[2] Rumoh Aceh is a pile dwelling erected over posts which rest on flat stones or concrete plinth.

[3] It is constructed of timbers, topped with a wooden gabled roof which is covered with either thatched palm leaves or corrugated metal.

[4] Rumoh Aceh are found scattered in a traditional kampung (Acehnese: gampong) with no specific pattern; however, they are always aligned with their gables positioned toward the east and west.

[4] The exterior can be ornamented with woodcarvings of floral or geometric patterns, usually found in the triangular gables, around the windows and on the boards.

[4] This entrance is a steep staircases leading to a roofed front terrace (Acehnese: seulasa, "veranda").

[5] The space below the house is used for storing goods such as timber for construction, firewood, crops, or bicycles; or for a resting area, with benches.

[8] The interior of a Rumoh Aceh is divided into three sections: the front (the northern or southern breadth of the house, where the entrance stairs are located), the middle (the central breadth of the house), and the rear (similar to the front, but on the opposite side).

[3] The rear section may be expanded to add more space for cooking (Acehnese: rumoh dapu, "kitchen house").

One of the bedrooms functions as a ceremonial nuptial chamber, where daughters and their husbands will reside during the first years of their marriage.

These posts are set as if they are still living trees, with the trunk base at the bottom and crown tip above.

The house owner engages a traditional carpenter in the particular month thought to be the most auspicious to begin construction.

The first ceremony is the sprinkling of raw materials such as uncooked rice and water at the site, completed with a small meal.

The primary units are the jaroe (finger), paleut (width of the back of the hand), and hah (cubit).

Secondary units are the jeungkai (distance between the spread-out thumb and middle finger), lhuek (length of the whole arm), and deupa (fathom).

[15] Unlike the traditional houses of the Balinese, the Rumoh Aceh is on the verge of extinction due to lack of the good timber required for their construction and their impracticality for modern lifestyle.