Author: t2609

This unique take on a tiny shipping container home was built by Hartman Kable in Seattle, inspired by a New York architect. Relaxshacks on YouTube gives us a video tour of this beautifully minimalistic home. Built from a 20-foot by 8-foot container, the home is only a total of 160 square feet and exceptionally modern. It would be perfectly suited as a beachside home, a weekend getaway in the woods, or as a permanent residence. With some creative design work and storage options, this container home has everything one might need for comfortable living. It houses a kitchen, plenty of storage space,…

If you have the space and resources, you can turn a shipping container into an amazingly effective underground shelter. This particular project, from Wayne Martin on YouTube, is a great example of how a 20 foot container can be buried, reinforced, and have utilities added to make a shelter that has everything you’d need in an emergency. And it doubles as a cellar for food storage – or in this case, wine. 🙂 First, the hole is dug 2 feet deeper than the height of the container and gravel is added to the bottom and leveled. A septic tank company…

This beautiful, modern shipping container home is known as The Lily Pad. It sits on 13 acres of woods near Logan, Ohio, and is a prime example of the extraordinary potential of shipping containers for housing purposes. The Lily Pad was designed by Troy and Dianna Shurtz, owners of Creative Cabinets, Ltd in Ohio. Like a few of the other homes we’ve covered, you can find this gem for rent on Airbnb. It’s a picturesque place to spend a weekend, but also a great inspiration for container home enthusiasts looking to build a sustainable home. Though this home has a very small footprint,…

Earthbag construction can be a wonderful way to build a small (or large) home. Earthbag houses are typically simple to design and build, especially when building a dome-shaped home. These little structures can be adorned with a living roof, or covered in mud or plaster. They are structurally sound, and when complete can blend into the landscape, thereby minimizing the effects on the environment. They’re also inexpensive to build and might be an option for those folks to build on a limited budget. The earthbag dome structure in the photos below was built for Mother Earth News by Owen Geiger as an example…

This beautiful guest residence is located on a barrier island, within a mature oak hammock along Sarasota Bay. This building has really unique structure (curved beams) which is influenced by the live oak trees which were shaped by the coastal winds from the west. As a “house in the trees“, it has one bedroom, bath, living area with kitchenette, and a loft. Glulam beams were selected for their ability to enfold the structure around the space. The laminated pine beams, which curve over the entire space, blur the distinction between wall and roof. The result is an open structure…

If tiny house living piques your interest, you likely take notice of a beautifully unique tiny home when you see one. And while there are many very talented builders and designers out there with amazing tiny house creations – we know, because we admire and write about them often – there are not many we’ve seen that can rival this one. This exceptional tiny house, called Moon Dragon, is a creation of the architecture company Zyl Vardos. The domed roof and 5-foot overhang give this home a huge loft and the semblance of something straight out of a fairy tale. Zyl Vardos is…

Who has not wanted a one-of-a-kind home to call their own? Some people, however, take this desire to extremes most of us would never go to – even if we could afford it. From houses shaped like shells and flying saucers to structures made entirely of steel or lofted up into the trees, here are eight of the most  unique, unusual and amazing homes on the planet. With images so colorful, clean and incomprehensibly curved it would be easy to believe these photographs were forged – constructed on the desktop of some insanely creative designer. However, this spectacular shell house design by Arquitectura Organica is a…

While the demand for well-designed, luxurious, charming bungalows, villas and apartments is ten-folds, there are also some who like to live life differently, inside homes that are out-and-out unconventional. Let’s face it, everyone is curious to peek into the other’s dwelling to see how they live. These homes (some residences and some even tourist spots) are nothing like you’ve seen before. Sit back and enjoy the ride. Inside Bretman Rock’s Colourful Hawaiian Villa Unique Home Designs | Hang Nga Guesthouse, Vietnam This is popularly known as a ‘crazy house’ due to its exterior appearance. The home was designed by Vietnamese architect…

Likened by designer Wallmakers to a snake coiling under a rock on a hot day, the Chuzhi house is defined by its intricately twisting roof. The home nestles sensitively into a challenging site and also features an impressive degree of sustainability, being partly constructed using around 4,000 recycled plastic bottles. The idea for the Chuzhi house, which means whirlpool in the Malayalam language, came about when Wallmakers was commissioned to create a home on a plot of land in rural South India that was deemed by many to be unsuitable for building on. The studio designed it so that it…

This house is only 290 sq. ft., but when you see the inside you’ll want to live here! Can you imagine yourself living here? We sure can! Many people dream of living in big houses with lots of rooms and living space. That’s why it’s pretty funny that people are falling head over heels in love with this tiny house made by The Little Log House Company.  With its 290 square foot, it doesn’t really look like much. Just a nice cottage somewhere in the woods. But the way it’s decorated make it really special! It’s cozy, warm and you…

Does life make it feel like you’ve been flipped upside down? I mean outside of a Fresh Prince kinda context? Do you crave something a little more thought-provoking in your architecture? Or are you looking for a new perspective on life? For some houses, that perspective has become a reality because the house is literally an upside-down house! There are several homes that have been given this altered perspective around the globe, so let’s explore the top upside-down houses that could change your perception of reality when you pay them a visit! Table of Contents Must-See Upside-Down Houses From Around…

Some of the unusual homes in the world can be found in Africa – From the Shoe House in South Africa to the Crocodile House in Abidjan, there’s an abundance of them. If you have the heart that beats for tourism and travels, you should consider visiting some of these houses. The Shoe House The Shoe House is located in Mpumalanga in South Africa. It does remind you of the old folklore you heard of the old woman who lived in a shoe, doesn’t it?  You can visit the house if you ever get to visit the Abel Erasmus Pass in…

We purchased this Indiana grade school from 1914 back in August of 2021, and we have been working to revive it and turn it into our family home. Since acquiring the old school, we have installed a new roof, waterproofed the foundation, and fixed many floor joists. We are also trying to salvage and repurpose everything we can. Finally, after a wait of more than six months, we are getting our new windows next week. I cannot wait to take photos of them. Although the renovation has felt slow-moving at times, the new windows will be a significant visual update,…

A remote A-frame cabin on the tip of Belleayre Mountain, in the Catskills, is a far cry from the Bronx, in New York City, where Sarah P. Major’s clients primarily live—and that’s how they like it. As avid foragers and ardent cooks, the couple wanted a quiet weekend retreat where they could explore the outdoors and entertain. Snatching up a circa 1970s home designed by local Japanese American architect Ikuyo Tagawa, they enlisted BHDM Design, where Major is director of residential design, to bring it into the modern era. The two-bedroom residence lacked critical structural elements, like plumb walls, level…

When Charles Cohen’s longtime clients and friends tapped the designer to revamp their Brooklyn townhouse, he was ecstatic—and aware that it posed a challenge. “I knew it needed a lot of lifestyle upgrades in terms of function for the growing family, while still encompassing a cohesive full home design,” says the owner of Charles Cohen Designs. Built in the 1930s, the three-level, 3,250-square-foot residence was dated, closed off, and too small for the family. In short, it called for a gut renovation. The clients needed more bedrooms to accommodate their family and a larger kitchen to make it well-suited for entertaining friends and…

You may not have considered it, but every room, outdoor area, or even staircase has the potential to become the most stunning feature of your home. The trend of home makeovers has gained immense popularity, thanks to the endless possibilities for customization. With a little time, effort, and some research, you can transform your living space into something truly unique. To provide you with some inspiration, we’d like to introduce you to the beforeafter.design Instagram account. This page showcases captivating before and after images that will ignite your imagination and make you ponder the possibilities of improving your own home. Let us…

You may not have considered it, but every room, outdoor area, or even staircase has the potential to become the most stunning feature of your home. The trend of home makeovers has gained immense popularity, thanks to the endless possibilities for customization. With a little time, effort, and some research, you can transform your living space into something truly unique. To provide you with some inspiration, we’d like to introduce you to the beforeafter.design Instagram account. This page showcases captivating before and after images that will ignite your imagination and make you ponder the possibilities of improving your own home. Let us…

Kristen Sarah and Siya Zarrabi head to their Airstream, named Luna. The mobile trailer that was central to their travels for the past five years is now the base of a home in Costa Rica. Courtesy of Kristen and Siya Zarrabi Kristen Sarah and Siya Zarrabi spent five years transversing the continent in their 1976 Airstream. Now, they’ve settled in Costa Rica and are building a $60,000 home around the travel trailer. Their young daughter prompted the move — they wanted her to be surrounded by nature. For you: Insider Today newsletter — the day’s most fascinating stories.Email addressBy clicking ‘Sign…

In 2020, I built a tiny home in the backyard of my 1,400-square-foot house in Atlanta, Georgia for about $35,000. Today, it’s my primary residence, and I live in it for $0; my mortgage, property taxes and utility bills are covered by rent I collect from renting out my main home. The house is only 296 square feet, but it’s efficiently designed. A lot of the time, I forget I’m living in a shed. Tiny homes are just beginning to gain traction in the U.S., but the process isn’t as straightforward as it should be. Here’s my advice on how to build your own…

When you think of treehouses, you probably imagine something cute that your dad might have put together after you nagged about it every day for a year. But these treehouses are far from tacky or cheap. You’re about to see some of the most impressive treehouses in the world. Art, innovation and a fair amount of money have put these masterpieces together… in trees. Danilchik Family Residence It’s hard to believe that anyone has actually turned this into their own home. The Danilchiks decided that they wanted to live in a tree, only they had a little more than just…

Nestled among the trees and the rolling Kent countryside, Astrid Zala’s contemporary home was inspired by a traditional barn, to complement its rural setting   Sitting on her sofa, Astrid Zala can see the colors opposite gradually change. This seasonal spectacle of autumn leaves on the trees outside is accentuated further by a mirrored reflection into the water below. Even from inside the leaves seem almost touchable. Dramatic is an understatement. ‘The main view was always to be of the pond with the woods behind it,’ explains Astrid, ‘because I’d always wanted to look out onto woodland.’ After 25 years…

Size doesn’t matter – or at least, it doesn’t in these Georgian hills. We tour the tiny property – that’s available for rent now Bigger is better? Mini Mountain Blue – a tiny home in Blue Ridge, Georgia – begs to differ. ‘Charming and secluded,’ the property epitomizes small-space styling – exhibiting a rustic, country (but contemporary) aesthetic that is exactly what you would wish for in a mountain home. PS, if it is the answer to your vacation home fantasies – you’re in luck – because Mini Mountain Blue is available for rent via Airbnb – and there is some…

Katwise and Mason Brown bought the home in Kingston, New York in June 2009.Katwise In 2009, Kat O’Sullivan, who goes by Katwise, 46, and Mason Brown, 43, were living in an artist loft with roommates in Brooklyn, New York City, when they got an idea. “We were always under the threat of eviction and having to move further away from the city center and I just did the math and realized that the price of a mortgage was half the cost of rent,” Katwise, a patchwork artist, tells CNBC Make It. The two sat down together and drew a circle around New…

In the early ’70s, Bruce Campbell paid $25,800 for 10 acres of land in Hillsboro, a suburb of Portland, Oregon. The electrical engineer, who’s now 73 and resides in a parked plane on his property, tells CNBC Make It the dream began when he saw an airplane boneyard on TV when he was 15 years old. He decided he wanted to live in one. In 1999, Campbell resolved to follow through but had no idea how to go about it, so he hired a salvage company to find him a plane. “That was a Whopper class mistake. I’ll never do that again. Salvage companies are…