As populations grow and demand for land increases, it seems only natural that some savvy people would seek out clever alternatives to ordinary building plots. But through the years houses have always seemed to spring up in the most unlikely places, from a solo tiny home perched on a rugged Australian peninsula to a 10-storey property on the edge of an arid landscape in Arizona.
Click or scroll to explore these unique homes that have been built where no one thought to build before...
Perched on the top of Mont Tourbillon in Quebec, Canada, this high-altitude home is almost too cool to be true. The unique holiday home is enclosed by a forest and for a significant portion of the year is blanketed in snow.
Taking a closer look, the cabin is actually positioned on a rocky pillar and appears to have grown organically from the ground. Thanks to its unusual, angular shape and all-timber façade, the cabin perfectly slots into its woodland setting.
Inside, the brilliant tiny home has a snug living area, with a kitchen, dining space, two bedrooms and a bathroom. With a modern yet rustic finish, the interior benefits from exposed wood walls, floors and ceilings, contemporary furnishings and everything you could need to see out a snowstorm. Of course, any lucky guests can enjoy 360-degree views of the region, thanks to the cabin’s countless windows.
Perched on a rocky outcrop at the foothills of the Dunstan Ranges in Otago, New Zealand, this charming cabin isn't just remote, it's surrounded by relics of the area's rich gold mining heritage. The property lies in the ghost town of Bendigo, which was, at one time, a thriving gold mining town. Today, it's renowned for hiking and beady-eyed trekkers can hunt for nuggets and relics on the barren goldfields.
Thanks to the cabin’s all-black façade, it softly blends into the rocks on which it finds itself – jutting out to allow any guests to take in awe-inspiring views of the surrounding area.
Inside, the contemporary and cosy cabin is light-filled and cleverly designed, with natural timber walls, unique built-ins, a snug platform bed, a small sitting area and a wood burner. The cabin sleeps two and even has a full ensuite and a kitchenette. Sliding doors open out onto a deck that faces the Clutha Basin below. Fancy spending the night here? Then you can book it via Airbnb.
From the front, this attractive home resembles an unassuming, traditional Spanish Finca, but head around the back and you'll discover the property's secret – it was actually built into the face of the mountain behind it, making full use of all the rough-hewn rock walls within, resulting in some truly spectacular interior spaces.
Dating back to the 14th century, the amazing home is one of the oldest inhabited Fincas in Mallorca and some local historians believe it was the childhood home of the iconic explorer, Christopher Columbus. The pad is even more impressive once you're inside. It boasts just over 9,000 square feet of space, with living rooms, five bedrooms and five bathrooms all carved out from the cave itself. Spectacular exposed cave walls are paired with flagstone floors and wooden beams.
The property is also home to plenty of luxurious amenities, too, including indoor and outdoor cinemas, two swimming pools and a fully operational vineyard, complete with wine-making facilities. But perhaps its most thrilling feature is this jacuzzi, which is set inside an old mine, allowing the lucky occupant to unwind to the sound of a waterfall echoing off the ancient stone walls. It's no wonder the pad is currently for sale for just shy of €4 million, or £3.5 million ($4.4m).
Nestled in the western Georgian region of Imereti, the Katskhi Pillar is a sacred natural limestone monolith, on top of which stands a church dedicated to Maximus the Confessor. Precariously placed, the property comes complete with a crypt, wine cellar and cottage – a home that has been described as one of the loneliest on the planet. The property's last brave resident was devout monk, Father Maxime Qavtaradze, who lived in solitude here for two decades.
Before Father Qavtaradze, the 130-foot pillar had been uninhabited since the 1400s, but the monk revived the religious tradition of the stylite – a spiritual person who lives on a remote pillar – enduring the elements to be closer to God. Amazingly, a steel ladder leads from the ground to the top of the pillar, a harrowing journey that takes 20 minutes. Supplies were winched up to Father Qavtaradze via a special pulley system. To this day, only men from a religious order are permitted to ascend the unusual outcrop.
While the pillar cottage is remote, it's not completely isolated. At the foot of the column lies a beautiful monastery, where lucky clergymen and troubled souls can seek solace. Father Qavtaradze would travel down once or twice a week to offer guidance, having served time in prison during his youth, before finding God, according to an interview he gave to photographer Amos Chapple in 2013.
Located deep inside a forest near Lillehammer, Norway, Cabin Vindheim was designed to look like it’s buried by snow – and much of the time, it is! During the cold months, this area can see almost a metre of snow, partially submerging the beautiful cabin.
Clad in black-stained pinewood, the hidden house was designed by architectural studio, Vardehaugen. Lillehammer is probably best known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics and the house pays homage to its claim to fame: when snow covers the roof, the structure turns into a man-made slope for ski jumping!
Inside, the property comprises a large living room, a bedroom, a small annexe and, rather handily, a ski preparation room. The interior spaces are all covered in wax poplar veneer and residents can gaze up at the stars from bed, thanks to a carefully positioned, four-metre skylight window.
Constructed between 1929 and 1945, Battersea Power Station is one of London's most iconic landmarks. At one time, it supplied a fifth of the city's energy. The coal-fired power station is nestled on the south bank of the River Thames and remained active until it was decommissioned in 1975. Despite being given Grade II-listed status, Battersea Power Station was left abandoned and quickly fell into disrepair, until, that is, the building was taken on by a team of property developers and brought back from the brink.
Building work began in 2013 to transform the beautiful and iconic landmark into 254 high-end apartments. The property reportedly sold for an eye-watering £1.6 billion ($2bn) in 2018, not including the surrounding land, which has been regenerated into shops and restaurants, as well as offices and a total of 800 new homes. Luckily, due to the building's listed status, the developers were required to retain its Art Deco structure, its six million bricks and its iconic chimneys.
Launching in October 2022, the power station itself now offers luxury apartments that blend stylish contemporary touches with plenty of period appeal. As well as displaying the building's original brick and steelwork, which date back to the 1930s, each apartment will also come with floor-to-ceiling Crittall windows and state-of-the-art appliances. Despite their small size, Phase 2 of homes here start from £955,000 ($1.2m) and go up to an impressive £8.3 million ($10.5m), according to Savills.
Nestled in the heart of Petra Island, Massaro House is a 15-minute helicopter ride from civilisation. Positioned 50 miles north of New York City, the house, which sits on the edge of the heart-shaped island, is based on a design from 1949 by the legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Conceived by Wright as Chahroudi House, its name was changed to that of its current owner, Joseph Massaro, who finally built the structure back in 2006. Massaro used the iconic architect's original plans, creating a truly unusual property that juts out over the water. According to Mansion Global, Massaro dabbled with selling the island in 2012, with an asking price of £15.6 million ($19.6m), however, it reappeared on the market again in 2017 for a reduced £12 million ($15m) but was removed again a year later.
Inside, the house has four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms across its 6,000-square-foot interior, with much of the house carved directly from the rock face. The living area has been finished off with 18-foot high ceilings and triangular skylights. Outside, you'll also find a helipad, which makes the remote luxury house slightly more accessible for those with the means.
Marloth Park is a wildlife sanctuary in Mpumalanga, South Africa, where humans have co-existed with wild animals for decades. Prohibited from building walls around their homes, the only thing that stops the inhabitants from being eaten by the wild roaming crocodiles and lions is a 1.2-metre fence, designed with the sole purpose of protecting the wildlife.
Located on the southern border of Kruger National Park, the picturesque area sits on the banks of the Crocodile River and is awash with buffalo, rhino, lion and zebra, to name a few. This stunning three-bedroom home enjoys panoramic views of the surrounding landscape and features plenty of raw materials that reflect its wild locality.
Set over two floors, the house has two bathrooms, a dining room, a living area, a kitchen and a TV room. As lovely as it is inside, it's the unusual location that really makes this property amazing. Head outside on the sunny balcony and you'll find warthogs cooling down in their very own watering hole.
No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, this really is a palm-shaped island. Developed in 2011, the Dubai-based artificial island is host to a number of luxury residential properties, including a rather exceptional beachfront home...
Set inside a private, gated community on the quirky Palm Jumeirah, this luxury beach palace boasts a number of truly exceptional features. The 11-bedroom property is set over a total space of 46,000 square feet and is equipped with all of the necessary requirements for luxury living, including a 16-seat cinema, an indoor swimming pool and separate quarters just for staff.
Ideal for entertaining guests, the luxury waterfront home boasts its very own private beach and a 200-person nightclub, which is located on a private yacht. What more could any VIP possibly need?
If this isn't an unusual location for a house, we don't know what is. Nestled among the rocky terrain of Joshua Tree National Park, California, the High Desert House blends subtly into its surroundings. Made up of a cluster of concrete slabs, which were designed to cover the interior like the leaves of a tree, this highly camouflaged house is hidden from the world.
Finished in the early 2000s, it took over a decade to construct this ambitious home, with every element carefully curated. Even the fence that surrounds the surreal property was thoughtfully designed; made with spiky iron elements that look like fishbones.
Inside, the house is just as unusual, thanks to its textured, wave-like walls and ceiling. There's a parasol installed in the centre of the dining room, which was made from 800 pieces of sandblasted glass, as well as plenty of eclectic furnishings that add to the home's unique aesthetic.
An intrepid family – called the Hjertefølgers, or 'heartfollowers' – built their home within a geodesic dome in Norway’s Arctic Circle. The beautiful and remote location means they experience some of the most extreme weather conditions in the world.
Luckily the house has been designed to thrive in these rugged conditions. The glass dome protects the main wooden house from the elements and uses the sun’s heat to warm the interior, while still allowing the residents to enjoy the incredible views and the Northern Lights above them.
Built for sustainability, the house has its own water recycling system, solar power and vegetable gardens, so the Hjertefølgers have everything they need if the roads become impassable: it's designed so they can survive and thrive in their incredible life in the Arctic.
Hidden inside the wall of a cave, The Rockhouse Retreat in Worcestershire, UK, was created by hand-sculpting an 800-year-old sandstone escarpment. Over 70 tonnes of rock was excavated to complete the construction of this incredible cave home, which needed a lot of manpower.
Featured on the British homebuilding TV show, Grand Designs, this quirky dwelling was completed in 2015 and is positioned on three acres of unspoilt land. Blending contemporary style and comfort with natural structures, the interior features a number of extra upgrades that you wouldn't expect to find in a cave...
The owner, Angelo Mastropietro, spent £179,000 ($224k) on the renovation but it was well worth it. The bedroom features a king-size bed and the shower and dressing room has luxurious underfloor heating for the colder months.
The Volcano House sits atop a 150-foot-tall cinder cone from an extinct volcano, in the western Mojave Desert, California. The UFO-shaped home measures 2,500 square feet and has two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The mid-century modern dome house is surrounded by a moat, which is five feet wide and two feet deep. At the peak of the home is an observation deck that provides 360-degree views of the mountains and surrounding desert. It also boasts a four-acre lake in its garden.
This amazing wilderness home is built for survival. Originally commissioned by inventor, Vard Wallace, The Volcano House was designed and completed in 1968 by Harold J Bissner. It was later owned by Huell Howser, who eventually donated the house to Chapman University. In 2015 it landed on the market with Sotheby's International Realty for £518,300 ($650k). It sold in just 10 days for £598,100 ($750k).
Eco-minded architects have come up with some savvy solutions to building more homes without further impacting the environment – and this amazing treehouse is one of the best examples. Located in a lush forest in Lower Saxony, Germany, the property was devised by architect and carpenter, Andreas Wenning, of the luxury treehouse firm, baumraum. Designed for a family, the contemporary tree-top dwelling lies on the edge of a village that’s home to a few detached houses and, luckily, plenty of trees.
The family wanted an unusual and comfortable treehouse – a “nest for the whole family”, Andreas explains. Situated 18.4 feet off the ground, the weight of the treehouse is distributed across two oak trees, thanks to steel cables and textile straps. Four V-shaped steel stilts provide additional support and also limit the impact on the surrounding environment by elevating the mass of the building away from the ground. The treehouse can be accessed thanks to a set of steps, leading to a canopy terrace.
Andreas likens the shape of the property to an egg, cut open lengthways. The home's cream-coloured Perspex elements, egg-shaped windows and curved, built-in sitting and reclining areas add to the look. Inside, the home has a chic, open-plan layout and plenty of glass that allows the woodland to become part of the interior design. Outside, there are two terraces – perfect for relaxing and unwinding amongst the trees.
This mysterious house, built on top of a rock in the middle of the River Drina in Serbia, has become somewhat of a local legend. The property draws huge crowds to the stunning Tara National Park, where keen tourists attempt to capture this weird and wonderful abode.
The story has it that the first incarnation of the house was built by a young group of swimmers in the 1960s. The initiative was led by Yugoslav teenager Milija Mandić, who brought wooden planks to the rock in order to have somewhere to rest. The swimmers added a shelter from the hot sun and continued to row out materials to add to the house during 1969.
Over the years, the property has needed to be rebuilt several times, thanks to river levels rising and damaging the structure. Only accessible by boat, the house remains on its precarious rocky plinth to this day and is now the centre of the Drina Regatta, which is held here every year.
Built in 1994, Falcon Nest was designed by the award-winning Phoenix architect, Sukumar Pal. Defined by steel and glass, the bonkers abode benefits from walls of windows, allowing for unobstructed views stretching over 120 miles in every direction.
Falcon Nest is also equipped with solar panels and features alternative power, heating and cooling sources, making this home both remarkable and highly eco-friendly. The property features three bedrooms, four bathrooms and several observation desks, from which stunning landscape views can be enjoyed.
The home's central level offers a 2,000-square-foot solarium with two bedrooms, a kitchen and a great room. Incredible glass ceilings make nighttime stargazing a breeze, while a hydraulic lift provides access from the ground floor up to the sixth, with stairs connecting the remaining levels.
Rugged, dramatic, secluded, beautiful – these are all words you could use to describe the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Defined by its unmatched coastline, wave-ravaged cliffs and abundant wildlife, this locale is all about Mother Nature, which is why this solo tiny home is so unusual.
Positioned completely alone overlooking Sleaford Bay and Port Lincoln National Park, the ultra-remote property is entirely off-grid and guests can truly disconnect from the real world when staying here. Known as Yambara, the petite cabin was designed by an architect to perfectly suit its surroundings, standing out thanks to its crisp white façade.
Despite its remote location, the tiny abode is luxurious and inviting. With gorgeous interior design, it offers just two rooms – a bathroom and an open-plan living area complete with a kitchenette, a double bed and a sitting area with dreamy coastal views. With a colour palette that reflects the landscape outside – think chalky, earthy tones – this magical property highlights that anything can be achieved with a little imagination.
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