Updated November 2026. Five of the most unusual houses around the world, what makes each one work, and what it takes to buy or sell a one-of-a-kind home.
The most interesting houses each break one rule most homes follow. As of November 2026, five stand out: a glass house in Tokyo, a Warsaw house only 122 centimeters wide at its widest, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater over a Pennsylvania stream, a toilet-shaped house in South Korea, and a solar dome near Strasbourg.
Jump to: 🏠 The 5 houses · 📸 At a glance · ✨ What makes them unusual · 💲 Buying one · 🤝 Selling one · ❓ FAQ
Key takeaways
- The Keret House in Warsaw is 122 cm (about 4 feet) at its widest point, often called the world’s skinniest house.
- Fallingwater, completed in 1937, was entrusted to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in 1963 and is open for tours.
- Unique homes are harder to value. Fannie Mae asks appraisers for at least three closed comparable sales, and lets them use older ones when recent matches don’t exist.
- Selling an unusual home takes better photos, a longer search for the right buyer and a well-supported price.
Most of us grew up in houses made of brick, wood or stucco, with ordinary doors and windows. Then there are the homes that ignore all of that. Some are art, some are protest, some are experiments in using the sun. Here are five of them, and what they teach anyone buying or selling a house that doesn’t look like the one next door.
Which are the most unusual houses around the world?
1. House NA, Tokyo
Designed by Sou Fujimoto Architects, House NA is almost all glass. Inside, there are hardly any walls. Floors sit at different heights, like branches, so the family moves through the house the way a child climbs a tree.
The idea is openness. The trade-off is privacy: from the street, you can see nearly everything. It works in a dense Tokyo neighborhood because it treats the city as part of the room. It’s one of the most talked-about small houses of the last twenty years.
2. Keret House, Warsaw
Welcome to the skinniest house in the world. Wedged between two buildings in Warsaw, Poland, it measures just 122 centimeters at its widest point, about 4 feet. Architect Jakub Szczesny designed it as an art installation, not a family home.
The gap it fills sits between a prewar building and a postwar one, so the house links two eras of the city’s history. It has served as a short-stay home for visiting writers. If you’ve ever thought your hallway was narrow, this puts it in perspective.
3. Fallingwater, Pennsylvania
Frank Lloyd Wright designed this residence for the Kaufmann family in the woods of southwestern Pennsylvania. Completed in 1937, it sits right over a waterfall on Bear Run, with terraces reaching out over the water.
Inside, stone floors and built-in furniture bring the forest indoors. A hatch in the living room opens onto stairs down to the stream. Edgar Kaufmann jr. entrusted the house to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in 1963, and it’s been open to the public for tours ever since.
4. Haewoojae, the toilet-shaped house, Suwon
Yes, it’s shaped like a toilet. Haewoojae was built by Sim Jae-duck, a former mayor of Suwon, South Korea, known as “Mr. Toilet.” He spent years campaigning for cleaner public restrooms, and the house became the symbol of that cause.
It’s now a museum and park, with sculptures and toilets from around the world: squat toilets traditionally used in Korea, European chamber pots and more. It’s playful, but it carries a real message about public health.
5. The Heliodome, near Strasbourg
The Heliodome is a bioclimatic solar home in eastern France. Its tilted dome shape is set to the sun’s path. In summer, when the sun is high, the overhang shades the windows. In winter, when the sun sits lower, light comes deep into the house and warms it.
It’s a reminder that unusual shapes can have practical reasons. Orientation, overhangs and window placement work on ordinary houses too.
How do these unique homes compare?
| House | Where | What makes it unusual | Can you visit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| House NA | Tokyo, Japan | Glass walls, split-level floors | Private home. |
| Keret House | Warsaw, Poland | 122 cm at its widest | Check locally; it’s an art installation. |
| Fallingwater | Pennsylvania, US | Built over a waterfall | Yes, guided tours. |
| Haewoojae | Suwon, South Korea | Shaped like a toilet | Yes, museum and park. |
| Heliodome | Near Strasbourg, France | Solar dome tuned to the sun | Check before you go. |
Visiting rules and hours change, so check each site before you travel.
What makes a house unusual?
Usually one of four things: the shape, the size, the site or the material. Each of the five homes above pushes one of them as far as it goes.
- Shape: Haewoojae’s toilet bowl and the Heliodome’s tilted dome.
- Size: the Keret House, 122 cm at its widest.
- Site: Fallingwater, built over a waterfall.
- Material: House NA, mostly glass, with hardly any inside walls.
Unusual doesn’t have to mean impractical. The Heliodome’s shape follows the sun, and Fallingwater’s terraces open the house to the woods. The unique homes that hold value tend to have a reason behind the oddity, and that reason is what a future buyer pays for. Homes with standout features, like castles and chateaus for sale in the USA, face the same pricing puzzle.
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Buy a home →What should you know before buying a unique home?
Falling for an unusual house is easy. Paying for one takes a few extra steps.
The appraisal can come in low
Lenders need an appraisal, and appraisers price homes by comparing them with similar recent sales. Fannie Mae’s Selling Guide on comparable sales asks for at least three closed comparables, usually sold within the last 12 months. When there aren’t any good matches, the appraiser may use older sales or ones farther away, and must explain why. For a dome or a glass house, that can mean a value below the price you agreed. Plan for a bigger down payment or a renegotiation.
Repairs and insurance can cost more
Custom materials, odd shapes and big glass walls cost more to fix and sometimes to insure. Get an inspector who has seen the building type before. Ask the insurer for a quote before you remove contingencies.
Resale takes the right buyer
A one-of-a-kind home appeals deeply to a few buyers instead of mildly to many. That can mean a longer sale later. If you need to sell within a few years, factor that in. Our tips on understanding the financial side of home loans help before you talk to a lender. And if the home needs work after you move in, see what to do when your new home still needs fixes.
Buying a unique home listed by an agent? The Beycome buyer program has no upfront fee: Beycome keeps 1% of the price (minimum $1,499) and credits the rest of the buyer-agent commission at closing, with lender approval. It’s open to every buyer on homes listed by other agents; the credit can’t apply where no buyer-agent commission is offered, like most FSBO homes, or on homes listed by Beycome sellers.
How do you sell an unusual house?
The buyer for your house exists. The job is to reach them and show them why the house works.
- Invest in photos. Unusual spaces confuse buyers in bad pictures. Wide, bright shots and a floor plan help.
- Explain the design. Tell buyers who built it, what the materials are and why the shape makes sense.
- Give the appraiser help. Share any sales of similar custom homes and a list of upgrades with costs.
- Reach beyond your town. Architecture fans travel, so wide online exposure matters.
Pricing is the hardest part. A pre-listing appraisal shows you, before any buyer does, how a lender will see the house. If it comes in below your hopes, you can adjust the price or gather better comparables first, instead of losing a buyer at the appraisal stage.
Special features can add value, like modern glass installations. A Beycome flat fee MLS listing puts your home on the major home search sites and the MLS from $99 ($129 in California and Illinois) with $0 due to Beycome at closing, with the maximum photos the MLS allows, so you can show every angle. Selling in Florida? Browse our Florida real estate articles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most unusual house in the world?
There’s no official title, but the Keret House in Warsaw, at 122 cm wide, the toilet-shaped Haewoojae in South Korea and Fallingwater over a waterfall in Pennsylvania are among the best known.
What does “unusual houses” mean?
Homes that break normal rules of shape, size, material or setting. They may be art pieces, experiments in energy use, or simply very personal designs.
Can you visit Fallingwater?
Yes. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which has cared for the house since 1963, runs guided tours. Book ahead.
Is it hard to get a mortgage on a unique home?
It can be harder because appraisers need comparable sales. Fannie Mae asks for at least three, and allows older or more distant ones with an explanation.
Do unique homes sell for more?
Sometimes, to the right buyer. They often take longer to sell because fewer buyers want them, so pricing and marketing matter more.
What are some interesting houses around the world?
Five well-known ones: House NA in Tokyo, the Keret House in Warsaw, Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, the toilet-shaped Haewoojae in Suwon and the Heliodome near Strasbourg.
Where can I find unique homes for sale?
Search the major home search sites with words like dome, architect-designed or historic, and set alerts. Local agents often hear about one-of-a-kind homes early.
House details from the linked articles and Fallingwater’s own history page, read October 26, 2026; visiting rules can change. Appraisal rules summarize the Fannie Mae Selling Guide and apply to loans sold to Fannie Mae. Beycome price as of October 2026; “$0 at closing” means no Beycome fee at closing (taxes, title and any agreed buyer-agent compensation still apply). Buyer credit: minimum $1,499 kept by Beycome, lender approval, not on FSBO homes or homes listed by Beycome sellers.
Sources
- Fallingwater, history of the house, read October 26, 2026.
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B4-1.3-08 comparable sales, read October 26, 2026.
- ArchDaily, inside the Keret House.
- Beycome, listing package features, October 2026.
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