How to Build an Igloo in Your Yard (Easy Method)

If you’ve ever googled how to build an igloo and thought, “That’s adorable… but also not happening,” let me introduce you to my husband on a rare stretch of time off that lined up perfectly with a big snowstorm. He grew up in the desert and has always wanted to build an igloo, so when winter basically delivered a giant pile of snow to our front yard, he took it as a personal invitation.

It took a couple days, a lot of cold fingers, and a slightly unhinged amount of motivation, but it was 100% worth it. Our kids were obsessed, and I already know this is going to be one of those childhood memories they talk about forever. The kind of thing that makes you go, “Remember when Dad built an actual igloo?” and everyone just nods like that was totally normal.

What You’ll Need to Build an Igloo

Before you start stacking anything, grab a few basic supplies. Nothing fancy, just the stuff that makes the ice blocks and “snow mortar” part actually work (and keeps your hands from turning into frozen meat sticks).

• Two 5-gallon buckets (one for snow, one for water)
• Bowl (for mixing slush mortar)
• Small shovel or garden trowel
• Foil pans (for freezing ice blocks)
• Food coloring (optional, but so fun)
• Snow gloves
• Nitrile gloves (nice for slush work)

Step 1: Make Your Ice Blocks

You can’t build an igloo without ice blocks. You can make actual blocks of ice, but we used foil pans to create more of a thick ice sheet instead. They freeze way faster, and they’re much easier to stack and work with as you go.

• Set your foil pans outside somewhere flat.
• Fill the pans about halfway with water for the first several layers.
• If you want colorful blocks, add a few drops of food coloring to some pans.
• As you get closer to the top and start thinking about the ceiling pieces, fill the pans with a little over an inch of water instead. Those thinner blocks are lighter and way easier to hold up when you’re building the upper rows.

Step 2: Prep the Spot for Your Igloo Base

If you want this to work, the weather has to cooperate. To build an igloo, the outside temp really should be 10° or less ideally. You can make it work up to maybe 20°. Anything higher, it’s just too warm.

1. Find a relatively flat spot in your yard.
2. Create a circle divot in the snow where your igloo base will go.
3. Don’t clear away all the snow. Leaving some behind is helpful for packing around the first row of blocks so everything stays stable.
4. Plan your entrance and leave an opening right from the beginning.

Step 3: Stack Your First Rows Like Brick

This is where it starts to look like something.

1. Lay your first row of ice blocks around the circle you made, leaving the entrance gap.
2. For the second row, stack the blocks off-center, like laying brick. You want the seams to be staggered instead of lining up.
3. Keep going row by row, adjusting as needed so the walls stay strong

Mixing Slush to Glue Ice Blocks Together

Ice blocks alone will slide around, so you need your own version of mortar. Ours was slush, basically a mix of snow + water that freezes into place and locks the blocks together.

1. Fill one 5-gallon bucket with water.
2. Fill the other 5-gallon bucket with snow.
3. Scoop water into your bowl, then add a couple scoops of snow.
4. Mix it together until it’s spreadable.
   • Too hard? Add a little more water.
   • Too runny? Add more snow.

Day 1 Progress: 3 am Quitting Time

On Day 1 of building the igloo, my husband finally called it quits around 3 am. The ice sticks better when it’s colder, and there’s no sun warming things up. So if you can keep going after dark, your igloo building will go faster.

You can see how far he got on day one. The walls are up, the colored blocks are already giving it that stained-glass look, and the entrance is starting to take shape. It still looks like an ice-block fort at this point, but you can tell it’s officially becoming an igloo.

Day 2: This Igloo is Coming Along

Day two is when it starts to look like the real deal. A few things I want to point out to help you as you’re building your igloo.

• The first row ends up mostly buried in the snow, which is actually helpful because it adds stability.
• By the third row, the wall starts to slant inward a little.
• By the fourth row, it’s slanting in even more, and you can see that classic igloo shape forming.
• From there, every row continues to angle inward more and more until you’re basically building the ceiling.

How to Build the Igloo Ceiling

When you’re building the ceiling, it helps a ton to use thinner ice blocks because they’re so much lighter. Just don’t go too thin. Cold weather also makes this part way easier. When it’s freezing out, the blocks basically stick in place almost immediately.

As you start slanting the walls inward, and especially around the entrance, you’ll probably run into gaps that are too big for slush but too small for a full block. No big deal. Just trim an ice block down to the size and shape you need. A hatchet, a hammer, or even a hand saw all work great for shaping pieces to fit those weird little holes.

The Big Finish: Our DIY Igloo

And then… the igloo was done. It looked amazing, and the kids were obsessed.

Adding a light inside at night was the cherry on top. You could totally build one with clear ice only, but the colored blocks make it look unreal, and it only takes a few drops of food coloring to get that glow.

More Family Fun We’ve DIY’d

If your kids loved this igloo as much as mine did, you’ll want more ideas like it. 120+ Fun Out-Of-The-Box Family Tradition Ideas is packed with simple traditions that turn into those “remember when we did that?” childhood memories.

📌 Save This for Later: How to Build an Igloo

If you’re even thinking about tackling this, save this post now because once the next snowstorm hits, you’ll be out there freezing foil pans and pretending you’re “just checking on something” while you secretly build an igloo.

FAQ: How to Build an Igloo