Home Building Guide

Overview

Building a home from scratch is one of the most rewarding parts of inZOI, but the tools can be overwhelming the first time you open Build Mode. This guide walks through every step of the process, from choosing a lot to placing your final piece of furniture. If you want to practice without worrying about budget, use Build Studio from the main menu first. Everything you build there can be saved as a preset and imported into your live game later.

Before You Start

Entering Build Mode

Press I on the keyboard or click the Build Mode icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen. The camera jumps to your household's lot and the building interface appears. If you want to edit a community lot instead, click the Build Mode icon and select "Edit Public Property" or "Edit Street." Community lot edits cost no Meow.

Essential Controls

Memorize these controls before placing your first wall. They apply throughout the entire building process.

Budget Considerations

Everything in Build Mode costs Meow. Walls, flooring, furniture, doors, and windows each have individual prices. A modest starter home can cost 15,000 to 25,000 Meow, while a fully furnished family house can exceed 80,000 Meow. Some pre-built property presets cost over 90,000 Meow. If your household cannot afford the home you want, consider building the structure first and furnishing rooms gradually as income comes in.

Step 1: Choose Your Lot

Before building, you need a lot to build on. See the Lots and Housing article for a full breakdown of available lots in each city.

• Empty lots: Found throughout Dowon, Bliss Bay, and Cahaya. Look for vacant land with no existing structures.

• Existing properties: You can demolish an existing home and rebuild on the same lot. Use the "Remove All" option in the toolbar to clear everything.

• Lot size: Lots vary in size from small urban plots to larger suburban parcels. Pick a lot that matches the scale of house you want to build. A two-story family home needs significantly more ground area than a studio apartment.

Once you have moved your household onto a lot (or selected an empty lot to edit), press I to enter Build Mode.

Step 2: Enable the Floor Grid

Before placing any walls, press G to enable the floor grid. This is the single most important step that new builders skip. When the grid is active, walls snap to grid points and enclosed areas automatically generate flooring (the interior turns blue). Without the grid enabled, flooring will not auto-generate and you will need to place floor tiles manually.

The grid uses a square system where four grid squares equal approximately one meter. Keeping the grid visible also helps with symmetry and alignment throughout the build.

Step 3: Choose a Wall Height

Before you start drawing walls, decide on a wall height. This choice affects the overall look and feel of your home and cannot be mixed within a single structure.

Important: You cannot mix different wall heights within the same connected structure. All exterior walls must use the same height. If you want a two-story home, choose 4.8 m or 5.7 m walls from the start. Interior partition walls can use shorter heights than the exterior.

Step 4: Place Walls

Open the Structure tab in the left panel and select the wall tool. Click on a grid point to begin placing your first wall, then drag to extend the wall along the grid. Click again to confirm the endpoint.

1. Click on a grid square to start your first wall segment

2. Drag the cursor along the grid to define the wall's length

3. Click to confirm and place the wall

4. Continue drawing walls from the endpoint, connecting segments until you return to the starting point

5. When walls fully enclose an area, the flooring inside turns blue, indicating a valid room

Wall Placement Tips

• Start from a grid point. Walls placed off-grid may not auto-generate interior flooring.

• Draw the exterior perimeter first, then add interior walls to divide the space into rooms.

• Interior walls create room boundaries. Each enclosed space becomes a separate room that can have its own wallpaper and flooring.

• Walls do not automatically join to adjacent walls. Check connections carefully to avoid gaps.

• You cannot delete individual wall segments. If a wall is wrong, undo it with Ctrl+Z immediately or rebuild the section.

Step 5: Add Doors and Windows

Doors and windows are found in the Structure tab under their respective categories. Click a door or window to select it, then click on a wall to place it.

Doors

• Every home needs at least one exterior door for Zois to enter and exit

• Interior doors between rooms are optional but improve traffic flow and room privacy

• Door direction matters: the door should open toward the nearest wall. A door close to the right wall should have its handle on the left side.

• Doors placed on raised platforms or upper floors can occasionally be buggy. Save before placing doors in these locations.

Windows

• Windows cannot be placed at the very bottom of a wall flush with the floor. Position them at mid-height or higher.

• You cannot stack multiple windows on the same wall section. One window per wall segment.

• Consider window placement early because wall segment restrictions can limit your options later.

Step 6: Build the Roof

Roofing is placed from the roof floor. Press PgUp until you reach the top floor level, or zoom out until the roof plane becomes visible. Select a roof type from the Structure tab.

1. Navigate to the roof floor using PgUp

2. Select a roof type (gable, hip, half-hip, or flat are the main options)

3. Click on one corner of the area you want to cover and drag to the opposite diagonal corner

4. Release to place the roof section

5. For complex roof shapes, place multiple overlapping roof sections and align them manually

Roof Tips

• Roofs can only be placed in rectangular shapes. Diagonal walls may need multiple overlapping roof pieces.

• Roof sections do not automatically connect to each other. Use the Alt key for free placement to manually align them.

• Customize roof color and material by clicking on a placed roof section and selecting the paintbrush icon.

• A flat roof is the simplest option if you are unsure about roofing. You can always replace it later.

Step 7: Apply Flooring and Wallpaper

Once the structure is complete, customize the interior surfaces. Click on any wall or floor surface, then click the paintbrush icon to open the Customize Paint menu.

Wallpaper and Paint

• Each side of a wall can be painted independently. The interior face and exterior face can have different colors and textures.

• Options include solid colors, tile patterns, wood finishes, brick textures, and more

• To paint multiple surfaces with the same material, select the icon with the plus symbol after choosing a paint

• AI Texture: Type a text description and the built-in AI generates a custom texture from your prompt. Apply it to any surface.

• My Texture: Upload your own image file as a texture and apply it to walls or floors.

Flooring

If the floor grid was enabled when you placed walls, interior rooms already have default flooring. Click on any floor surface and use the paintbrush to change the material. Manual floor tiles come in three sizes: 7.5m x 7.5m, 15m x 15m, and 30m x 30m. These are useful for outdoor patios or areas where auto-generated flooring does not appear.

Customizable properties for both walls and floors include color, material, gloss level, pattern scale, and special effects.

Step 8: Place Furniture

Open the Furniture tab in the left panel. Items are organized by room type: Bedroom, Living Room, Kitchen, Bathroom, Home Office, Hobby, Outdoors, Social Event, and Other. See the Furniture article for detailed item lists and prices.

Essential Rooms and Required Furniture

A functional home needs certain furniture for Zois to meet their basic needs.

Additional rooms to consider for skill development and income:

Placement Mechanics

• Grid snapping (default): Objects snap to the nearest grid position. Good for aligned, organized layouts.

• Free placement: Hold Alt while moving an object to ignore the grid entirely. This lets you push furniture against walls, overlap items, and place things at any angle.

• Rotation: Right-click or press C to rotate 45 degrees clockwise. Press Z for counter-clockwise. Hold Alt while rotating for fine-tuned angles.

• Multiple copies: Hold Shift while placing to drop several of the same item without reselecting it from the menu.

Note: There is currently no way to resize or scale furniture. All items have fixed dimensions. This is a commonly requested feature for future updates.

Furniture Customization

After placing a piece of furniture, click on it to open the customization menu. You can change the texture, color, material, and gloss of most items. AI Texture and My Texture options are also available for furniture, letting you apply custom designs to tables, sofas, cabinets, and more.

Multi-Story Homes

To build a home with multiple floors, you need to plan for vertical space from the start.

1. Choose 4.8 m or 5.7 m walls when starting your build. The 3.0 m option does not support upper floors well.

2. Complete the ground floor structure (walls, rooms) first.

3. Place stairs from the Structure tab. Position them in an area with enough clearance above for the stairwell opening.

4. Press PgUp to navigate to the second floor. The staircase creates a floor opening automatically.

5. Draw walls on the upper floor just as you did on the ground floor. Upper floor walls sit on top of the lower structure.

6. Repeat for additional floors. Apartment buildings in inZOI support up to 30 floors.

Stair Types

• Straight stairs: The simplest option. Place them along a wall for space efficiency.

• L-shaped (corner) stairs: Place a straight flight first, then click the slanted arrow option in the stair settings to add a turn.

• U-turn stairs: Place a full straight flight, then bend it 180 degrees. Takes more space but looks more elegant.

Stairs must be placed in open areas. Nearby walls or furniture can block stair placement. If you get placement errors, clear the area around the stairwell first.

Pools

Swimming pools are found in the Structure tab under Exteriors. They are placed outdoors on your lot.

1. Select a pool shape from the Exteriors section

2. Click and drag on your lot to define the pool boundaries

3. Ensure all pool wall lines connect so the pool is properly enclosed and can hold water

4. Adjust pool wall height and steepness using the customization controls

5. Add pool ladders so Zois can enter and exit. Without a ladder, Zois cannot use the pool.

6. Add pool accessories and lighting from the Furniture tab for decoration

To have a Zoi swim, interact with the placed pool and select the "GO" option.

Fences and Gates

Fences define property boundaries and add curb appeal, but they require careful handling due to known placement quirks.

• Build fences last: Fences can disappear if you build other structures afterward. Always add fences as the final step of your build.

• Gate placement: Build both sides of the fence line first, then snap the gate into the gap. Gates require 4 to 12 grid hexes of space and must be placed away from the property border.

• Fences cannot be placed on floor tiles (including grass-textured tiles). Place them directly on the ground.

Platforms and Foundations

Raised foundations give homes a more realistic look. inZOI does not have a dedicated foundation tool, but you can achieve a raised base using platforms.

1. Place a platform from the Structure tab

2. Use the movement controller (first option in the piece selector) to adjust the platform's height and size

3. Build your home on top of the raised platform

4. Add stairs from the ground level up to the platform so Zois can access the front door

Note: Door placement on raised platforms can be buggy. Save your build before adding doors to elevated surfaces.

AI and Creative Tools

AI Texture Generation

The built-in AI texture generator creates custom textures from text descriptions. Access it through the Customize Paint menu on any surface or furniture piece. Type a description (for example, "rustic red brick" or "Japanese cherry blossom wallpaper") and the AI produces a texture you can apply immediately. This is one of inZOI's most unique building features.

3D Printer

The 3D Printer lets you upload a 2D image and convert it into a 3D object. The printed object can be used as decoration in your home. It works best with symmetrical shapes (vases, figurines) or flat items viewed from one side (wall art, plaques). 3D-printed objects are purely decorative and cannot be interacted with functionally (a printed chair cannot be sat on).

Furniture Workbench

The Furniture Workbench (found in the Hobby section of the Furniture tab) lets Zois with the Housework skill craft custom furniture. Crafted pieces can be placed in the home or sold for Meow.

Saving and Sharing

Saving Presets

• Save Property Preset: Saves your entire build (structure + furniture) as a reusable template. Found in the top toolbar.

• Save Room Preset: Use the Room Selection Tool (R) to select a single room, then save it. Useful for reusing a kitchen or bathroom design across multiple homes.

• Presets are stored locally on your computer and can be placed on any lot in any save file.

Uploading to Canvas

Share your build with the community through Canvas. Click "Upload to Canvas" in the Build Mode interface, add a title, description, and tags, then upload. Other players can download and place your creation in their own games. Only Photo Mode screenshots can be used as thumbnails for Canvas uploads.

Using Presets Instead of Building from Scratch

If building from scratch feels overwhelming, the Building Presets tab offers pre-built homes and rooms that can be placed in a single click.

Property presets can be expensive. The Sunwood Living preset, for example, costs over 90,000 Meow. Make sure your household can afford the preset before placing it.

Current Limitations (Early Access)

Build Mode is still evolving during Early Access. The following features are not yet available:

• No basements: You cannot dig below ground level. A basement option is visible in the interface, suggesting it is planned for a future update.

• No terrain sculpting: Lots are flat. There are no tools to create hills, slopes, or custom terrain shapes.

• No terrain painting: You cannot paint grass, dirt, sand, or other ground textures directly onto the lot.

• No curved walls: All walls are straight segments only.

• No object resizing: Furniture cannot be scaled up or down. All items have fixed dimensions.

• No vertical furniture adjustment: Standard furniture cannot be raised or lowered on walls.

• No crown molding or baseboards: Decorative trim elements are not available as separate pieces.

The 2026 roadmap includes 7 to 8 planned updates throughout the year, with 51 new Build Mode assets (including new stair types and pillar options) already added in recent patches.

Build Mode Cheats

For players who want to experiment without restrictions, several cheats are available. Enable cheats through Psycat's Advice menu, then press Ctrl+Shift+C to open the console.

Money cheats can be used to increase your household budget if the cost of building is a constraint. See the Cheats article for a full list.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Step-by-Step Starter Home Walkthrough

Here is a quick walkthrough for building a simple one-story, two-bedroom starter home:

1. Move into an empty lot and press I to enter Build Mode

2. Press G to enable the floor grid

3. Select 3.9 m walls from the Structure tab

4. Draw a rectangular perimeter (roughly 20 x 15 grid squares) for the exterior walls

5. Add interior walls to create: a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bathroom

6. Place an exterior door on the front wall and interior doors between rooms

7. Add windows to each room (one per wall section)

8. Navigate to the roof floor (PgUp) and place a simple gable roof over the entire structure

9. Click on walls and floors to customize paint, wallpaper, and flooring materials

10. Furnish the kitchen (fridge, stove, counter), bathroom (toilet, sink, shower), bedrooms (beds, wardrobes), and living room (sofa, TV)

11. Add a front yard fence (build this last)

12. Save as a Property Preset for reuse

This basic home should cost between 15,000 and 25,000 Meow depending on furniture choices. It provides everything a Zoi needs to live comfortably while you learn the building system.

General Tips

• Use Build Studio for practice builds before spending Meow in your live game

• Download homes from Canvas to study how experienced builders structure their designs

• The Alt key is your best friend. Free placement and free rotation open up far more design possibilities than grid-only building.

• Save frequently with Ctrl+S. Build Mode changes can occasionally have issues, and a recent save prevents lost work.

• Plan your room layout on paper or in a notes app before starting. Knowing where each room goes prevents costly teardowns.

• Experiment with AI Texture on accent walls. A single AI-generated feature wall can transform a plain room.

• Keep bedrooms close to bathrooms. Zois who wake up needing the bathroom will path to the nearest one.

• Place the kitchen near the front door so Zois returning from work can eat quickly

• For families with children, place kids' bedrooms near the parents' bedroom for efficient nighttime baby care

• Undo (Ctrl+Z) works for almost everything. If a placement goes wrong, undo immediately rather than trying to manually fix it.