Issue with hearthfire *possible spoilers*

[XbSuper]

I have a major issue building my first house. First off, the first choice for land I get, is in Falkreath (not sure if this is random, or everyone starts here). Now, early during the DB questline, you are asked to kill hern, of half-moon mill. I also killed his wife. This left the mill unattended, which has left me with nowhere to buy lumber for my house. Now I would just buy a plot of land in a different hold, but that leads to the next issue.
When purchasing your first plot, there is a mini questline (a tutorial on how to build your home). One of the objectives is to purchase lumber, since the mill has no owner, I can't do this, leaving me stuck partway through the tutorial. The other holds won't give me an option to buy land there, until I complete the tutorial for the first one.

Anyone else have this problem? Anyone have any solutions? Or am I simply doing something wrong? Any help is appreciated.

 

[Jersey Dagmar]

I have a major issue building my first house. First off, the first choice for land I get, is in Falkreath (not sure if this is random, or everyone starts here). Now, early during the DB questline, you are asked to kill hern, of half-moon mill. I also killed his wife. This left the mill unattended, which has left me with nowhere to buy lumber for my house. Now I would just buy a plot of land in a different hold, but that leads to the next issue.
When purchasing your first plot, there is a mini questline (a tutorial on how to build your home). One of the objectives is to purchase lumber, since the mill has no owner, I can't do this, leaving me stuck partway through the tutorial. The other holds won't give me an option to buy land there, until I complete the tutorial for the first one.

Anyone else have this problem? Anyone have any solutions? Or am I simply doing something wrong? Any help is appreciated.

According to what I read, the other mills are supposed to offer you lumber. But, like you, I couldn't seem to get them to sell me any. Luckily, I hadn't killed those vampires yet, so I was able to purchase from them. But, it seems that they were the only ones offering it. I don't know it was because they were located in the same hold as the house I was building.

 

[XbSuper]

I think that's the key, I'm pretty sure you can only buy lumber from the hold your house is in. At least that's what I think, considering no one else will sell me any.

 

[Jonnyfrostbite]

I think that's the key, I'm pretty sure you can only buy lumber from the hold your house is in. At least that's what I think, considering no one else will sell me any.

I just had exactly the same problem as you, but I went to solitude sawmill and the orc Kharag gro-Shurkul sold me some... Try that?

 

[XbSuper]

Thank you, I will try that... Going to bed now, I'll post the results after work tomorrow.

 

[Unit7]

Well that sorta seems like a rather big oversight. I mean I understand how something like this could be overlooked. I mean it can't be easy keeping every quest and their consequences in mind at all times. But this sorta seems like a problem from the very begining. I have to admit I have only ever gone to that mill when I am passing through the area and want to make it a fast travel point and of course for the DB questline... so I never noticed whether or not someone runs the mill after they die.

I think that everytime you kill a shopkeeper or such a new NPC takes it's place. At least those that are part of a quest. I never did like killing those types of NPCs for the DB. Mostly because it meant 1 less NPC in a city. And in one case if you decide to do an optional part... another NPC will die as a result.

It's amazing how these oversights happen though. Of course maybe someone does replace them with Hearthfire and they are just bugged. Could also be that you need to be a Thane in that hold before buying the Lumber. I wouldn't know.

But you'd think with a big game like Skyrim they'd have a cheat sheet of sorts that they'd look through before adding content... of course maybe they do have this and again keeping with Skyrim tradition and things are just bugged.

I wonder what has more bugs. Earth or Skyrim?

 

[That random Person]

same thing happening to me, i always kill that vampure and his wife at half moon mill. but my house plot is in morthal though and its still telling me to buy lumber from there. cant seem to buy it from anywere else

 

[Bertrum]

You can purchase lumber from your homes steward.

Up to now I've had no trouble purchasing Lumber from Mills. I've tried two so far.

 

[That random Person]

you dont get a steward straight away. well i havent anyway. ive bought lumber now, from a different mill than the one quest marker was telling me to go to.

 

[XbSuper]

Well that sorta seems like a rather big oversight. I mean I understand how something like this could be overlooked. I mean it can't be easy keeping every quest and their consequences in mind at all times. But this sorta seems like a problem from the very begining. I have to admit I have only ever gone to that mill when I am passing through the area and want to make it a fast travel point and of course for the DB questline... so I never noticed whether or not someone runs the mill after they die.

I think that everytime you kill a shopkeeper or such a new NPC takes it's place. At least those that are part of a quest. I never did like killing those types of NPCs for the DB. Mostly because it meant 1 less NPC in a city. And in one case if you decide to do an optional part... another NPC will die as a result.

It's amazing how these oversights happen though. Of course maybe someone does replace them with Hearthfire and they are just bugged. Could also be that you need to be a Thane in that hold before buying the Lumber. I wouldn't know.

But you'd think with a big game like Skyrim they'd have a cheat sheet of sorts that they'd look through before adding content... of course maybe they do have this and again keeping with Skyrim tradition and things are just bugged.

I wonder what has more bugs. Earth or Skyrim?

Well I think the reason it was overlooked, is due to the fact that the DB quest only asks you to kill one of them. So they assume that the other person would still be alive to sell lumber. I'm hoping they patch it, and either add a respawn for the one character, or have a new npc take over ownership if you killed them both.

 

[thomasthelad]

I don't have the problem of OP. i started Hearthfire last night, got the message from Jarl in Falkreath. I'm only level 15 with this char & my quest was to kill the Bandit leader in Embershard mine.
I find it odd that you can't operate the mill by yourself & get the wood.

 

[xSuoiveDx]

My 1st house is in the Falkreath Hold & I buy my lumber from The Timber Mill at Riverwood without any problems.

 

[XbSuper]

My 1st house is in the Falkreath Hold & I buy my lumber from The Timber Mill at Riverwood without any problems.

I tried doing that, it wouldn't let me. Unless I talked to wrong person... Do you remember the name of the npc you purchased it from?

 

[Jersey Dagmar]

I tried doing that, it wouldn't let me. Unless I talked to wrong person... Do you remember the name of the npc you purchased it from?

According to the wiki, it's supposed to be Hod that sells you lumber in Riverwood. The only problem I had was that I couldn't find the bastard.

 

[El Fonz0]

If you can find Hod, he's probably at home, being lazy and fantasising about Camilla's "trunks".

And you're supposed to be able to buy lumber from anyone who you can sell firewood to.

 

[XbSuper]

Thanks for all the info guys. I'll be home in a few hours, I will try a few of the suggestions and report back.

 

[XbSuper]

Thanks so much everyone, I went to riverwood and talked to Hod, and he sold me lumber. I feel kinda stupid for not trying that earlier, cuz I've put a lot of hours into this game, so I should've known better.

 

[Draque]

I have a major issue building my first house. First off, the first choice for land I get, is in Falkreath (not sure if this is random, or everyone starts here). Now, early during the DB questline, you are asked to kill hern, of half-moon mill. I also killed his wife. This left the mill unattended, which has left me with nowhere to buy lumber for my house. Now I would just buy a plot of land in a different hold, but that leads to the next issue.
When purchasing your first plot, there is a mini questline (a tutorial on how to build your home). One of the objectives is to purchase lumber, since the mill has no owner, I can't do this, leaving me stuck partway through the tutorial. The other holds won't give me an option to buy land there, until I complete the tutorial for the first one.

Anyone else have this problem? Anyone have any solutions? Or am I simply doing something wrong? Any help is appreciated.

The exact same thing has happened to me. I've searched for solutions over the past week but to no avail. Nobody seems to know how to fix this.

I have to say it pisses me off somewhat, my character is level 49 and I don't have neither the time nor the inclination to start the whole thing over again.

I also think it's a sloppy job to release content with such a blatant glitch as to send someone to buy lumber from a character he has been told to eliminate in an earlier quest and then to give him no way of moving forward by buying lumber from any of the multiple lumber mills that otherwise are working perfectly well in the game world.
.....

I got Hearthfire at the end of my previous play-through, and I didn't get the reference to go to Falkreach as I did this time around - probably because I went to the location on my own before the game script got around to trigger it. I'd already become than in all the little villages and went on my own to Dawnstar where I bought the Haljarchen land and wend directly to the location and started building. I was then send to a lumber mill in one of the villages nearby and things went smoothly from there on. - If I had had any idea about this glitch I'd never have bought the land from Falkreach but waited until I was thane of Dawnstar (or possibly the third village where you can buy land. So far I've only bought in Dawnstar and Falkreach, so I don't know if the third village has a bug or not.

 

[Draque]

Thanks so much everyone, I went to riverwood and talked to Hod, and he sold me lumber. I feel kinda stupid for not trying that earlier, cuz I've put a lot of hours into this game, so I should've known better.

Oh, I see. I've been to Riverwood as well, but I don't get any option to buy lumber when I talk to Hod. The same goes for other mill owners that I was able to buy from in the previous game.

But at least this shows there may be a solution, I'll try once more at riverwood and see what happens. Who knows, maybe I just happened to initiage conversation at the brink of 8 PM which seems to be the time when salesfolk go into off duty mode.

 

[Feenixnz]

hi guys,

bought the plot of land, set up the blueprint, checked out the workbench, went and bought lumber and built foundation and posts for walls. When I build my walls however, or anything else for the house after that, it says its added but when I look at my house...nothing. Just the Foundation and posts ....Tried reseting the patch still no joy. Any help would be greatly appreciated. cheers heaps.