The main structural elements of Thule sod houses were driftwood posts and beams. Wooden planks formed the walls and roof. Extra insulation was provided by covering the walls and roof with sod blocks weighted down with stones.

The common Thule pattern seems to have been one in which several families lived in the same location and hunted together during the winter.

Remains of sod houses similar to the ones the Thule people used can still be seen on Herschel Island.