Home, sweet home.

Whether you spend your nights sleeping in a stately English colonial manor, or a grimy closet-sized apartment in Queens, a building with four walls and a roof is one of life's basic essentials. Shelters have come in all sorts of shapes and sizes over the centuries, from the spartan caves of our Neanderthal ancestors to the glitzy mansions of Malibu.

But in recent years, the humble abode has taken a turn for the absurd – here are a few of the most unique houses we've come across. We're not sure how many of them we'd actually want to live in, but they're definitely worth a visit.

140 square feet may seem a little small for a home (unless you live in New York City), and we're not sure how well a woolen house would insulate you against a cold winter – but even so, the so-called "Gingerbread House" is quite a home. The "house" is the result of thousands of hours of work by knitters all around the world, and even includes hand-knitted furniture, plates, cups, and food, and features a life-sized woolen garden as well.

Sound a little over the top? Don't worry – no one actually lives there. Allison Murray, a British knitting enthusiast, came up with the Gingerbread House concept as a way to raise money for several local charities. The house is currently touring the United Kingdom, and curious visitors have contributed over $40,000 to the donation fund. If you're not up to the trek to England, you can see photos of the remarkable house here.

Have you ever fantasized about living in a giant toilet?

We didn't think so – but for one Korean man, Sim Jae-Duck, it's been a lifelong dream. Sim, you see, was born in a restroom, and has been fascinated by toilets ever since. He's spent years campaigning to improve sanitary conditions in lavatories all around the world – but now, he's taken a not-so-logical next step in his mission: He's custom-built a $1.6 million house in the shape of a huge toilet.

The massive house in Suweon, South Korea, is available for rental for the steep price of $50,000 a day, with all proceeds going into a fund to improve bathroom conditions around the world. Sim, the former mayor of Suweon, has been nicknamed "Mayor Toilet" for his efforts, and he envisions his new loo-shaped house as "a symbol of South Korea's new toilet culture," he told AFP. "The house will be remembered as an example of saving mankind from diseases and protecting the environment."

Sim's house is named Haewoojae, which means "a place of sanctuary where one can solve one's worries." Just what bathrooms are meant for, right?

So where can you go after a toilet house? Try a home made out of trash.

A unique type of home known as an Earthship is constructed primarily out of household garbage, such as old tires stuffed with dirt, bottles, and cans. It may not sound so appealing, but consider this: An Earthship requires only 10 percent of the average energy necessary for a traditional house. The dirt-filled tires create a "thermal mass," in which heat naturally moves into cold areas, drastically reducing the need for heating or air conditioning. Earthships also collect rainwater, and use a complex recycling system to ensure that it can be reused for many purposes – a mere 10 inches of rainfall each year is enough to support the house.

Want to see how this ultra-green housing system works first-hand? Spend a night in one of the demo buildings at the Earthship headquarters in Taos, New Mexico. It's living off the grid with all the luxury accoutrements – even free Wi-Fi and digital satellite TV. For more details, check out the Earthship website.


Not enough for you? We've found a few more amazing houses that defy explanation here – including a few that Mother Goose herself must have built.


Original story by Kathryn Hawkins