Mortgage Loans - Mortgage Loans Held for Sale Textual (Details) - Financial Services [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Loans Receivable [Line Items]
Mortgage loans held for sale	$ 587.3	$ 654.0
Mortgage loans held for sale, principal amount	570.8	631.8
Payments for Origination of Mortgage Loans Held-for-sale	6,800.0	5,900.0	$ 5,100.0
Proceeds from Sale of Mortgage Loans Held-for-sale	6,800.0	5,900.0	5,000.0
Net gain on sales of loans	$ 251.1	207.5	$ 182.8
Percentage of Mortgage Loans Sold to Major Purchasers	84.00%
Percentage Of Mortgage Loans Sold To Major Purchaser	45.00%
Hedging Instruments Related To IRLCs [Member]
Loans Receivable [Line Items]
Derivative Asset, Notional Amount	$ 330.7	284.5
Uncommitted Loans [Member]
Loans Receivable [Line Items]
Mortgage loans held for sale	$ 330.7	$ 284.5

The percentage of mortgage loans sold to major purchasers during the period.

No definition available.

Name:	dhi_PercentageOfMortgageLoansSoldToMajorPurchasers
Namespace Prefix:	dhi_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AccountsNotesAndLoansReceivableLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

For an entity that discloses a concentration risk in relation to quantitative amount, which serves as the "benchmark" (or denominator) in the equation, this concept represents the concentration percentage derived from the division.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 275
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 18
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84177426&loc=d3e6351-108592

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 825
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 20
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=77997519&loc=d3e13531-108611

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 275
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 20
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84177426&loc=d3e6404-108592

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 825
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 21
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=77997519&loc=d3e13537-108611

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskPercentage1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Nominal or face amount used to calculate payments on the derivative asset.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 815
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1A
-Subparagraph (d)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84234895&loc=SL5579245-113959

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 815
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1B
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84234895&loc=SL5580258-113959

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DerivativeAssetNotionalAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The net gain (loss) resulting from a sale of loans, including adjustments to record loans classified as held-for-sale at the lower-of-cost-or-market and fair value adjustments to loan held for investment purposes.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 225
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-04.3(a))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879464&loc=d3e573970-122913

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 225
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-04.13(h))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879574&loc=d3e536633-122882

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 230
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 28
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=98514028&loc=d3e3602-108585

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_GainLossOnSalesOfLoansNet
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount, after allowance for bad debt, of mortgage loan receivables held-for-sale that are not part of a disposal group. Excludes loans and leases covered under loss sharing agreements and loans classified as debt securities.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82891408&loc=d3e4428-111522

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LoansReceivableHeldForSaleNetNotPartOfDisposalGroupMortgage
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The amount of cash paid for the origination of mortgages that are held for sale.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_PaymentsForOriginationOfMortgageLoansHeldForSale
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

This is the principal amount outstanding for loans which are in the process of being securitized as of the date of the statement of financial position (across all types of loans).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 860
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82924980&loc=d3e107314-111719

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_PrincipalAmountOutstandingOnLoansHeldForSaleOrSecuritization
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The cash inflow from sales of loans that are secured with real estate mortgages and are held with the intention to resell in the near future.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 230
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 25
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=98514028&loc=d3e3536-108585

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 230
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 21
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=98514028&loc=d3e3461-108585

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ProceedsFromSaleOfMortgageLoansHeldForSale
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis=dhi_FinancialServicesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis=us-gaap_ForwardContractsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_MortgageLoansOnRealEstateLoanTypeAxis=dhi_UncommittedLoansMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: