you're in creative mode).

Step 5: The Finishing Touches

Remove any dirt blocks still remaining, and place an iron door in the door opening. I placed mine from the inside because I preferred the inset look. Place a pressure plate in front of the door, and another one on the other side, to make it open and close.

Now it's time to furnish it! I put an enchanting table and a bunch of bookcases on one side, and a brewing stand, anvil, cauldron, and some chests on the other side, to make it a sorcerer's lair! The glowstone illuminates the interior, so you don't need any torches getting in the way of your elegant decor!

It's fun to play with this design; making it a different size, varying the materials, etc :-D

Enjoy your nether lava flow house, and stay safe!