The villages of Bhutan often take the form of small hamlets of between 5 and 15 houses, arranged in such a way as to mitigate the harsher effects of the climate. They are built close together to provide mutual protection against the wind and cold. Trees are sometimes planted around the village to act as windbreaks. Typical Bhutanese houses are found at altitudes of 1000 to 3000 meters.- The general pattern is more or less the same from the Ha and Paro regions in the west to the town of Tashigang in the east.

The foundations are made of stone and sometimes rise 40-80 cm above ground. On top of these the walls are erected. They are made of rammed mud, and are sometimes half-timbered walls with their wide windows facing south. The timber frame structures, assembled with a system of pegs, have a fill of plastered bamboo weaving. This method of construction means that the many windows on the sunny side of the house can be opened to let in as much light as possible. Consequently, the dining-room and private temple are normally on the south-facing side. The upper part of the window frame ends in a trefoil arch cut' out of the cross-beam. Glass panes are still a rarity in the countryside of Bhutan. Generally speaking, there are sliding wooden shutters to close the window and protect the inhabitants against the weather.

The trefoil arches form a striking contrast with the pronounced vertical and horizontal lines of the rest of the facade, but other forms of decoration also offset apparent rigidity. The outer walls are rarely left bare: the wooden beams are painted black or brown, and enlivened by clouds, lotus flowers or auspicious signs. The intervening spaces are first of all lime-washed and may then be decorated in turn with dragons, snow lion, garudas, tigers and so on. One of the striking features of Bhutanese art is the many phallic images it contains. These are either painted or carved and are intended to chase away demons. So the four carved wooden phalluses hanging from the four corners of a roof and those painted on either side of the front door will scare away evil spirits and protect the owners and their belongings. These often amusing representations inevitably bring the idea of fertility and prosperity to the minds of the people.

larger houses also have a system of wide overhanging eaves and cornices along with edge of the roof. Although cornices of this type are found in Tibet, Mustang and Ladakh, they are never as elaborate. The roof itself is perhaps the feature that differs the most from that of a Tibetan house. This is of course due to the abundant monsoon rains that fall in Bhutan, whereas Tibet is protected by the barrier of the Himalayas. Bhutanese roofs are made of pine shingles, and have a gentle slope. Stones are placed at regular intervals on laths running across the loose shingles. The weight of the stones holds them down, even during the severe windstorms at the end of winter. Until quite recently, roofs were made exclusively of shingles. Unfortunately, corrugated metal sheet is becoming increasingly common. But whatever material is used, the roofs are raised 1-2 meters above the top floor of the house in order to leave a space for airing and drying the harvest.

Houses usually have two floors. In the countryside, the ground floor is normally used as a stable, while in larger villages and market town it may contain a workshop or a shop. The first floor is where the family lives. Traditionally, the access to the first floor is very rudimentary. In the country it is often just a simple ladder in the corner of the stable. Sometimes, steps are hollowed out of a tree trunk placed directly against the side of a balcony. The first floor living area is quite spacious. It consists of a large living room, around which are the kitchen, a storeroom, and a household chapel. Depending on the outside temperature, the family may sleep in the kitchen, especially in winter, in the living-room or in the chapel, particularly in summer. The private chapel is often very elaborately decorated, and may contain a real altar holding numerous statues and covering an entire wall. Depending on the size of the room, the huge cross-beams are supported by one or more pillars.

Traditionally, the kitchens had no chimney and smoke from the beaten earth hearth escaped through the windows, which were always left open. As a result, everything is covered with a thick layer of soot. Still, this has the advantage of preventing the wood from being attacked by insects.

In the high Himalayas, above 3000 meters, the villages are small and compact, and their houses huddle around the arable land. The buildings are made of stone, held together by earth mortar. The walls are usually thick to provide protection against the cold. The inhabitants are semi-nomadic, moving to and from the summer pastures with their flocks and herds, and so they spend only part of the year in these villages. Typical examples are to be found in the regions of Lingshi, Laya, Lunana and Merak-Sakteng.

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