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Flat Origami House

A broad roof over a narrow folded house front. Watch each action, follow the complete illustrated instructions or print the one-page diagrams.

Preparation + 12 numbered steps

Materials

6-inch square · 6 × 6 inches

One 6 × 6-inch square (15.24 × 15.24 cm) of thin origami paper. Optional pen for drawn details. No scissors or glue.

Start the interactive guide ↓
Read all illustrated steps ↓Download PDF ↓ · one-page illustrated guide
Flat Origami House: a broad roof over a narrow folded house front
A broad roof over a narrow folded house front

Follow along

Preparation

The interactive guide needs JavaScript. Read every illustrated step below.

Camera only; does not change the fold.
Help · controls & diagram

Play or drag the progress slider to watch a fold from 0% to 100%. Use the view buttons or drag the diagram to look from another angle.

Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves, not the literal colors of your paper. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange marks moving paper and its hinge.

With the diagram focused: Space plays or pauses, ←/→ change steps, and Home resets.

Every step, at a glance

Compare your paper with each diagram after completing the action. Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves, not the literal colors of your paper. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange marks moving paper and its hinge.

  1. 0. Prepare the square
  2. 1. Crease the horizontal center
  3. 2. Reopen the square
  4. 3. Raise the lower edge
  5. 4. Lower the upper edge
  6. 5. Crease the vertical center
  7. 6. Open the rectangle
  8. 7. Turn the rectangle over
  9. 8. Bring the right side inward
  10. 9. Bring the left side inward
  11. 10. Squash the right roof pocket
  12. 11. Squash the left roof pocket
  13. 12. Show the house front
  1. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldPrepare the square

    PREPARATION · Linked complete photographic construction

    Prepare the square

    Place your square with level edges and the reverse side facing up.

    Layers: One flat square.

    Check: The top edge is horizontal.

    Explore this step ↑
  2. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldCrease the horizontal center

    STEP 1 · Linked complete photographic construction

    Crease the horizontal center

    Bring the top edge down to the bottom edge. Press the fold.

    Layers: Move the whole upper half.

    Check: The edges coincide.

    Explore this step ↑
  3. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldReopen the square

    STEP 2 · Linked complete photographic construction

    Reopen the square

    Return the upper half fully to the table.

    Layers: Open the same half.

    Check: A crease crosses the middle.

    Explore this step ↑
  4. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldRaise the lower edge

    STEP 3 · Linked complete photographic construction

    Raise the lower edge

    Bring the bottom edge to the center crease.

    Layers: Fold the lower quarter only.

    Check: The free edge rests on the center crease.

    Explore this step ↑
  5. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldLower the upper edge

    STEP 4 · Linked complete photographic construction

    Lower the upper edge

    Bring the top edge to the center crease.

    Layers: Fold the upper quarter only.

    Check: Two bands meet without overlapping.

    Explore this step ↑
  6. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldCrease the vertical center

    STEP 5 · Linked complete photographic construction

    Crease the vertical center

    Bring the right edge across to the left edge.

    Layers: Carry both folded bands.

    Check: The side edges match.

    Explore this step ↑
  7. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldOpen the rectangle

    STEP 6 · Linked complete photographic construction

    Open the rectangle

    Unfold the last action completely.

    Layers: Keep both horizontal bands folded.

    Check: A vertical center crease divides the rectangle.

    Explore this step ↑
  8. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTurn the rectangle over

    STEP 7 · Linked complete photographic construction

    Turn the rectangle over

    Turn the entire rectangle from side to side.

    Layers: Keep the two bands closed underneath.

    Check: The plain face is uppermost.

    Explore this step ↑
  9. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldBring the right side inward

    STEP 8 · Linked complete photographic construction

    Bring the right side inward

    Fold the right edge to the vertical center crease.

    Layers: Move the complete right quarter, including both hidden bands.

    Check: The right edge meets the center.

    Explore this step ↑
  10. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldBring the left side inward

    STEP 9 · Linked complete photographic construction

    Bring the left side inward

    Fold the left edge to the same center crease.

    Layers: Carry all the layers in the left quarter.

    Check: The two side flaps meet.

    Explore this step ↑
  11. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldSquash the right roof pocket

    STEP 10 · Linked complete photographic construction

    Squash the right roof pocket

    At the upper end of the right flap, separate the pocket layers. Swing its outer wall to the right while pressing the top corner down to the horizontal middle of the rectangle. Flatten both triangular faces.

    Layers: Open only the upper pocket; the lower band stays still. The central triangular face turns on a diagonal hinge while the outer wall opens.

    Check: A triangular roof wing extends to the right. Its lower edge lies on the horizontal middle line.

    Explore this step ↑
  12. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldSquash the left roof pocket

    STEP 11 · Linked complete photographic construction

    Squash the left roof pocket

    Open the matching upper pocket on the left. Bring its top corner down to the same middle line and flatten the two attached triangles.

    Layers: Leave the finished right roof wing and the lower bands still.

    Check: The roof wings match, above a narrower rectangular house front.

    Explore this step ↑
  13. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldShow the house front

    STEP 12 · Linked complete photographic construction

    Show the house front

    Turn the whole model over. Press the folds flat. You may draw a door, windows and roof tiles.

    Layers: Turn every layer together.

    Check: The wide trapezoid roof overhangs both sides of the narrow house. This is a flat picture, not a hollow building.

    Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes

Origami Instructions, Origami Instructions: Flat Origami House (web tutorial).

Photographic construction reference ↗

The reference does not identify the model designer or grant a design-reuse license. Traditional authorship is not established here. Its photographs and prose are protected and are not reproduced. These explanatory words, geometry and drawings are independently authored; no project-wide reuse license is implied.

Adaptation: Uses the complete double-edge-fold house, not a house drawn on the piano base. Each side pocket is flattened with its attached triangular layers intact. Left and right squashes are shown separately. Optional doors and windows are pen decoration, not folded components.

Original instructions and diagrams, made with AI assistance. About & reuse

Accuracy notes

Real-paper follow-along and paper weight have not been tested. Diagrams illustrate the sequence, not paper thickness, contact, collisions or exact layer visibility. Material coordinates track the original sheet throughout the construction. Folded panels move about continuous hinges; cut seams are identified explicitly. Zero-thickness diagrams do not simulate paper thickness or prove physical foldability. Real-paper folding has not been tested.