House
A House provides population capacity for civilizations that use the standard housing building. If the population cap is reached, new units cannot be trained until space is added or units are lost, so housing is part of production planning.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 100 Wood
- Available
- Exploration Age
- Builder
- Settler and its counterparts
- Population support
- 10
- Function
- Provides population
- Construction
- 10 sec · up to 8 builders · limit 20
- Structure
- 1,200 hit points · 12 line of sight · 2x2 footprint
Function
Workers construct Houses for Wood, but population support and build limits differ by civilization. Several factions use specialized buildings that also supply population, gather resources or train units, including Manor Houses, Shrines, Kancha Houses and Villages. Check the selected civilization’s building tree before budgeting housing.
Placement & timing
Build before unit queues stall and leave room for planned shipments or a production batch. Spread housing across defensible areas so one siege attack cannot remove all capacity at once. When population is tight, add enough support for the next army rather than spending Wood on excess capacity too early.
Population capacity and production planning
A standard House costs 100 Wood, takes 10 seconds to build and supports 10 population. It has 1,200 hit points, line of sight 12, a 2-by-2 footprint and a build limit of 20 in the recorded profile. Settlers and their counterparts construct it from the Exploration Age. If population capacity is full, unit production stops until more housing is available or population is freed, so build Houses before the limit blocks a queue. Wood used for housing competes with military buildings and units; add enough capacity for the planned army rather than spending on excess housing too early. Spread Houses across defensible areas so a single siege attack cannot remove all available population support. Not every civilization uses the standard House: Manor Houses, Shrines, Kancha Houses, Villages and other buildings may provide capacity or additional functions. Check the civilization’s building tree before applying the 100-Wood rule. A House is a basic support structure, but its timing directly affects whether the army can reinforce when needed.
Avoiding a population block
Add housing before a large unit batch or shipment arrives. If the selected civilization uses a special population building, check that building’s capacity and cost instead of assuming the standard House applies.
Population is a production resource
Population capacity controls how many units can exist and whether production queues continue. A House’s 10-capacity support is therefore part of an army plan, not an optional decoration. Build ahead of a large shipment or batch, but use the selected civilization’s special population structures when they combine housing with another role. A destroyed House can create an immediate population block, so spread housing and protect workers during construction. The standard cost is 100 Wood; reserve that amount alongside military and economic building needs.
Civilization-specific alternatives
Manor Houses, Shrines, Kancha Houses and Villages can provide population with additional effects for their own civilizations. Check the relevant building page before assuming a standard House is the best use of Wood.
Construction timing
A House takes ten seconds to build, so start before a planned shipment or unit queue reaches the population cap. Protect the Builder until the structure is complete.
Housing buffer
Leave a small population buffer before starting a large batch so production does not stop if a shipment or unit queue arrives. Houses are cheap compared with losing production time to a population cap.
Population capacity and placement
A House increases the population limit, allowing continued Villager and army production. Housing is a prerequisite rather than a direct resource generator, so build before the current cap blocks a queue. Place early Houses near the Town Center or behind defenses; later, spread them through protected territory so a raid or siege push cannot remove all capacity at once. A forward House may be destroyed just as a large batch is training, forcing rebuilding and delaying production. Check population after a shipment, worker conversion or a high-population unit.
Civilization-specific housing rules
House designs and population effects differ across civilizations and expansions. Some factions use a different core housing building, while others gain capacity through cards, unique structures or upgrades. Check the civilization’s profile instead of assuming every House has the same cost, limit or capacity. Improvements to Houses also compete with production and age advancement. In a long match, a secure housing network supports reinforcements; during an early rush, build only the capacity needed for the immediate plan and spend remaining Wood on units or a key structure.