When searching today’s housing market, it is not surprising to find unusual designs and building styles and construction components in the homes that are available, in addition to more traditional homes or apartments. More and more, builders and homeowners are looking for alternatives to the average home for energy efficiency, affordability, greener building practices, and structural beauty. When designing a non-traditional home or apartment, creativity rules supreme because restraints due to building codes and convention force a new take on an old subject.

Unusual homes on the market are often converted structures. Old barns have been turned into beautiful and quite unique homes with a broad range of styles, from ultra-modern to charming cottage designs. There are many examples of old schoolhouses and churches that have found a new usefulness as apartment buildings or single family dwellings. Factories and manufacturing facilities have become modern homes or apartments with a tasteful, industrial edge. Adapting an existing structure into a comfortable home adds a beauty and history to a home that cannot be manufactured or recreated in a new building. Other converted structures that have successfully been transformed into comfortable homes, apartments, office buildings, or studios are even more unusual and imaginative. Old, large grain silos turn into space and energy efficient habitats with a modern, artistic flare. Used cargo trailers are stacked together to form ingeniously designed dwellings. Large buses have been transformed into tiny houses, and very large, round vats that were used for food storage have successfully become practical homes.

Alternative building materials often make use of readily available products that are a marvel of energy efficiency. “Earthships” are built into hillsides, retaining the insulating properties of the ground, and often re-purpose used tires and concrete for stuctural support. Straw bales are not typically thought of as building material, but when combined with stucco, become spectacular homes that have a feeling of peaceful permanence. Cordwood, or wood cut like firewood, is stacked and mortared to create energy efficient homes that have a truly unique appearance. Architects have designed dome shaped homes, with unique building methods for greater energy efficiency and intrinsic beauty.

Other unique homes are homes that are delivered in boxes, ready to build, or self-build homes. These homes come in a range of styles but tend to be modern, well planned dwellings that are simple to construct. Yurts are round buildings that were used by nomadic tribes in Mongolia and have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as artist studios, guest homes, workout rooms, or vacation homes. Perhaps the most intriguing homes are tree houses, capturing the imaginations of children and adults alike.

Today’s housing market does not exclude more imaginative homes with unique, creative designs and uncommon building materials that stand apart from traditional homes. As people strive for less energy dependance, less use of precious resources for construction, and take a simpler approach to building, using what is readily accessable, homes and apartments that reflect these qualities are becoming more widely available.

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Category: Real Estate
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