Minecraft wiki entry for Tips_and_tricks, associated text: For beginners, the player might want to hollow out the side of a hill or mountain. This can be done quickly and turn into a good shelter, but keep in mind it will be harder to find the home if the player wanders off, or the player could place torches if they have any around the entrance. Good thing is that the mobs can't track any players down by light sources, except zombies. A second design is to collect a lot of logs and build a house of planks. These stand out easily, look good, and function well. The bad thing is they and their slab counterparts are flammable and may be set on fire by lightning.