Contrary to most Skyrim gamers, hearthfire is my favorite DLC. The DLC is really rewarding, when you finally find another piece of glass, straw or manage to slay a sabre cat so you can add another little thing to improve your house. I also avoid buying materials for my house to improve the feeling of really working to own your house.
The amount of materials you need is impressive, but I treat as a game itself, roaming the forests of Falkreath, looking for mines and goats is part of the game for me. However, I can totally understand princess_stomper, not everybody enjoys this. And even if you just add the materials with a mod, the finished house is one of the best houses you can get in Skyrim.