I like to begin by selecting a block palette to stick to as I build. For a typical house, a block palette generally consists of 2-4 block families (and by "family" I mean a specific wood type, stone type, etc.). Some examples to choose from ... oak, spruce and stone? Acacia, birch and andesite? Dark oak, cherry and tuff? The possibilities are endless, and ultimately it all comes down to your own preference and building style.
My next step would be to construct a frame for the house using one of the blocks in your palette. Getting its dimensions sorted out from the beginning would eliminate the need to change them later. If you would like an extra challenge, consider adding a small extension to the house.
Now, if you have built a large frame, what I would do next (and this is completely optional) is to create vertical pillars spaced equally between the levels of the frame, using the same material as the frame itself. This is to help "break things up" a bit once you build the walls. To spice things up further, attach stairs (both upright and upside-down ones, as you see fit) at the junctions of the frame.
Which leads us onto the next step ... the walls and windows. A simple and popular technique is to use stairs instead of solid blocks directly above and below the windows if said windows are made of glass. It doesn't work as well if you use fences for the windows — if you do, solid blocks are fine. I would also use a block / block family different from the one I used for the frame to avoid monotony.
Once all the walls and windows are finished, I would consider the most difficult bits done and the house nearly complete.
If your house consists of multiple floors, perhaps consider building a balcony at its front. For a larger balcony, supports (in the form of pillars attached to the ground) would also be desirable.
The penultimate step would be to complete the roof, for which you could use either stairs or full blocks. Try to extend the roof one block out from the main frame and use two different block families for it (one material for the edge of the roof and the other for the central part). If your roof is wooden, add a stone wall with a lightning rod to avoid unwanted fires in a thunderstorm. A chimney could also be nice to have — the simplest way to create one is to build a two-block pillar, place a campfire on it and surround the campfire with trapdoors.
And finally — don't forget the decorations. This could be done however you wish. Flower beds, potted lanterns and vegetable gardens on the outside? Paintings and furniture on the inside? It might be a cliche, but there are literally infinite possibilities.
i am terrible at building
I like to begin by selecting a block palette to stick to as I build. For a typical house, a block palette generally consists of 2-4 block families (and by "family" I mean a specific wood type, stone type, etc.). Some examples to choose from ... oak, spruce and stone? Acacia, birch and andesite? Dark oak, cherry and tuff? The possibilities are endless, and ultimately it all comes down to your own preference and building style.
My next step would be to construct a frame for the house using one of the blocks in your palette. Getting its dimensions sorted out from the beginning would eliminate the need to change them later. If you would like an extra challenge, consider adding a small extension to the house.
Now, if you have built a large frame, what I would do next (and this is completely optional) is to create vertical pillars spaced equally between the levels of the frame, using the same material as the frame itself. This is to help "break things up" a bit once you build the walls. To spice things up further, attach stairs (both upright and upside-down ones, as you see fit) at the junctions of the frame.
Which leads us onto the next step ... the walls and windows. A simple and popular technique is to use stairs instead of solid blocks directly above and below the windows if said windows are made of glass. It doesn't work as well if you use fences for the windows — if you do, solid blocks are fine. I would also use a block / block family different from the one I used for the frame to avoid monotony.
Once all the walls and windows are finished, I would consider the most difficult bits done and the house nearly complete.
If your house consists of multiple floors, perhaps consider building a balcony at its front. For a larger balcony, supports (in the form of pillars attached to the ground) would also be desirable.
The penultimate step would be to complete the roof, for which you could use either stairs or full blocks. Try to extend the roof one block out from the main frame and use two different block families for it (one material for the edge of the roof and the other for the central part). If your roof is wooden, add a stone wall with a lightning rod to avoid unwanted fires in a thunderstorm. A chimney could also be nice to have — the simplest way to create one is to build a two-block pillar, place a campfire on it and surround the campfire with trapdoors.
And finally — don't forget the decorations. This could be done however you wish. Flower beds, potted lanterns and vegetable gardens on the outside? Paintings and furniture on the inside? It might be a cliche, but there are literally infinite possibilities.