Buzz
While love, wealth, and luxury cars are often desired, what everyone truly craves is a comfortable home. But what if your dream home is financially out of reach or simply doesn’t exist? The solution? Build it yourself. As we’ll show, the materials you use can be surprisingly unconventional. After all, consider those who have built homes from…
10. A Former Airport
The town of Barr Nunn, Wyoming, sits on the site of the former Wardwell Field airport. In 1954, a local entrepreneur purchased the 640-acre property from the US Government, initially planning to use it as a horse ranch. However, by 1982, it had transformed into a thriving town. The town’s layout still reflects its aviation past, with streets following the old runways, visible on Google Maps. Some of the original hangars have even been repurposed into functional buildings. While the town’s signature dish remains a mystery, we’re rooting for bagged peanuts to take the title.
9. Sets from The Phantom Menace
It’s understandable if you’ve tried to forget The Phantom Menace, but the film did leave behind something useful: the sets of Mos Espa, Anakin Skywalker’s hometown, now serve as a makeshift settlement for a group of Tunisians. These brave souls seem unbothered by the possibility of nocturnal Jawa attacks. A newspaper that visited the camp reported that the residents are earning income by selling old movie props. Sadly, though, George Lucas’ reputation as a filmmaker remains nowhere to be found.
8. Trash
Many of you might already know about this place, especially if you’ve played Call of Duty: Black Ops. Indeed, that chaotic labyrinth was a real location, minus the gunfights and Russian sabotage. Originally a small coastal fort in the 1800s, the site was taken over by squatters in 1947, who claimed the area and constructed the bizarre structures you see above using whatever materials they could scavenge. Without the means to hire architects, they built towering structures themselves, seemingly unconcerned about the threat of strong winds. At its peak, the city consisted of 300 interconnected towers, packed so tightly that sunlight never touched the ground within.
7. Gun Emplacement in the Middle of the Ocean
During World War II, the British constructed numerous gun emplacements resembling oil rigs in the North Sea to protect against German bomber attacks. One such tower was abandoned after the war until 1967, when Paddy Roy Bates, an Englishman, claimed it. Unfazed by the irony of occupying a defensive structure, Bates initially planned to use it for a pirate radio station. However, he soon declared it the independent nation of Sealand. The British government attempted to reclaim it but discovered it was in international waters, making Bates’ actions legal. Since then, Sealand, or the Principality of Sealand, has established its own currency, passports, sports teams, and even a national anthem.
6. A Mountainside
What’s the most extreme measure you’ve taken to find peace and quiet? It’s unlikely to compare to the monks of Xuan Kong Si, also known as the Hanging Temple. Seeking absolute solitude for meditation, they constructed a monastery on a mountainside in A.D. 491, deciding that soundproofing their old monastery wasn’t enough. Remarkably, this 1500-year-old structure still stands today, supported by sturdy wooden beams embedded deep into the mountain rock, making it nearly indestructible.
5. An Entire Fleet of Ships
During the Suez Crisis, fifteen ships were stranded in a war-torn oceanic zone. Instead of simply relaxing, fishing, or perfecting their tans, the crews chose to create a functioning society. This led to the formation of the Yellow Fleet. Each ship had a specific role: one served as a cinema, another hosted a soccer field and organized a mini-Olympics in 1968, while another managed an internationally recognized postal service. Although the ships were eventually freed after eight years, only two were seaworthy by then.
4. Cliff Crevices
While the monks of Xuan Kong Si might worry about rockfalls, the residents of Setenil de las Bodegas in Spain face an even more precarious situation. Their homes—and much of the town’s infrastructure—are nestled directly into cliff crevices, some of which weigh over a million tons. This isn’t an exaggeration. Living under what feels like the Monty Python foot of rock might seem bizarre, but it’s a long-standing tradition in the area. For centuries, people have persistently built homes in these exact spots, disregarding concerns about health, safety, or sanity.
3. Floating Oil Platforms
Neft Dashlari, much like Sealand, is a city constructed on the ocean. However, unlike Sealand, it was built by Russia, a nation not particularly renowned for its engineering prowess. The city comprises dozens of floating oil platforms connected by bridges so flimsy they might as well be made of Meccano. Astonishingly, it functioned effectively: alongside the heavy machinery required to extract the vast oil reserves beneath, it also supported amenities like bakeries, lemonade workshops, nine-story hotels, cultural palaces, and even a traffic-free highway. Built in the 1950s, about 75% of the structure has since rusted away, but the remaining residents are determined to stay until the oil reserves are fully depleted, a process expected to take another 30 years. We wish them the best of luck.
2. A Nuclear Missile Silo
If you have even a basic understanding of 20th-century history, you’ll know the USA and the USSR spent much of the Cold War threatening each other with nuclear missiles—a high-stakes game of Chicken, where losing meant annihilation. Thankfully, that never happened, and the numerous nuclear missile silos across the US were decommissioned and abandoned. That is, until they became the ultimate unique homes for those seeking something extraordinary. There are countless examples of silo conversions, but this is one of the most well-documented projects. While the steep price tag doesn’t include a nuclear missile, it does guarantee that your neighbors will think twice before starting any disputes.
1. Lakebed
After the Spanish conquered the Aztecs and established Mexico City in 1521, they decided to expand the city by draining the adjacent lake and building on its bed. This decision, though ingenious at the time, proved disastrous in the long run. When a devastating earthquake struck in 1985, much of the destruction occurred in the areas built on the former lakebed. The unstable foundation rock beneath these structures shifted dramatically during the quake, a problem that wouldn’t have existed if the lake had remained intact.
