Minecraft wiki entry for Shelters, associated text: If you live in any building that is more than one story, you might want a method to get up and down easily without stairs or a ladder. One way to do this is to make a waterfall that falls through the center of the structure. Make sure to have one block of space on any side of it so that your character can be outside of the water enough to breathe while climbing it. Simply hold down the jump button (the space bar) while inside the waterfall to ascend. This method can also be used to create an elevator to flying islands or houses.