Made some amazing strides in my singleplayer world.
I have one small house built into the side of a cliff for just beds. Then I have a cobblestone bridge connecting the bedhouse and the furnaces/crafting tables. I'm currently working on making a ladder down to bedrock, where I will have a huge room just for chests. I also found a source of lava and water, which I am transferring over into holes inside my furnace/crafting cave. With those, I will be able to farm obsidian.
SOON TO COME: Farms/mob traps?