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54 Unique Alternative Homes

When You Can't Get a Mortgage

— October 12, 2008 — Top Lists
Shanty towns or Hoovervilles consisting of tents, RVs, huts and so forth are now cropping up in many unusual places, the likes of which have not been seen since the Great Depression. One reason is the infamous credit crunch when people, especially prospective first-time buyers, cannot borrow the money to buy their homes. The other is the steadily worsening economy where people can no longer afford to even rent a living space.

This cluster offers a startling range of alternative accommodations ranging from RVs substituting as homes, car, motorbike and raft tents; tree house homes to unusual places like converted churches, lighthouses, and shipping containers.

You could even try growing your own home or build one from recycled materials or haystacks. Other innovations include really compact homes or a way of living rent-free besides residing in a shanty town.
6.4
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
50
Cabana Art Tours
Cabana Art Tours
Beach Huts on Parade
<
49
Connected Camping
Connected Camping
Kampgrounds of America Launch North American Wi-Fi
<
48
Reinventing British Beach Huts
Reinventing British Beach Huts
Bathing Beauties Festival Architecture
<
47
Potato Tent Pegs
Potato Tent Pegs
Glastonbury Goes Green(er)
<
46
Recycled Swedish Barns
Recycled Swedish Barns
Hermit Cabin
<
45
$1.75 Foreclosure Homes
$1.75 Foreclosure Homes
Credit Crunch Hits eBay
<
44
Living in a Billboard
Living in a Billboard
Aeroform Homes
<
43
Storage Units as Second Homes
Storage Units as Second Homes
GarageTown Play Spaces
<
42
Modern Water Chalets
Modern Water Chalets
New Design For Huts on the Water
<
41
Growing Your Own Living Home
Growing Your Own Living Home
Aeroponic Architecture
<
40
Treehouses on Log Stilts
Treehouses on Log Stilts
Zigloo Architecture
<
39
Cube-Shaped Eco Architecture
Cube-Shaped Eco Architecture
The Modular Dice House
<
38
Flying Saucer House
Flying Saucer House
Out of This World Homes
<
37
Extravagent Living
Extravagent Living
Castles, Lighthouses, Convents As Homes
<
36
Floating Houses
Floating Houses
Four Seasons Ocean Residences
<
35
Swing, Tent, Teepee Wrapped in One
Swing, Tent, Teepee Wrapped in One
The Treepee
<
34
Tailgate Trailers
Tailgate Trailers
More Tailgating Toys
<
33
Secret Urban Fort
Secret Urban Fort
Car Tent
<
32
Super Tree Houses
Super Tree Houses
<
31
Beehive Architecture
Beehive Architecture
Honeycomb Housing Complex
<
30
Houses Made of Plastic Bottles
Houses Made of Plastic Bottles
Jasmine Zimmerman's Bumbershoot Art
<
29
Mountain Cave Homes
Mountain Cave Homes
Kokopelli's Cave Bed & Breakfast
<
28
Mobile Car Tents
Mobile Car Tents
Hannibal USA Rooftop Tents
<
27
Shipping Container Architecture
Shipping Container Architecture
The Freitag Store Brings New Light to Upcycling
<
26
Jenga Block Architecture
Jenga Block Architecture
The "Next Generation House" by Sou Fujimoto
<
25
Free Historic Homes
Free Historic Homes
Just Repair & Move In
<
24
Rent-Free Living Around The World
Rent-Free Living Around The World
CareTaker.org
<
23
Hammock Tents
Hammock Tents
The Nyamuk
<
22
Hay Stack Houses
Hay Stack Houses
The Watchhouse Brinta
<
21
Camping Rafts
Camping Rafts
Floating Cabins
<
20
Chopper RVs
Chopper RVs
BadAss Camping Gear
<
19
Modern Tokyo Compact Housing
Modern Tokyo Compact Housing
Architecture by Yasuhiro Yamashita
<
18
Self-Financed Architecture
Self-Financed Architecture
Saunders and Wilhelmsen Build Their Own Plans
<
17
Backpack Tent + Hammock
Backpack Tent + Hammock
The Respite
<
16
Renovating Religion
Renovating Religion
Converted Churches as Homes
<
15
Converted Church Homes
Converted Church Homes
Religious Renovations
<
14
Custom Caravans
Custom Caravans
The Mehrzeller RV
<
13
World's Oddest Hotels
World's Oddest Hotels
Treehouses, Volcanoes, Caves
<
12
95% Recycled Architecture
95% Recycled Architecture
Tiny Texas Houses
<
11
African Prefab Houses
African Prefab Houses
The Abod
<
10
Contained Living Anywhere
Contained Living Anywhere
Top 7 Shipping Container Houses
<
9
Capsule Caravans
Capsule Caravans
Fashionable Living by David Tonkinson
<
8
Real Fairytale Houses in Trees
Real Fairytale Houses in Trees
Amazon Treehouses
<
7
Container Houses
Container Houses
Habode (Follow-Up)
<
6
Top 8 Tree Houses
Top 8 Tree Houses
Arboreal Abode Resorts & Commercial Projects
<
5
Modular Igloos
Modular Igloos
Styrofoam Dome Houses
<
4
Custom Adult Tree Houses
Custom Adult Tree Houses
Baumraum Architects
<
3
Shipping Container Houses (Follow Up)
Shipping Container Houses (Follow Up)
The Illy House Blooms in 90 Seconds
<
2
Box-Car Living
Box-Car Living
Houses Made From Shipping Containers
<
1
All Terrain Cabin
All Terrain Cabin
Life In A Shipping Container
<