When it comes to setting up a new home, there is no doubt that it is one of the most exciting things that you can do in life. Throughout history, people have lived in some fascinating places, including both caves and castles. Today, however, you can easily find an example of just about any house design that you can think of.
Although some people are forced to get creative due to physical restrictions, others do it simply because they can, and they end up creating some really interesting and unusual home designs. And now, here are five of the most unique homes that people have created!
The McGowen Container House
Pretty much every person out there has their own unique idea of how their ideal home would look like. While it may be a small wooden house by the beach for some people, for others, it could be something completely different.
But have you ever thought that anyone’s dream home could be a pile of shipping containers piled on top of each other? A designer by the name of Will Breaux probably didn’t think so either, but somehow, he still ended up doing just that. The following are some details about Will’s project!
A Three-Story Residence
The whole project is considered to be a three-story single-family residence, and the builder had to fund everything himself. And since he had to fund it himself, he decided to build a place where he could live without any significant issues.
While it is true that the builder could have easily built a home that would have been great for both short and long-term living, it was kind of a risky idea, so he decided to assemble the structure entirely and only finish what would have been the first floor of the house.
Work in Progress
It is important to note that the Mcgowen Container House is still considered to be work-in-progress. According to Will’s master plan, the first floor should include a bar, guest room, studio, and media room. However, he had to change some things along the way.
That being said, the first floor of the house currently contains a living room, kitchen, and bedroom. The size of the entire first floor is about 600 square feet, and when you think about it, that is kind of a big deal for a home that is entirely made of shipping containers!
Good Insulation
Insulation has been applied to every single floor and ceiling of the McGowen Container House. The ceiling also has an extra six inches of acoustic insulation applied to it. According to Will’s blog, some people simply assume that his container-house doesn’t have any insulation, but as you can see, that is far from the truth.
Speaking of insulation, the spray foam prevents the metal parts (and there are many of them) from sweating. By using the dual-zone mini split AC, Will has ensured that his container-house stays well insulated and perfectly neutral at all times.
Unfinished Business
Although the house has been entirely built, there is still a lot of work left to be done both inside and outside. For example, outside of some temporary paint being applied to it, there are many other things left to be done on the second floor of the house.
Also, only the structure of the third floor has been completed, but that’s about it. As for the rooftop deck, it currently only has joints, and that’s pretty much everything that it has right now, but that is entirely understandable since Will is doing almost everything by himself.
Safety Inspections Passed!
You can’t expect to build something in the middle of a city and not have at least one safety inspection take place inside of it. This is especially the case when it comes to projects that are as fascinating as this one.
With this in mind, not only has the McGowen Container House successfully managed to pass all the inspections that have taken place inside of it, but it has exceeded all the expectations as well. Thanks to its strong foundation, the McGowen Container House is a relatively safe place to live.
A First-class Flight as Good as Home
Finding an abandoned airplane in the middle of the woods doesn’t necessarily have to be the result of a nasty plane crash. Sometimes planes just get old and are abandoned. Bonus, if an inventive or creative person finds it. Meet Bruce Campbell.
Bruce Campbell is a retired electrical engineer who somehow managed to turn an airplane into his home. This took place in a beautiful place called Portland (in Oregon). According to Business Insider, Bruce is also hoping to buy a bigger airplane to convert into his other home in Miyazaki, Japan.
Great Inspiration
From a very young age, Bruce was fond of messing around with old objects and creating new things from them. At first, Bruce wanted to build a home on the ten-acre piece of land that he had purchased when he was still in his early 20s, but since another house was already built there, that idea had to be scrapped.
However, everything changed for the better when he heard about Joanne Ussery. She was a hairdresser from Mississippi who successfully managed to transform a Boeing 727 airplane into a charming home. And that is where Bruce got the idea.
Several Years in Progress
In order to transport the plane, Bruce had to take both of its wings off. Once the airplane arrived at its destination, Bruce installed the wings again. According to the Wonderful Engineering website, Bruce thought that his new idea would remain nothing more than work in progress. However, after many years of innovation and hard work, the idea turned into something so much bigger.
Bruce used a pressure water sprayer to wash off the aircraft. Apparently, it took him four days to thoroughly clean the interior, which shouldn’t come off as a surprise considering just how big the Boeing 727 aircraft really is.
Nothing Goes to Waste
Although he did make good use of everything that was already present in the aircraft, he did end up changing some things. For example, he modified the interior of the plane to make it a better place for him to live.
Apart from being a fully functional place to live, his new home is also a constant work in progress. If you want to get inside his new home, you have to use the aircraft’s original fold-down stairwell, which still seems to be working just fine. It is also important to note that Bruce wears socks and slippers to move around when he is inside his new home.
Living Mortgage-Free
The idea of living in an airplane may sound pretty exciting to some people, but what makes it even more special is the fact that there isn’t any mortgage involved in the process. It seems like Bruce really loves the idea of living mortgage-free.
Even when he was a young man, Bruce didn’t like the idea of taking on debt, and we cannot blame him. That being said, Bruce used to live in a relatively inexpensive tiny mobile house, saving money so he could purchase a property outright one day, which he eventually did, and that property just happened to be a Boeing 727 aircraft!
A Natural Fit
Due to the fact that they are incredibly strong, airplanes are built to last, which makes them one of the most durable and most practical spaces to call home. For Bruce, living inside of his new, unusual home felt extremely natural to him.
His new home features a water tank, climate control ducts, and an electronics bay. It is also important to note that since his new home is basically a pressure canister, it stays warm, clean, and insect-free 12 months a year. And to make his home even more comfortable, Bruce decided to add some polyethylene water lines and plumbing components to it.
From Old Bus to a Luxury Home
When Michael Talley got tired of spending a considerable amount of money on rent each month, he realized that something radical just had to be done. Soon after that, he found an old school bus that was up for sale, and he just had to buy it. That school bus would soon become Michael’s next big project.
However, things didn’t really go as smoothly as he had initially planned, and the whole project didn’t come without a huge price tag either. But in the end, the project was more than worth all the struggle and hard work that was put into it.
Did It Really Have to Be a School Bus?
Having noticed a new trend of tiny houses, Michael decided to make the jump and see what the buzz is all about. Not only would his decision allow him to save a lot of money, but since he was a graphic designer, he already had a lot of ideas in regards to how he would like his new home to look.
One day, Michael realized that a bus would be the perfect structure to transform into a tiny house. He ended up choosing a school bus, and the main reason why he decided to go with a school bus is that it already had four walls and a roof.
The Odds Were Stacked Against Him
Instead of opting to use the school bus that he bought as a frame for his new home, he decided to take the whole thing to the next level. With this in mind, Michael wanted to convert the school bus into a livable house, which meant that it needed to include a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom.
Michael knew that all the odds were stacked against him, but he still decided to proceed with his new project. According to the Habit Tribe website, Michael admitted later on that he couldn’t even sleep for months because he was continually thinking about how to build his new home.
One of the Biggest Issues
The height of the school bus was one of the most significant issues that Michael had to face while he was building his new home. Although the height of 6’5″ may not sound small to some people out there, it was a completely different story for Michael – who is 6’6″ tall.
Since he is such a tall man, Michael realized that he would literally have to raise the roof of the school bus. And even though Michael wasn’t sure how he was going to raise the roof, some YouTube tutorials were all it took for him to continue working on his project.
Raising the Roof
Once the roof of the bus had finally been raised, it is remarkable how much more space there was inside the bus. In order to ensure that the roof stays in place, Michael decided to go out and buy some custom-made steel ribs.
He cut a section out of one of the custom-made steel ribs, and he then took that section to a metal fabricator. Michael asked him to craft 25 identical steel sleeves that could easily slip over each end of the rib once the roof of the bus was raised.
The Final Design
There was an idea about the Jurassic Park mobile adventure, which sounded pretty cool, but Michael decided to go with something a bit different. Since he is the type of person who likes to entertain people, Michael’s idea was to put all the private areas in the back and all the public areas at the front of the school bus.
Michael also wanted to have a bigger kitchen than the one that he had in his old apartment. And on top of that, he also wanted to build the largest desk that he has ever had in his life. Michael liked the couch that he had in his old apartment, so he kept it for the new home.
A 13-Year-Old Boy Who Built His Own House
There is absolutely no doubt that owning a house can be a pretty daunting experience for some people. This is especially the case when it comes to building your own home. While some people have to plan and save money for years to build their own house, things were a bit different for one 13-year-old boy.
Luke Thill was just 12 years old when he made the decision to build his own tiny house. What could anyone possibly build at that age? Well, Luke certainly did the unimaginable by building his own tiny house without having to spend too much money.
Luke Wanted Something Interesting to do
It is pretty safe to say that summer is the best time of the year for just about any student out there. After all, it is that time of the year when many kids like to kick back, relax, and play with their friends. Well, the same thing indeed cannot be said about Luke.
Luke was beginning to lose interest in the world, and he was pretty bored with having nothing interesting to do anymore. He just wanted to find something interesting to do during the summer, so he decided to take his search online. To be more precise, Luke went on YouTube and searched for exciting DIY projects.
The Idea of Building a Tiny House
While going through one of the most popular video-sharing platforms in history, Luke found some instructional videos for the project called Tiny House. If you are unfamiliar with the term Tiny House, it represents the idea of living more simply inside of a small house.
Taking on a project that involves building your own house is not an easy task, especially when you are just 13 years old. Since he knew that he would need to find several different resources to start working on his project, he asked his parents for help. Luke’s parents were supportive of his idea, but he had to work for the things that he needed.
Getting Started
The word about Luke’s unique project soon spread throughout his neighborhood, and pretty much everyone was impressed with what he had decided to do. However, in order to start working on his tiny house, Luke first had to save up some money, so he decided to do some odd jobs around his neighborhood.
Luke cleaned out his neighbors’ garages, mowed their lawns, and took on just about any other job that he could find at the time. Apart from saving up money for his tiny house, Luke also wanted to use as many recycled or reclaimed items as possible.
Asking For Help
Luke wasn’t just offering his services for money, but he also worked in exchange for assistance in his project. After all, when it comes to this type of project, you can only learn so much from a simple YouTube instructional video.
Some things (such as wiring a house for electricity), simply require professional services. There is a reason why the phrase’ ‘don’t try this at home” exists. Simply put, if you don’t know what you are doing, chances are that you will get hurt. Luke was more than willing to ask for help when he needed it, but he would still offer his services in exchange for it.
Luke Received Media Attention
One day, while he was still in school, Luke was told to go to the principal’s office. Not knowing whether or not he was in trouble for something, he headed down to the principal’s office, and once he arrived there, he realized that he wasn’t in trouble at all.
In fact, Luke was called to the principal’s office because his tiny house project got the attention of the local media, and a reporter was looking to get a word from him about his project. Not only did Luke end up building a charming tiny house, but he also became quite popular because of his project.
The Plastic Bottle Village
From air pollution to animal extinction and water pollution – people have done some horrible things to our planet. That being said, it is essential for us to find new ways to prevent the damage that has already been done from spreading.
With this in mind, when somebody comes up with an excellent eco-friendly idea, it is up to us to not just support it but to encourage it as well. Well, there is this one man who once used a whole lot of plastic bottles to build a new home, and that home looks absolutely amazing!
An Interesting Way to Use a Plastic Bottle
One day, a man by the name of Robert Bezeau got so tired of all the plastic bottles lying around that he decided to create a new way of reusing them. After moving to Bocas del Toro in Panama, Robert decided to go ahead and start creating the Plastic Bottle Village.
The main reason why Robert decided to build this village lies in the fact that he wanted to reduce plastic waste that is causing damage to the environment. This is the reason why he decided to incorporate used plastic bottles into his project.
Despite Being Made of Plastic, It’s Still a Beautiful Project
Although it didn’t look that pretty during the construction process, one of the houses actually ended up looking fantastic. However, it is important to note that building homes is not the only thing that Robert’s initiative is interested in.
After all, the main goal of his project is to raise awareness about the importance of reducing waste and the dire state that our planet is currently in. Their website (called Plastic Bottle Village) offers some really cool before-and-after shots of the home, so if you are interested in seeing what it looks like right now, make sure to check it out.
Around 14K Plastic Bottles For a 1076-Square-Foot House
People are living inside what others have consumed and thrown away, and they will turn all the materials that have been thrown away into modern, stylish residencies. Another thing that makes this village so special and unique is the fact that its homes are both very cool in temperature and earthquake-resistant.
The difference between the inside and the outside wall is about 35F. Since these homes are so cool in temperature, there is absolutely no need for an air conditioning system. This – of course – helps conserve energy for the Plastic Bottle Village, which is a solar-friendly community.
The Plastic Castle
The primary purpose of the plastic castle is to inspire people to understand just how much plastic surrounds us every day, as well as to encourage people to either use less plastic or to be very mindful as to how they use it. It took about two years for the construction process of the castle to be over.
The castle was built using 40K PET bottles, and it has four levels. It features two guest rooms and one royal suite, as well as a gathering area with a fantastic view. Of course, there is also a dining area for anyone interested in trying some delicious food.
The Plastic Bottle Jail
When it comes to the plastic bottle jail, its primary purpose is to encourage people to help protect our planet. It also aims to educate children about the significance of environmental issues. And even though crimes against planet Earth due to plastic bottle waste are very real, The Dungeon is always a fun place to visit.
If you ever decide to visit this place, you will have an excellent opportunity to experience what sleeping inside of a jail cell feels like. But don’t worry, you will have the key. The Dungeon truly is a great place to visit, as it offers a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.