OSRS Construction 83/99 Guide: Mahogany Homes vs Mahogany Tables

Game screenshots and facts are cited from the Old School RuneScape Wiki (strategy, equipment, drops, and related pages). Writing is original editorial, not a copy of the wiki article.

Construction is the single biggest quality-of-life purchase in Old School RuneScape, but it is also one of the most punishing buyable skills to train. Two methods dominate the grind to 83 and 99: Mahogany Homes contracts and traditional mahogany table spam inside a player-owned house. One rewards attention with cheaper XP and a plank sack; the other burns gold for raw speed. This guide breaks down both paths, the supplies you need, the unlocks that actually matter, and why a maxed house is one of the strongest value adds when you eventually sell or upgrade to a constructed account.

We are not going to pretend Construction is free. It is expensive, click-heavy, and full of noob traps. But if you know the numbers, you can cut the bill in half without sacrificing your wrist. We'll cover when buying gold or a service is the honest shortcut—not a cheat, just math.

1. Requirements and Who This Grind Is For

Construction is members-only. Before you can train, you need a player-owned house (POH). A starter house costs 1,000 coins from any estate agent in Varrock, Falador, Seers' Village, East Ardougne, or Hosidius. Alternatively, the Daddy's Home miniquest rewards a house and 944 Construction XP, enough to skip the earliest levels. The house starts with a parlour and garden, and you can add rooms and furniture as you level.

This guide is for mains and account builders who want either level 83 (the boostable breakpoint for the ornate jewellery box) or 99 Construction (max house and cape perk). Ironmen will find Mahogany Homes more planks-efficient, but the supply gathering is a whole different challenge.

2. Mahogany Homes: The Contract-Based Alternative

Mahogany Homes is a minigame where you complete contracts for NPCs in Varrock, Falador, East Ardougne, and Hosidius. Speak to Amy in Falador (or use the Lunar spell Astral Contact to contact her remotely) to get a contract. Each contract asks you to build or repair a set of furniture using planks—and sometimes a steel bar—in the NPC's home. The tier you choose determines the plank type and XP rates:

• Beginner (level 1) uses regular planks, ~30–35k XP/hr
• Novice (level 20) uses oak planks, ~65–75k XP/hr
• Adept (level 50) uses teak planks, ~130–150k XP/hr
• Expert (level 70) uses mahogany planks, ~165–190k XP/hr base, up to 270k with a plank sack and max efficiency

Each action gives build XP, repair XP, and a large completion XP bonus. The average XP per plank is much higher than traditional furniture because of that completion bonus: 93.7 XP/plank for regular, 200.0 for oak, 287.9 for teak, and 346.1 for mahogany (354.8 with the full Carpenter's outfit). That's the core appeal—you need far fewer planks for the same level.

Teleportation is everything. A charged ring of wealth gets you to Falador Park right next to Amy. A Xeric's talisman or POH set in Hosidius handles the southern contracts. House tablets and a Portal Nexus (once you have one) cover Varrock, Falador, and Ardougne efficiently. The plank sack, bought for 350 carpenter points, holds 28 planks and is the single biggest efficiency upgrade—get it before anything else.

3. Traditional Mahogany Tables: The Fast but Costly Click-Fest

The old-school method is building and removing mahogany tables in a dining room hotspot. You need level 52 Construction, a dining room (5,000 coins), a saw, a hammer, and six mahogany planks per table. Each table grants 840 XP. The rotation is simple: click the table hotspot, select build, click the table, then remove it—repeat until your hand cramps. Because there is no travel time, the XP/hr ceiling is higher than Mahogany Homes, but you burn through planks at a staggering rate.

To keep the flow, use a servant (butler or demon butler) to fetch planks from the bank, or keep noted planks and unnote them at Phials in Rimmington for 5 coins each. At level 40+ you can use a butler to bring 20–26 planks per trip, which is far faster than banking yourself. Minimal mouse movement and hotkeys make a huge difference; many players build tables on a single tile and use a three-click rhythm.

The cost is brutal. At 12.86 coins per XP for mahogany tables (based on the research pack's GE price assumption), going from 83 to 99 would require about 10.36 million XP—around 12,335 tables—and roughly 74,010 mahogany planks. That's over twice the plank count Mahogany Homes needs for the same levels. The trade-off is the hourly rate: a focused table spammer can outpace even the best Mahogany Homes contract runner, but only if you can maintain high APM and afford the supplies.

4. Head-to-Head: XP, Cost, and Attention

Here's the breakdown that actually decides your method. The table compares XP per plank, attention required, and what you get beyond raw XP.

Mahogany Homes wins on total planks needed and overall cost, especially if you value the plank sack and Carpenter's outfit (2.5% XP bonus) for future training or other account goals. Traditional tables win on raw XP/hr and simplicity—no travel, no contract RNG, just click and build. If you have the gold and a second monitor, tables can feel borderline AFK in the sense that you do not have to move, but the click intensity is still high.

For level 83 specifically, Mahogany Homes expert contracts require about 5,593 mahogany planks from level 70, while traditional tables would need significantly more planks but less time if you can sustain the pace. For 99, the math pushes even harder toward Mahogany Homes if you're funding the planks yourself.

5. The Unlocks That Actually Matter: 83, 91, and Max House

Level 83 is the famous breakpoint not because of what you can build directly, but because of boosts. A +5 spicy stew boost and a +3 crystal saw boost total +8, letting you build items up to level 91. That's exactly where the ornate jewellery box sits. The ornate jewellery box combines all teleport jewellery into one infinite-use box—arguably the biggest single quality-of-life upgrade in OSRS. Similarly, the ornate rejuvenation pool (level 90) restores run energy, prayer, special attack, and health in one click.

Level 99 Construction unlocks the Construction cape, which provides unlimited teleports to your POH and is a common component of the max cape. A max house includes a portal nexus (level 72), achievement gallery (level 80), superior garden with pool and spirit tree, fairy ring, and a gilded altar for efficient Prayer training. Together they turn your house into a one-stop teleport and restoration hub.

This is why a maxed house sells accounts. Buyers know the utility: every slayer task, clue scroll, and boss trip starts from the POH. A constructed account with an ornate pool, jewellery box, and portal nexus is instantly worth more than one without, even before any combat stats. If you're also building a gilded altar, our OSRS Prayer: Chaos Altar vs Gilded Altar Guide covers the prayer side of the same POH investment.

6. Supplies, Banking, and Realistic Time-to-Goal

Your shopping list depends on the method. For Mahogany Homes expert contracts, stock up on mahogany planks, a few steel bars, a hammer, a saw (Amy's saw is wieldable if you have one), teleport runes or tablets, a ring of wealth, and a rune pouch for Astral Contact. A plank sack and any Carpenter's outfit pieces you own will push XP rates up.

• Mahogany Homes: planks (mahogany for expert), steel bars, hammer, saw, teleports, plank sack, Carpenter's outfit
• Mahogany tables: mahogany planks, saw, hammer, noted planks + Phials (or a butler), house teleport
• Faster banking: Move your POH to Rimmington for Phials unnoting (5 gp per plank) or use a servant at higher levels

Time-to-goal: From 83 to 99, Mahogany Homes expert contracts require an average of 29,938 mahogany planks without the outfit bonus. At a conservative 170k XP/hr, that's about 61 hours of focused contract running; at max efficiency (270k XP/hr), it drops to around 38–40 hours. Add another 5,593 planks and roughly 12–15 hours for 70–83 if you start at 70. Traditional mahogany tables need about 74,010 mahogany planks for 83–99 — more than double the planks. The hourly rate depends heavily on your banking setup and click speed; some players exceed 300k XP/hr, while average players land closer to 200–250k. Always verify current GE prices and exact planks needed with the Construction training calculator on the wiki.

7. Common Mistakes That Inflate the Bill

Construction is full of traps that quietly drain your bank. Avoid these if you want to keep the grind affordable.

• Training with mahogany too early. Oak larders at level 33 and teak garden benches at 66 are much cheaper per XP. Save mahogany for when the XP/hr difference justifies the cost.
• Ignoring the plank sack. In Mahogany Homes, a plank sack saves dozens of bank trips per hour. Buy it before any outfit piece.
• Skipping Carpenter's outfit. A 2.5% XP bonus may seem small, but across 60+ hours it saves millions of XP worth of planks.
• Not using Phials at low levels. Unnoting planks at Phials for 5 coins each is faster than banking in Rimmington until you get a butler.
• Bad house location. Rimmington is ideal for Phials, Hosidius for Mahogany Homes contracts. Don't leave your house in a far location for no reason.
• Overpaying for teleports. House tablets are cheap; ring of wealth teleports are free for Falador. Don't waste law runes if you can avoid it.
• Not using a servant. A butler fetches planks for you and dramatically increases traditional training speed. Pay the wages.

8. When Buying Gold or a Constructed Account Is the Honest Shortcut

Construction is a pure gold sink. If your time is worth more per hour than the GP cost, buying gold to fund mahogany planks can be the rational choice. Instead of spending 10 hours at a 500k GP/hr money-maker to afford planks, you could buy the gold and turn those 10 hours into focused Construction training—or anything else you actually enjoy.

Similarly, if your goal is a max house but you have zero interest in the click-fest, purchasing an account with a completed POH, ornate jewellery box, pool, and portal nexus often costs less than the raw supplies plus the time you would spend. The marketplace is an honest shortcut—not a cheat, and never against the rules when done through legitimate services.

9. Sources

Facts and figures in this guide were verified against the Old School RuneScape Wiki. Always consult these pages for up-to-date XP rates, supplies, and quest requirements.

• Construction
• Mahogany Homes
• Player-owned house
• Construction training
• Ironman Guide/Construction