Can You Make Your Rooms Bigger in Animal Crossing? A Comprehensive Guide
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Yes, you absolutely can make your rooms bigger in Animal Crossing: New Horizons! This is a key part of the game’s progression, allowing you to expand your living space and express your creativity through interior design. The process involves upgrading your home multiple times through Tom Nook, and it’s a cornerstone of the game’s long-term appeal. Let’s dive into how you can achieve this and explore all the related aspects of home expansion.
How to Expand Your House in Animal Crossing
The journey of expanding your home in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a satisfying one that allows you to continuously improve your island life. Here’s a breakdown of the steps:
Starting Small
Initially, your home is a modest tent. Your first major goal is to upgrade this to a small house. To do this, you’ll need to pay off the initial loan given by Tom Nook. Once you’ve paid that debt, your tent will transform into your first real house.
The First Expansions
After getting your basic house, Tom Nook will always be ready with the next upgrade, provided you pay off your existing loans. Each upgrade makes your ground floor bigger. This process repeats a few times before you start adding additional rooms. You just have to speak to Tom Nook and request a loan. Pay it off, and request the next one!
Adding New Rooms and Floors
As you continue to expand your house, you’ll eventually be able to add more rooms. The game breaks these down into six core areas to furnish: a second floor, a basement, and four ground-level rooms. These expansions provide more space for furniture, allowing you to create themed rooms or design a variety of living spaces.
Utilizing the Happy Home Paradise DLC
The Happy Home Paradise DLC offers unique twists on home expansion. You’ll begin by decorating vacation homes. After decorating your fourth vacation home, Lottie will inform you she’s gotten the permit to turn it into a school. Once that is done, you’ll move inside to decorate, but Lottie informs you the space is too small. She will then unlock the ability to adjust the size of the room in vacation homes. After finishing your 19th vacation home, talk to Lottie. She will inform you there’s an expansion available and that you can now decorate a second story. After this, you’ll be able to offer clients an upstairs area. It’s important to note that while the techniques learned in the DLC apply to your main home, they do not offer a means to directly expand your main home beyond the six core areas.
Maximizing Space Beyond Room Size
While physically increasing the size of your rooms is done through home upgrades, there are other ways to maximize the functionality of your space.
Ultimate Pocket Stuffing
Acquiring the Ultimate Pocket Stuffing Guide for 8,000 Nook Miles from the Nook Stop gives you access to more item slots in your inventory – up to 40 in total. This means you can gather more items before needing to head back home and store them.
Storage Upgrades
You can upgrade your home storage multiple times. The current maximum storage you can achieve is 5,000 items, which is a substantial amount of room. In the 2020 Winter update, you could upgrade your storage to hold 2,400 items. On top of that, in the 2021 2.0 Update, you could increase your storage three more times, to a grand maximum of 5,000 items. These storage upgrades are obtained from Tom Nook, just like your house expansions, and require you to pay off loans each time. This huge amount of storage will help alleviate full inventory problems.
Clever Decorating
Use clever decorating techniques to give the impression of a larger space. Utilizing accent walls (unlocked via the Pro Decorating License) can add depth, and careful placement of furniture can optimize the usable space in each room.
Pro Decorating License
The Pro Decorating License, also available at the Nook Stop for 2,500 Nook Miles after you learn how to do basic interior decorating, unlocks several new decorating techniques including accent walls, and the ability to use hanging items, such as ceiling lights. These small changes have a huge impact on the way your rooms feel and the look of your home.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How much does each house expansion cost?
Each house expansion has a different cost, which will be shown by Tom Nook when you ask about it. They generally range from tens of thousands of bells up to a few million.
2. Can I move my house?
Yes, you can move your house. You can talk to Tom Nook about this for a fee of 30,000 bells.
3. How many rooms can I have in my house?
Your house can have six rooms in total: four on the ground floor, a second floor, and a basement.
4. How many items can my storage hold?
The maximum storage capacity is 5,000 items after all storage upgrades from Tom Nook have been completed.
5. How do I get the Pro Decorating License?
You can purchase the Pro Decorating License for 2,500 Nook Miles from the Nook Stop once you’ve learned basic interior design.
6. Can I expand the size of my island?
No, the size of the island cannot be expanded. You can, however, add cliffs and customize your island’s design using the Island Designer app.
7. How do I increase my pocket space?
You can increase your pocket space by purchasing the Ultimate Pocket Stuffing Guide from the Nook Stop for 8,000 Nook Miles, bringing the total to 40 slots.
8. What do I do when my storage is full?
You can sell items you don’t need, gift them to villagers, or craft them into new items.
9. How big is a villager’s house compared to mine?
A villager’s house is 4×4 squares, while the player’s home is slightly larger, at 4×5 squares.
10. How many villagers can live on my island?
The maximum number of villagers you can have living on your island is 10.
11. Can I have more than one island on one Nintendo Switch?
No, you can only have one island per Nintendo Switch console, regardless of how many copies of the game you have.
12. Does the Happy Home Paradise DLC let me make my rooms bigger?
No, the DLC does not directly increase the room sizes in your main house. It provides more decorating options and unlocks the ability to adjust room sizes on vacation homes.
13. How do I unlock the second floor in my main house?
Continue upgrading your house with Tom Nook. After several ground floor expansions, the second floor will be offered as the next expansion.
14. What does the Pro Camera App do?
The Pro Camera App allows you to take photos at new angles and interact with villagers and NPCs while taking photos.
15. Do villagers use beds if they aren’t claimed?
A villager will claim a bed if it’s within a 48 block sphere, it’s ‘pathfinding,’ and the bed isn’t already claimed by another villager.
Expanding your home is an integral part of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons experience. With each expansion and storage upgrade, you gain more freedom to create the island life you envision. By using clever decoration, managing inventory, and exploring the Happy Home Paradise DLC, you can create a truly personalized living space!