Through The Keyhole
There are some genuinely quirky houses for sale around the world. They might look like the last place you would want to live judging by their exteriors (or not, depending on your taste), but you’d be missing out if you dismissed some of these houses simply by their deceptive exteriors.
After all, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.
Treehotel, Sweden
This collection of unique treetop dwellings make up Sweden’s Treehotel - a forest-based accommodation featuring several out-of-this-world options such as The UFO and The Bird’s Nest.
But by far the most obscure - and popular - place to stay in the complex is The Mirror Cube, which is certainly not the treehouse you remember from your youth. To be fair, it looks pretty cool from the outside, but it’s the view from the inside that makes this invisible hideout worth the trip.
Inside The Cube
After you’ve crossed the suspension rope bridge into the room, you’ll find a double bed, small bathroom, terrace, and six windows with gorgeous views of the forest. The tree trunk grows through the 13-square-foot room itself, all secured with a super-strong aluminum frame.
There’s even free wifi - something you definitely shouldn’t expect from this next isolated home in the middle of a raging river.
Riverhouse, Serbia
The now-famous Drina River House began life as a simple refuge for young swimmers way back in 1968 when they first set up a canopy as a place to relax after taking a dip in the strong currents.
Soon they decided to bring out some wooden boards and little by little, the small encampment became a full-blown house. But while it’s a sight to behold from the outside, the inside is truly breathtaking.
Inside The Riverhouse
The modest little house has all the basics, and perhaps not the most spectacular interior, but you can’t deny the incredible view really makes this an enviable vacation spot.
Over the years, the house has been rebuilt seven times after the fierce river rose to destroy it. But if it’s security you’re looking for, your best bet is this next hidden gem.
Underground House, Australia
Living in the desert is not for the faint of heart. The scorching temperatures of the South Australian town Coober Pedy make for very uncomfortable living, until you invest in some below-ground real estate, that is.
Coober Pedy - where they shot ‘Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome’ - has become very popular with tourists, which might surprise you if you only look at the properties from above ground.
Inside Coober Pedy
On the inside, this Coober Pedy property has some beautiful interiors that you would never imagine judging from the dusty entrance. Like the other subterranean houses, hotels, and museums in the town, this place has been lovingly carved out of the ground, providing cool accommodation without expensive air conditioning.
In fact, the developer was able to make it quite spacious, considering there is no limit to how big these homes can be dug - and at a fraction of the cost of building a house above ground. Similar to this thrifty dream home.
Dick Clark's Flintstones House, USA
With their foot-powered cars and prehistoric friends, The Flintstones made Stone Age-living look desirable (who wouldn't want a pet dinosaur that plays fetch?). Now, you can meet the Flintstones, well at least the real-life version of their house.
This 2500-square-foot custom villa, originally designed for TV personality Dick Clark, was modeled after the Bedrock home to blend in to its mountainous surroundings in the hills of Malibu. However, it's not just the exterior.
Inside The Flintstones House
Complete with a private beach and beautiful views, the interior is filled with stone-like features from floor to ceiling. An all-stone master bath and bedroom filled with animal-patterned textiles gives even more of an all-natural look.
Unfortunately, a dinosaur garbage disposal, pet saber-tooth, and woolly mammoth vacuum cleaner are not included. Love this home? You could buy it! The asking price has recently been reduced to $2.5 million from $3 million.
SLIDE, Japan
Located just 10 minutes from Nishiogikubo Station in Tokyo, this unusual home represents the finest in modern living. The house is the brainchild of Komada Architects.
And while this house doesn't look like much fun on the outside, it has a feature inside that will have your inner child screaming with delight.
Inside the SLIDE House
This three-story slide house in Japan has a regular staircase on one side of the house, and a slide on the other, which allows you to slide all the down to the first floor.
Consisting of 9 units built around a central courtyard, the structure gets its name from the way each unit is linked by a network of stairs which, in turn, creates slabs of slides throughout the exterior. Who said adults don't want fun, too?
The Keret House, Poland
The Keret House, inserted between two existing buildings, measures only from 92 to 152 centimeters in width.
Built between two existing structures from two historical epochs, the narrow infill seems like more of an art installation than a home. But inside, the semi-transparent, windowless structure doesn’t seem nearly as claustrophobic as one would think...
Inside The Keret House
The house is located on the plot measuring 92 centimeters in its narrowest point and 152 centimeters in its widest point.
“That is why at first it seems that the construction of living space within such a premise is impossible. Keret House is to contradict that false image, simultaneously broadening the concept of impossible architecture”, says the architect Jakub Szczesny.
Water Tower House, Belgium
Located in the Belgian village of Steenokkerzeel, this 30 meter (98.4 ft) water tower was originally built between 1938 and 1941. It was in service until the 1990s and was even used as a watchtower by the Nazis when they took over Belgium in World War II.
In 2007, Bham Design Studio set forth to completely renovate and convert the former water tower, known simply as Chateau d'eau, into a single-family home. Now, its interior is breathtaking.
Inside The Water Tower House
The overall design is minimal and many of the original elements such as the main water conduct, concrete ceilings and stairs, and the giant 250,000-liter water basin were kept to preserve the strong identity of the building.
While the space serves as a private residence for the owners (a couple), they also rent part of the building out for exclusive events once or twice a month.
Hobbit Town, Wales
Simon and Jasmine Dales were fed up with paying a hefty mortgage every month, so with a mere $4,000 decided to build their own eco-friendly house.
In a few short months, Simon - who had no previous experience in architecture or carpentry - built a home that wouldn’t look out of place in a ‘Lord Of The Rings’ movie. Inside and out.
Inside The Hobbit House
The spacious home was excavated from a large Welsh hill, so the couple got a lot of real estate for their money.
Unfortunately, the house fell victim to a fire on New Year’s Day 2018 and the couple decided to put the site up for sale rather than rebuild. And they’re not the only eco-friendly builders whose beautiful home was at serious risk.
Freedom Cove, Canada
Catherine King and Wayne Adams spent more than $1 million on their floating paradise - and they did it all with the most basic of tools.
Wayne is not a fan of power tools and instead decided to do the bulk of the labor with a good old hammer and saw - even securing the platforms to the cove bed to protect it against storms - so they can stay nice and cosy inside.
Inside The Floating Home
The unique British Colombia home features several different platforms and rooms including an art gallery, dance floor, and lighthouse that doubles as a shower - all built with Wayne’s own two hands.
Catherine and Wayne recycle, grow their own food, drink from waterfalls, and produce electricity from solar panels. And it seems floating homes are popular across the pond too.
Houseboat, Britain
Since the mid-80s, Hamish McKenzie has been rooting around for spare parts to build out his collection of houseboats - earning the row of moored dwellings the nickname “the wackiest street in Britain.”
There are old buses, rockets, and planes all melded into the boats that have grown crazier over the years. One of them is even up for sale for £325,000; the listing recommends interested parties come and view the inside to get the full experience.
Inside The Houseboat
The property boasts a microwave mailbox and windows made of tractor wheels. You can actually rent it out on AirBNB if you’re not ready to sign a mortgage for it. There’s even a quiz sheet for guests to find all the strange things it’s made of.
Now you’ve seen the interiors, are you ready to make an offer on any of these peculiar homes?