11 replies to this topic

[Eleima]

You get the opportunity in Skyrim to buy a couple of houses across the holds, so my question was, which house do you prefer? The vast, luxurious house in Solitude? The small, cozy home first available in Whiterun? Or the Markath house which features typical Dwemer architecture?

Here's a quick rundown of the houses:

• Breezehome (Whiterun) : 5,000 gold to buy, 1,800 to fully upgrade. Ideally situated next to a forge, tanning rack and smelter, this small home features an alchemy lab, but lacks an arcane enchanter.
  
• Honeyside (Riften) : 8,000 gold to buy, 4,300 to fully upgrade. This one has an alchemy lab, an arcane enchanter and a tanning rack. There are two mannequins in the basement to show off your special gear, and you can access it both from within the town and from the Skyrim world map (a useful feature when you want to avoid loading screen, or it you're a vampire). The lack of a door leading to the bedroom can be off-putting to some, though.
  
• Vlindrell Hall (Markath) : 8,000 gold to buy, 4,200 to fully upgrade. Complete with a typical, rock-hard Dwemer bed, this home allows access to an alchemy lab and an arcane enchanter. There's a single mannequin, a few display cases, and bookshelves.
  
• Hjerim (Windhelm) : 12,000 gold to buy, 9,000 to fully upgrade. Arguably the "best" house in the game, it has the most storage space. There's an alchemy lab and an arcane enchanter, of course, three mannequins, a bunch of racks and display cases, and twelve bookshelves. Of course, it was, until very recently, the home of a serial killer, so you might want to steer clear if you're superstitious.
  
• Proudspire Manor (Solitude) : 25,000 gold to buy, 11,000 to fully upgrade. A sprawling manor with three floors, it features an alchemy lab and an arcane enchanter, two mannequins, a few racks, ten bookshelves, but no display cases.

So, my question is simple, which one do you prefer? Which one is your base of operations? Or do you prefer your small room in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary? Or the one in the College of Winterhold? Or another, perhaps?
Tell us which one gets your vote and why!

[Choo Choo]

I *love* the Markarth house - although the bed would probably take some getting used to - but I tend to dump all my stuff in Breezehome for ease of access and proximity to both smithy and trader.

Voting for Vlindrel Hall, though. I love Markarth in general, so pretty.

[Eleima]

I still haven't voted, because I'm very conflicted. Breezehome was my first, it's close to the city entrance (of course, that's almost irrelevant now that I'm using the House Map Markers mod) and to the forge. Proudspire is grand and fancy. Hjerim is really, really loaded with cases and mannequins, but out of the way and in cold Windhelm... I can't seem to decide!

I agree, ChooChoo, though, Markath is beautiful, I went "wow" the first time I saw it.

[Vicen]

Personally...I prefer the Solitude house most because it's just so big and you can store all sorts of stuff there (mannequins - weapon mounts - etc) But the Whiterun house gives it a run for it's money for me. It just feels really cozy...So it's a close second!

[Eleima]

In the end, I went with Proudspire Manor. Because it's big, there's lots of storage space, and the basement conveniently shelters lab, arcane enchanter, racks and mannequins. Hjerim was a close, close second, because there's even more storage space, but I don't like Windhelm, as a city, too much snow.

[Cal Jones]

I like Breezehome home very much - if it had an enchanting altar it would be perfect, but unfortunately you have to trudge all the way to the castle to do your enchanting there. Still, being next to the forge is great.

Proudspire Manor is great but for some reason I don't find myself using it very much. It's a little far from the main gate and by the time I've bought the house I have already done most (if not all) of the Solitude quests. It is a nice house, though.

Vlindrel Hall is another I barely use, for much the same reason. It's also a lovely house (and great for displaying books) but it's dark - I don't like the lack of windows. Also too far from the closest forge.

Hjerim - lots of space but I loathe Windhelm. There's also, in a way, too much space - the house feels old and draughty rather than cosy. It's a place to display your cool stuff rather than to live in.

Ultimately, my vote goes to Honeyside. It's cosy, it has everything you need, the shops and forge are not too far and it's right by the gate. Plus it has its own dock (with boat) and garden (with chicken). Yes, Riften is the armpit of Skyrim in terms of crime but the surrounding area is actually pretty nice - all autumnal forests and lakes. If only you could kill off Maven Blackbriar, eh?

[Eleima]

Agreed, Breezehome would be ideal if it only had an arcane enchanter! I do find it kinda eerie when I try to sleep and Lydia is right there, sitting across the room, staring at me. Very unsettling.

The other day, I just figured out what was Hjerim's major flaw. Unless you side with the Stormcloaks, the only way to acquire the house is by finishing the Civil War quest arc. And that's a giant pain. I'd sided with the Stormcloaks during my first playthrough, so it had been readily available to me. This time, though, I decided to side with the Imperial Legion. But I've held off on giving back the Jagged Crown because I want to see the negotiations in the main quest! (The first time around, I'd completed the Stormcloak quest line before the Civil War, so the Jarl of Whiterun had immediately agreed to the whole "capturing a dragon" business) Anyway, that's a lot of hoops to jump through for just one house. I can understand the reasoning behind it, but it's still a pain. Can't understand why the same isn't true for Proudspire Manor, though (you'd think it would require you to side with the Imperials or finish the Civil War in favor of the Stormcloaks).
As for Honeyside, well... I don't dislike Riften all that bad, I figure it's still a step up from Bravil, right? And yeah, I so wish I could kill of Maven, I just don't like her... But the countryside is gorgeous and a bit more lush than windswept, snowfull Windhelm, that's for sure...