What makes a home? Is it the architecture, the interior design, or the people who live in it? Sometimes, at least one of these factors suffered some terrible creative process that resulted in an indisputably crazy-looking outcome. We want to highlight some of the freakier abodes that we have spotted around the world. While we might wish that we could enter these works of alternative art, just seeing their exteriors is good enough, for now.
The Worlds Hideous Homes
Rock Face Home – Belgium
While it might seem like some modern dwarfs decided to turn a section of mountainside into a quaint home for themselves, this earthy abomination was constructed from the ground up. Hannes Coudenys is one dedicated weird home aficionado that documented the spot in his Ugly Belgian Houses blog. While we do not doubt that this place would be a cozy way to get back in touch with nature, the mixture of modern fixtures and slapdash natural walling just doesn’t work.
Rock Face Home
Old Cement House – Chonburi, Thailand
If you are a fan of pink homes, and have always dreamed of living in a cake-like wonder, then this home might be right up your street. That is until you look closer. The crumbling cement cannot be concealed by the shocking pink coating, which also desperately needs a new lick. This home might have the potential to appear pleasant with enough love and money, but until then, it just looks rather foreboding. We also might suggest a different shade of pink…
Old Cement House
Scaly House – Belgium
Ugly Belgian Houses was kind enough to provide another hideous anomaly in architecture, but this one might seem completely ordinary from the right angle. That is until you spot the one side that has been clad in what looks like medieval scale armor. While it may be able to withstand a few cannonballs, its ironically damaging effects on the otherwise plain home’s aesthetics are unsalvageable. Not that anyone would ever want to siege this odd juxtaposition of middle-class mundanity and fantastical freakiness.
Scaly House
Habitat 67 – Montreal, Canada
It might take your eyes a few minutes to understand what they are looking at here. This is an amazing example of brutalist architecture, which is one of the most strongly dividing forms of home construction in the world. Moshie Safdie, the architect that designed this oddity, did so while providing the centerpiece of his thesis for McGill University. No matter what people say about this spot, it still remains an iconic architectural milestone that the locals enjoy greatly. Altogether, the bubbling little modules make up 148 homes.
Habitat 67
Pastel Yellow Home – San Francisco, California, USA
The aptly-named Sunset District of San Francisco is home to one of the gaudiest houses in the city at large. Although this picture was taken just before sunset, the yellow and pink still shine brightly enough to burn one’s eyes. It looks like the kind of place that Hansel and Gretel might be drawn to, or an oversized ice cream cake. As yummy as it looks, this spot leaves a bad taste in our mouths.
Pastel Yellow Home
Stone House – Fafe, Portugal
It seems like this poor little home was crushed between two enormous boulders. You might even miss the fact that there is a house sandwiched between these two gigantic stones. The appropriately named Stone House might seem bizarre, but it is a truly genius and masterful work of architecture that was carved out of mortared masonry. Next time that you are in Portugal, why not head off to the mountainous region of Fafe and give what we imagine is a sweet sheepherding family a visit?
Stone House
Parc Luna – New Jersey, USA
After taking one look at this quirky and colorful house you can be sure that only the most inspiring type of person lives here: Ricky Boscarino, who is a multimedia artist from America who also happened to be the house’s designer. Within New Jersey lies the sprawling Sandyston, a forested area that measures 8.5-acres. The focal inspirations for Parc Luna were Barcelona’s famous Park Guell made by Gaudi, as well as Vienna, Austria’s Hundertwasser House. This place is a wonderful labyrinth consisting of countless extraordinary artifacts.
Parc Luna
Mr. Toilet House – Suwon, South Korea
Sim Jaedeok, the former South Korean mayor of Suwon City, did his best to push for public toilet upgrades. The man would end up so dedicated to the watery campaign that he leveled the home that had been his for three decades and erected a toilet-inspired anomaly. Go Giung was the architect tasked with bringing Jaedeok’s vision to life, and it was in 2007 that the biggest toilet in South Korea was completed. Sadly, Jaedeok passed away in 2009, and his surviving relatives passed it on to the municipality where it became a museum dedicated to toilets.
Mr Toilet House
Hundertwasser House – Vienna, Austria
We now turn our attention to the surreal Hundertwasser House of Vienna, Austria, which was constructed in March, 1986. Granted, this location is a major attraction for tourists thanks to its vivid and irregular architecture. Joseph Krawina and Friedensreich Hundertwasser designed the location with a healthy dose of Gaudi inspiration. It also happens to be one of the most frequented tourist traps in Vienna. Amazingly, those that actually live in this block can redecorate the spaces surrounding their windows in any way that they see fit.
Hundertwasser House
Sanzhi UFO Houses – New Taipei, Taiwan
This is truly a scene straight out of a retro science fiction film. The Sanzhi UFO Houses are vibrant as they are dilapidated, having been closed down a long time ago. You can find the rusty remains of this once futuristic complex in New Taipei, Taiwan. Sadly, this spot was abandoned before it was finished. Some theories pen its proposed development taking place on burial grounds having led to its downfall, as well as the more believable debt that its managers fell into.
Sanzhi UFO Houses
Castle Home, Belgium
When it comes to castles, bigger is always better, and Belgium’s Castle Home is disappointingly tiny on the grand scale of medieval-inspired architecture. It might still prove to be a difficult home to break into, however. The red brick was a poor choice for a castle, and it might have come out looking better if the natural stone was used. Instead, the Belgian owners ended up with something that looks more like a fortified prison than something a king would like to live in.
Castle Home
‘Hitler House’ – Swansea, Wales
2016 was an amazing year for memes, especially thanks to the ‘Hitler House’ rising to fame. The unsuspecting owners of this Welsh home in Swansea could never have dreamed that their otherwise cute house would be associated with one of the evilest men in history. If you hadn’t noticed already, this property bears an unfortunate resemblance to the World War II villain! His toothbrush mustache, side-part, and a certain Hitler-like je ne sais quoi are all there.
Hitler House
Flintstone Home – Auckland, New Zealand
Auckland, New Zealand has some interesting properties, but few are weirder than the Flintstones-inspired abode found in the suburbs of Mount Roskill. The Neolithic structure was part of Ugly or Cute? You Decide!, a television show that reviews odd homes. Fred Flintstone’s overall property features two bathrooms and four bedrooms, which is incredible considering how tiny it seems from the outside. The stony white pod holds a private bathroom and bedroom. Would you like to spend a night here?
Flintstone Home
The Balfron Tower – East London, UK
Situated in East London’s Poplar district, Ernö Goldfinger of Hungarian architecture fame designed this New Brutalist horror in 1963. This was a movement that was incredibly popular throughout Europe at the beginning of the 50s and enjoyed a revival halfway through the 70s. It might look like something out of a dystopian science-fiction film, but the local municipality venerated this building as a Grade II landmark. It is made up of 27 stories and is surrounded by similarly depressing apartment blocks.
The Balfron Tower
Blue-Windowed Home – Belgium
What is it with Belgium and strange houses? Up next we return to the beautiful European country for another weird and wonderful spot that, for some reason, was detailed with electric blue windows and doors. The windows are trapezium-shaped and there is a strange, spaceship-like window on the garage. The garage is also layered with thatch-like materials. Does a witch live here, you might be wondering? We think that there Is a high possibility of that.
Blue Windowed Home
Emoji House, Belgium
This house seems incredibly upset to have been constructed, with its pitifully sad expression made by two round windows that look like eyes and a grimacing half-moon mouth window. Together, they have formed what came to be known as the “Emoji House”. Indeed, this is another example of Belgium’s quirkier architecture, although we doubt that the person that masterminded this project had emojis in mind when they were drawing up the plans. Once you see it, there is no turning back!
Emoji House
A Fusion House, Belgium
Ugly Belgian Houses is the gift that keeps on giving, it seems, as this Fusion House is an extreme example of one of the more hideous locations we have seen in our journey to discover the most frighteningly appalling homes in the world. This home seems to be made up of 80% garage and 10% living space, the latter seeming to be horribly slanted. If you do not mind rolling out of bed, then this place is ideal for those looking to live light.
A Fusion House
Windowless Home – Adelaide, Australia
An architect really had the bright idea of constructing a home without a single window. Adelaide, Australia’s vampire community must have entered a bidding war to secure this perfectly dark habitat. Throw in some masonry of the off-white variety and you have one of the most depressing and gloomy properties in all of Australia. If you have incredibly sensitive skin, or prefer your home plunged into pitch darkness, then this is the ideal spot for you.
Windowless Home
A Sliding Roof – Belgium
Our Belgian architect pals might often struggle to build level homes, but this one is quite a severe example of pretentious and downright bad construction ideas. This place looks like it is sinking into the ground and many people might wonder if an earthquake recently struck this area. We are sure that the rooms on the left side of the picture are far larger than the ones on the right. We just hope that the floors are not slanted.
A Sliding Roof Belgium
The Wonky House – Belgium
This home appears to be an enormous box trap for humans. We hope that all the furniture has been bolted down and that the plates are all made of plastic. This architect wanted to make this Belgian spot seem like it is being swallowed up by an enormous sinkhole. The dreadful-looking garage seems like an entrance to a sordid underground club. At least you can enjoy some stunning views of the night sky with those windows.
The Wonky House
Futuro House – Le Havre, France
Matti Suuronen of Finland architecture took his inspiration from the popular understanding of what UFOs look like for this hilarious home. It is called the Futuro House and happens to be a part of the 100 prefabricated structures in existence today. Polyester plastic reinforced with fiberglass was used to build the 26-foot wide and 13-foot high flying saucer. If you want to see the Futuro House then you will need to travel to the Les Jardins Suspendus in France.
Futuro House
Hang Nga Crazy House – Dalat, Vietnam
We have seen some fantastical houses, but the Hang Nga Crazy House in Dalat, Vietnam must be one of the most whimsical. Before you even see the property, the surrounding nature is completely other-worldly. Just look at that rocky structure in the background! This witchy spot was realized by Dang Viet Nga, an architect who brought his imagination to life when he designed the Crazy House. You can actually stay here, as it is a guesthouse!
Hang Nga Crazy House
Big Yellow Lemon Dome – Highway 395, USA
If you ever happen to be cruising down the United States’ open Highway 395, you might want to make a pitstop at the Big Yellow Lemon Dome. This sensational SpongeBob SquarePants-like dome can be found in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains’ fringes. It features a single bedroom and a garden that is littered with fake cacti, dinosaur sculptures, and other odd knickknacks. A night spent at the Big Yellow Lemon Dome would be a psychedelic experience of note.
Big Yellow Lemon Dome
Kubuswoningen – Rotterdam, Netherlands
While we understand that European architects love to push the envelope when it comes to extraordinary creations, this is one project that should have remained in Piet Blom’s head. Blom hit Rotterdam in the Netherlands in 2013 to erect what he called a forest-like creation where the structures are supposed to look like trees. We really would not see the natural influence unless Blom told us that was what he was going for, and even then we need to stretch our imagination.
Kubuswoningen
Cat House – Belgium
Even “crazy cat ladies” might struggle to find this feline-inspired monstrosity adorable. Ugly Belgian Houses found the “Cat House” particularly titillating thanks to its face designed to look like a cat’s. The enormous, minimalist cat head, with its hollow round eyes and gaping, triangular mouth, makes for one of the most fearsome tributes to one of humanity’s most adored furry companions that we have ever seen. Only hardcore cat lovers could love here, or cats themselves.
Cat House
Flat-Pack House – Ostend, Belgium
It would appear that we cannot get enough of Belgium’s quirkiest home creations, and the Flat-Pack House in Ostend is a star attraction. This extremely busy design hurts the eyes and resembles a piece of IKEA furniture that was constructed by someone that had no idea what they were doing. While we are sure that the architect was fully in control while he was designing this spot, we cannot help but feel that he spent a little too much time appreciating Escher’s drawings.
Flat Pack House
Grandma Prisbrey’s Bottle Village – Simi Valley, California
This unique and environmentally friendly spot is called Grandma Prisbrey’s Bottle Village. It was constructed out of a landfill dump’s contents, mostly relying on the many thousands of discarded glass bottles that you can see in the picture. There are also stranger objects to be found, like dolls’ heads. Tressa “Grandma” Prisbrey was the mastermind behind this recycling wonder, having dedicated twenty years of her life to finishing this incredible spot. You can find the Bottle Village in California’s Simi Valley, which has been honored as a member of the National Register of Historic Places.
Grandma Prisbreys Bottle Village
Graffiti House – Kington-Upon-Hull, UK
This building might seem like it was attacked by spray paint can-wielding miscreants in the dead of the night, but the Graffiti House in the UK’s Kingston-Upon-Hull was a Hull City Council mandated project that was part of the Bankside Gallery initiative. The objective was to give the various lackluster spots scattered throughout the city a facelift with mediums like graffiti. We cannot help but feel that this abandoned council home looks even worse now, which took effort.
Graffiti House
Hand-Painted House – Indiana, USA
Steve Baker used Flickr to share this oddly colorful home seemingly sprouted out of nowhere in the otherwise drab suburbs of Indiana in the United States. The surrounding neighbors and the odd passerby did not have much good to say about the paint job, and we have to agree. If you look closely at the window frames in the center of the home, you will see just how roughly this messy job was done. The brontosaurus toy is a nice touch, however.
Hand Painted House
Pointy House – Dorset, UK
Alex Liivet took to Flickr to challenge the opinion of this Dorset home’s owners. While they are probably very pleased with its outcome, Alex couldn’t help but rain on their parade. He did not agree with the architect’s goals here, and in the general Poole area, too. He described this wealthy part of the UK as inundated with hideous homes, whose design and construction were funded by millionaires with little in the way of taste. The triangular Pointy House is an excellent example of too much money coupled with poor taste.
Pointy House
Brown House – Vancouver, Canada
Another Flickr user kindly provided this colossal chocolate palace that boldly overlooks the suburbs of Vancouver, Canada. This home is so enormous that it easily dwarfs the rest of the residences in the street. Sometimes, standing out is the last thing that you want to do, especially when your windows seem to have been randomly placed and you chose Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cups as your color inspiration. Thanks, Brown House, now we need some chocolate!
Brown House
Haines Shoe House – Pennsylvania, USA
York, Pennsylvania has many interesting locations, and tourists and residents alike constantly marvel at the random and eccentric properties that occasionally sprout within the area. But few were more impactful than the Haines Shoe House. Its 24-foot height was finished toward the end of 1949, where five stories happily coexist within the enormous shoe. The heel contains a Tea Room for those looking for refreshments after they finish touring the real-life version of the English poem, “There was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe”
Haines Shoe House