Mahogany Homes OSRS Ironman Guide: Chill & Max Efficiency Methods

Updated 16 February 2026 · 21 min read
Quick Answer

Mahogany Homes gives 2.5-3x more XP per plank than traditional POH training - mandatory for ironmen. Get Plank Sack first (350 points, ~1.5 hours). Use NPC Contact spell (Dream Mentor, 67 Magic) for max efficiency (220-280k XP/hr at Expert). Oak/teak/mahogany planks give 200/287/346 XP per plank vs 60/90/140 in POH.

Mahogany Homes is a Construction training minigame where you complete furniture repair contracts for NPCs across four cities. For ironmen, this isn’t just an alternative to traditional POH training - it’s mandatory.

The reason is simple: every plank goes 2.5-3x further in Mahogany Homes compared to building oak larders or mahogany tables in your POH. Since ironmen can’t buy planks and must gather every single one from Kingdom of Miscellania, Wintertodt, or other slow sources, using 30-40% fewer total planks to reach 83 Construction is transformative.

This guide covers both the chill method (walk to Amy between contracts) and the max efficiency method (NPC Contact spell), plus reward priorities, teleport optimization, and ironman-specific strategies.

At a glance:

  • XP per plank: 2.5-3x better than POH methods (oak: 200 vs 60, mahogany: 346 vs 140)
  • XP rates: 220-280k XP/hr at Expert tier with max efficiency
  • First reward: Plank Sack (350 points, ~1.5 hours) - stores 28 planks in 1 slot
  • Max efficiency unlock: NPC Contact spell (Dream Mentor, 67 Magic, Lunar spellbook)
  • Plank savings: 30-40% fewer total planks needed for 1-83 Construction

How Contracts Work

The Basic Loop

  1. Get a contract from Amy (Falador), Marlo (Varrock), Ellie (Ardougne), or Angelo (Hosidius)
  2. Travel to the assigned house (one of 12 possible NPCs across the four cities)
  3. Repair all furniture inside the house (3-6 pieces per contract)
  4. Hand in the contract by speaking to the NPC for completion XP + carpenter points
  5. Get a new contract and repeat

Contract Assignment

  • Random assignment - You cannot choose which city or which specific NPC
  • One contract at a time - You cannot hold multiple contracts simultaneously
  • Cannot be cancelled - Once accepted, the contract persists until completed

What You Actually Do

Each house has 3-6 damaged furniture pieces (tables, beds, drawers, bookcases, ranges, grandfather clocks, etc.). You right-click the furniture, select “Repair” or “Build”, and the game uses planks from your inventory or Plank Sack automatically.

Materials needed:

  • Planks: Regular/oak/teak/mahogany depending on tier
  • Steel bars: ~0.5 per contract on average (for ranges, sinks, bathtubs, grandfather clocks)
  • No nails required - This is a key difference from POH training

Tea mechanic: After handing in a contract, the NPC offers tea that restores your run energy to 100%. As of August 2024, there’s no delay - the tea drinking is instant and seamless.

Contract Tiers Breakdown

TierLevel RequiredPlank TypeAvg Planks/ContractXP/ContractCompletion XPPoints/Contract
Beginner1-19Regular~10~3795002
Novice20-49Oak~10~6441,2503
Adept50-69Teak~12~1,0102,2504
Expert70+Mahogany~13~1,6292,7505

Total XP per contract = Build XP (from repairs) + Completion XP (fixed bonus)

XP Per Plank Comparison

Plank TypePOH Method XPMahogany Homes XPImprovement
Regular29~93.73.2x better
Oak60~2003.3x better
Teak90~287.93.2x better
Mahogany140~346.12.5x better

Methods Compared: Chill vs Max Efficiency

Chill Method (Standard)

How it works:

  1. Walk to Amy in Falador
  2. Get a contract
  3. Teleport to the house
  4. Complete repairs
  5. Hand in contract
  6. Walk back to Amy
  7. Repeat

XP rates:

  • Novice: 65-75k XP/hr
  • Adept: 110-130k XP/hr
  • Expert: 165-190k XP/hr

Pros:

  • No special requirements
  • Can start immediately at any level
  • Relaxed, no spell management

Cons:

  • Walking to Amy between every contract wastes 20-30% of potential XP
  • Lower XP/hr and points/hr

Max Efficiency Method (NPC Contact)

How it works:

  1. Get your first contract from Amy (one-time setup)
  2. Teleport to the house
  3. Complete repairs
  4. Hand in contract
  5. Cast NPC Contact spell immediately
  6. Talk to Amy remotely, get next contract
  7. Repeat from step 2 - never walk back to Amy

Requirements:

  • Dream Mentor quest (unlocks NPC Contact’s full functionality)
  • 67 Magic
  • Lunar spellbook
  • Runes: 2 Air + 1 Cosmic + 1 Astral per cast (~50 casts per hour)

XP rates:

  • Novice: 85-95k XP/hr
  • Adept: 150-175k XP/hr
  • Expert: 220-280k XP/hr

With Carpenter’s Outfit (+2.5% XP):

  • Expert: 225-287k XP/hr

Pros:

  • 20-30% more XP by eliminating travel time
  • 250 points per hour at Expert (vs ~175 with standard method)
  • Seamless workflow

Cons:

  • Requires Dream Mentor completion
  • Requires 67 Magic and Lunar spellbook access
  • Rune cost (negligible - ~100 air, 50 cosmic, 50 astral per hour)

NPC Contact Spell Guide

Unlocking NPC Contact

  1. Complete Lunar Diplomacy (unlocks Lunar spellbook)
  2. Complete Dream Mentor (unlocks full NPC Contact functionality)
  3. Reach 67 Magic

Without Dream Mentor, NPC Contact only has a “Random” option that contacts a random NPC. Dream Mentor adds specific NPCs including Amy, which is what you need.

How to Use NPC Contact for Mahogany Homes

After completing a contract:

  1. Open your spellbook (Lunar)
  2. Cast NPC Contact (2 air, 1 cosmic, 1 astral rune)
  3. Select Amy from the list
  4. Choose your contract tier (Beginner/Novice/Adept/Expert)
  5. Amy assigns you a new contract remotely
  6. Teleport to the house and continue

Rune pouch setup: Store air, cosmic, and astral runes in a Rune Pouch. One inventory slot holds enough runes for 40+ casts (8+ hours of training).

Rune Costs Per Hour

At ~50 contracts per hour (max efficiency):

  • 100 Air runes
  • 50 Cosmic runes
  • 50 Astral runes

Total cost: Negligible for ironmen. Cosmics from Slayer, astrals from Lunar Isle or Moons of Peril.

Reward Shop Priority

All Rewards and Costs

ItemCost (Points)Priority
Plank Sack3501st - MANDATORY
Amy’s Saw5002nd
Carpenter’s boots2003rd
Carpenter’s helmet4004th
Carpenter’s trousers6005th
Carpenter’s shirt8006th
Supply crate25Low priority
Hosidius blueprints2,000Cosmetic only

Priority #1: Plank Sack (350 points)

What it does: Stores 28 planks in one inventory slot

Why it’s mandatory:

  • Effectively doubles your plank capacity (28 in sack + ~20 in inventory = 48+ planks per trip)
  • Reduces banking frequency from every 8-10 planks to every 3-4 contracts
  • Single biggest efficiency unlock in the entire minigame

Time to get:

  • Expert (5 pts/contract): 70 contracts = ~1.5 hours
  • Adept (4 pts/contract): 88 contracts = ~1.75 hours
  • Novice (3 pts/contract): 117 contracts = ~2.5 hours

Priority #2: Amy’s Saw (500 points)

What it does: Equipable saw that acts as a regular saw

Why it’s good: Frees one inventory slot for an extra plank or steel bar

Time to get:

  • Expert: 100 contracts = ~2 hours (after Plank Sack)

Priority #3-6: Carpenter’s Outfit (2,000 points total)

XP boost: +2.5% to ALL Construction XP (building + completion XP since June 2024 buff)

Individual pieces:

  • Boots (200 pts): +0.2%
  • Helmet (400 pts): +0.4%
  • Trousers (600 pts): +0.6%
  • Shirt (800 pts): +0.8%
  • Full set bonus: +0.5%

Strategy: Get cheapest pieces first (boots → helmet → trousers → shirt) to accumulate the XP boost gradually.

Time to get full outfit (after Plank Sack):

  • Expert: 400 contracts = ~8 hours
  • Adept: 500 contracts = ~10 hours
  • Novice: 667 contracts = ~13.5 hours

Is it worth it? Yes, eventually. The 2.5% boost applies to hundreds of thousands of XP over the grind to 83+ Construction. At 280k XP/hr, the outfit adds ~7k XP/hr. Over 80 hours of training, that’s 560k free XP.

Teleport Optimization

Best Teleports for Each City

Falador (Contractor: Amy)

  • Best: Ring of Wealth → Falador Park (approximately 6 seconds faster than standard Falador teleport)
  • Alternative: Falador teleport (tablet or standard spellbook)

Varrock (Contractor: Marlo)

  • Best: Varrock teleport tablet or standard Varrock teleport
  • Alternative: Chronicle (Champions’ Guild, close to Varrock)

East Ardougne (Contractor: Ellie)

  • Best: Ardougne cloak (Achievement Diary reward) - teleports directly to south Ardougne
  • Alternative: Ardougne teleport tablet

Hosidius (Contractor: Angelo)

  • Best: Xeric’s Talisman (Glade option) - close to all three Hosidius NPCs
  • Alternative: Kourend Castle teleport + run south, or POH in Hosidius

Advanced Setup: Portal Nexus

At 72 Construction (boostable from 69), you can build a Portal Nexus in your POH that holds multiple teleports.

Strategy:

  1. Configure Portal Nexus with Varrock, Ardougne, and Falador
  2. Set POH location to Hosidius
  3. Use Teleport to House spell or house teleport tablet
  4. Navigate to Portal Nexus for city teleports, or exit portal for Hosidius

Benefit: Eliminates all teleport tablet costs. One house teleport tablet covers all four cities.

Inventory Setups

Standard Method (No NPC Contact)

  • Hammer
  • Saw (or Amy’s Saw equipped)
  • Plank Sack (filled with 28 planks)
  • 18-20 planks (inventory)
  • 4 steel bars
  • Falador teleport tablet (to return to Amy)
  • Varrock teleport
  • Ardougne teleport
  • Xeric’s Talisman (for Hosidius)

Planks per trip: ~46-48

Max Efficiency Setup (NPC Contact)

  • Amy’s Saw (equipped - saves 1 inventory slot)
  • Hammer (or Imcando Hammer equipped to save slot)
  • Plank Sack (filled with 28 planks)
  • 20+ planks (inventory)
  • 4 steel bars
  • Rune Pouch (loaded with Air/Cosmic/Astral runes for ~40+ casts)
  • Ring of Wealth (equipped for Falador Park teleport)
  • Varrock teleport tablet
  • Ardougne cloak or teleport tablet
  • Xeric’s Talisman (equipped or inventory for Hosidius)

Planks per trip: 50+ (enough for 3-4 contracts before banking)

Ironman Plank Sourcing

Oak Planks (Novice Tier, 20-49)

Sources:

  • Oak trees (everywhere - Woodcutting Guild, Varrock, Draynor, etc.)
  • Kingdom of Miscellania (not recommended for oak - use for teak/mahogany instead)
  • Plank Make spell (86 Magic, Lunar) - converts logs at 70% sawmill cost

Recommendation: Oak logs are easy to obtain. Cut oaks manually or use the Woodcutting Guild. Convert at Auburnvale sawmill (Varlamore - closest to bank).

Teak Planks (Adept Tier, 50-69)

Sources:

  • Kingdom of Miscellania (best passive source) - 301 teak logs/day with 10 workers on hardwood
  • Fossil Island teak trees - bankable via the mushtree/boat
  • Plank Make spell (86 Magic, Lunar)

Recommendation: Set up Miscellania for teak logs. Over 2-3 months, you’ll accumulate 20,000+ teak logs passively. Convert at Auburnvale sawmill.

Many ironmen stay at Adept tier (teak) even after reaching 70 Construction because teak planks are easier to source than mahogany.

Mahogany Planks (Expert Tier, 70+)

Sources:

  • Kingdom of Miscellania (best passive source) - 223 mahogany logs/day with 10 workers on hardwood
  • Fossil Island mahogany trees - bankable via the mushtree/boat
  • Plank Make spell (86 Magic, Lunar)

Recommendation: Mahogany logs are slower to gather than teak. If you’re stockpiling for the 70-83 Construction push, allocate Miscellania to mahogany and wait 6-12 months.

Alternative: Use Adept tier (teak) contracts even at 70+ Construction if mahogany is your bottleneck. Teak contracts still give excellent XP rates (150-175k XP/hr with max efficiency).

When to Start Mahogany Homes

Answer: Immediately at level 1, or after questing to 20+.

Unlike traditional POH training where you need 33 Construction for oak larders, Mahogany Homes is viable from level 1 onwards.

Recommended paths:

Path 1: Start at Level 1 (Beginner Contracts)

  • Use regular planks (easy to obtain)
  • Beginner contracts give 30-45k XP/hr
  • Get Plank Sack after ~3.5 hours (175 contracts)

Path 2: Quest to 20-25, Start at Novice

  • Complete Daddy’s Home, Tower of Life, Enlightened Journey for free XP
  • Start at Novice tier (oak planks, 85-95k XP/hr with max efficiency)
  • Get Plank Sack after ~2.5 hours (117 contracts)

Most ironmen choose Path 2 because oak planks are far easier to source than regular planks in bulk, and the XP rates are significantly better.

Common Mistakes

  • Not getting Plank Sack first - Some players spend points on supply crates or outfit pieces before 350. The Plank Sack is the single best efficiency unlock.
  • Not unlocking NPC Contact - Walking to Amy between every contract wastes 20-30% of potential XP. Dream Mentor + 67 Magic is mandatory for max efficiency.
  • Using mahogany planks on non-Expert contracts - Mahogany planks are scarce for ironmen. If you have mahogany, use them on Expert contracts only (346 XP per plank vs ~287 for Adept).
  • Wrong POH location - For advanced setups, POH in Hosidius with Portal Nexus configured for the other three cities eliminates all teleport costs.
  • Accepting boosted contracts without a plan - Contracts can’t be cancelled. If you boost to Expert (70) but your boost expires mid-contract, you’re stuck finishing it.
  • Forgetting steel bars - Always carry 4 steel bars. Some furniture repairs require them. Running out mid-contract means you can’t complete it.
  • Not using RuneLite plugin - The Mahogany Homes plugin shows contract requirements, highlights damaged furniture, and tracks points. It’s mandatory for efficiency.
  • Banking too often without Plank Sack - Without the sack, you can only carry ~20 planks per trip. Get it as soon as possible.

XP Rates Summary

TierLevelMethodXP/HourPoints/Hour
Novice20-49Chill (walk to Amy)65-75k~100
Novice20-49Max efficiency (NPC Contact)85-95k~150
Adept50-69Chill110-130k~135
Adept50-69Max efficiency150-175k~200
Expert70+Chill165-190k~175
Expert70+Max efficiency220-280k~250
Expert70+Max eff + Carpenter Outfit225-287k~250

Plank Requirements for 1-83 Construction

Via Mahogany Homes (using 30-40% fewer planks than traditional methods):

Oak planks only (Novice tier):

  • Approximately 18,000-22,000 oak planks for 1-83

Teak planks only (Adept tier):

  • Approximately 10,000-14,000 teak planks for 50-83 (after questing to 50)

Mahogany planks only (Expert tier):

  • Approximately 8,000-11,000 mahogany planks for 70-83 (after questing/training to 70)

Mixed approach (most common for ironmen):

  • Novice (20-50): ~6,000 oak planks
  • Adept (50-70): ~5,000 teak planks
  • Expert (70-83): ~4,000 mahogany planks

Compare this to traditional POH training which requires 25,000-28,000 oak planks for oak larders or 30,000+ mahogany planks for mahogany tables. Mahogany Homes saves you thousands of planks.

FAQ

Can I choose which city I visit?

No. Contract assignments are random. You have no control over which city or which specific NPC you’re assigned to.

Can I decline a contract I don’t want?

No. Contracts cannot be declined or cancelled once accepted. The contract stays active until you complete it.

Do I need to bring nails?

No. Nails are not required for any tier. You only need planks and steel bars.

How many furniture pieces per contract?

Varies by house layout. Each NPC has 2-4 possible layouts. On average, 3-6 furniture pieces per contract.

Can I have multiple contracts active at once?

No. You can only hold one contract at a time.

Should I stay at Adept tier (teak) even after 70 Construction?

Yes, if mahogany planks are your bottleneck. Adept contracts give 150-175k XP/hr with max efficiency, which is still excellent. Many ironmen prefer Adept because teak logs are easier to source from Miscellania (301/day vs 223 mahogany/day).

Does the Carpenter’s Outfit boost apply to contract completion XP?

Yes. As of the June 2024 update, the outfit’s 2.5% XP boost applies to BOTH building XP (from repairs) and contract completion XP (the fixed 500/1,250/2,250/2,750 bonus). This was a significant buff.

What’s the best city for contracts?

Falador and Hosidius are generally fastest due to tight NPC clustering relative to teleport landing points. However, contract assignment is random - you can’t choose.

Should I move my POH to Rimmington?

Not specifically for Mahogany Homes. The Rimmington strategy (Phials un-noting planks for 5 gp each) is more useful for traditional POH training (oak larders, mahogany tables). For Mahogany Homes, the Plank Sack serves a similar purpose.