Most of us have wildly different ideas about what a dream house should look like. For some, it’s a Cape Cod-style cottage, while others crave the warmth of a Charles and Henry Greene California bungalow. But there aren’t too many people we know who fantasize about living inside of a giant seashell. Or Bilbo Baggins’ home in the Shire. Or a 110-ton steel pig. But, in the spirit of to each his own, we’ve rounded up some of the craziest houses in the world for your voyeuristic pleasure. Let us know in the comments if there’s anything that we’ve missed, and more importantly, if you’d like to call one of these inventive designs home sweet home.
Casa Do Penedo – Portugal
Image via Neatorama
The “House of Stone” was built as a rural retreat back in 1974 between four large boulders found on the site.
zeroHouse by Specht Harpman
Image via designboom
This pre-fab home is quite the multitasker: it supplies it own electricity through solar panels, collects its water from rainfall, and manages its own waste.
The Bubble House by Antti Lovag – Cannes, France
Built back in the ’70s for fashion designer Pierre Cardin, this oddly-shaped home is listed as a historic monument by the French Ministry of Culture.
Officer House by Gayuh Budi Utomo – Java, Indonesia
Photo credit: Sonny Sandjaya. Image via Dezeen
For reasons unknown, the first floor bedroom of this otherwise nondescript abode is located in that army green truck.
Eathouse by de Stuurlui and GRAS!
Image via ArchDaily
This edible house is only meant to last a season before it’s “harvested.”
Trufa by Anton García-Abril – Spain
Photo credit: Roland Halbe. Image via Dezeen
This holiday home was created by pouring concrete over bales of hay; the interior was then hollowed out by a cow named Paulina.
The Hobbit House by Simon Dale – Pembrokeshire, Britain
Image via Oddity Central
While it might look like something straight out of Tolkien, these environmentally-friendly digs only cost £3,000 to build by hand.
The Cloud Refuge by Zébra3 + Le Bruit du Frigo
Image via Design Milk
This playful take on a mobile home was created out of wood and plexiglass for panOramas 2010.
The Nautilus House by Senosiain Arquitectos – Naucalpan, Mexico
Image via
Shells: not just for snails and hermit crabs.
Barcode House by David Jameson – Washington DC
Photo credit: Paul Warchol. Image via Dezeen
Haven’t you always wondered what it would be like to live in a see-through barcode?
The PAS House by Gil Lebon Delapointe and Francois Perrin – Malibu, California
Image via Architizer
World champion skateboarder/Etnies founder Pierre Andre Senizergues wanted a home that he could skate over every surface of — including the walls and furniture.
Green House by Samyn and Partners – Brussels
Photo credit: Marie-Françoise Plissart. Image via Dezeen
Photo credit: Marie-Françoise Plissart. Image via Dezeen
This is like the mullet of houses, with a plant-covered wall by French botanical artist Patrick Blanc providing the untamed party in the back.
The Piano House – Huainan City, An Hui Province, China
Image via Design You Trust
What’s weirder than having a giant violin leaning against your piano-shaped building? Having a translucent giant violin leaning against your piano-shaped building.
Steel House by Robert Bruno – Lubbock, Texas
Image via Neatorama
It took Bruno 23 years to complete this pig-shaped house out of 110 tons of steel.
Spaceship House by Curtis King – Chattanooga, Tennessee
In case you were curious, this crazy house — which cost $250,000 to construct back in 1973 — comes with a retractable staircase.