6 Shockingly Eccentric Converted Properties

For a small percentage of the home-buying public just the thought of moving into a traditional house (and by traditional I mean 4 walled and static) is a stomach turner. To these people moving into a neat new-build home would seem as crazy as a freshly converted Boeing 727 seems to you and I.

Here are some of the most impressively eccentric property conversions around.

The Converted Boeing 727

Late 1994, JoAnne Ussery’s intention was to find a new mobile home. Luckily for us, her brother-in-law had a brainwave experienced by all of us at one point in our lives: Why not look for a decommissioned aircraft instead and convert it into a habitable space? JoAnne did exactly that and the next year had transported an old 727 and started the renovation herself, the end result being an extremely long home boasting over 80 windows and a jacuzzi in what used to be a cockpit.

For more converted aircraft, visit Dark Roasted Blend.

The Converted Ship

If you head for South Bass Island in Lake Erie, Ohio you may see the ‘Ship Residence’ photographed above. This extraordinary home sits perched on the shore and is actually the front-end of what used to be The Benson Ford, a boat that was in service for 50 years on the Great Lakes after being built by Henry Ford. It was subsequently snapped up by a married couple who then had the front detached, transported 60 miles and renovated to house a family on the island.

For more maritime inspired architecture visit GCaptain.

The Converted Water Tower

The house at the top of the tower in the above photograph was designed to disguise the huge water tank contained beneath it over 80 years ago. The tank itself has since been removed and the premises converted into a gorgeous home boasting 5 bedrooms and a generous 3 bathrooms. What was once an eyesore in the area or Thorpness is now a majestic home with what must be the best views for miles.

The House In The Clouds was spotted at Neatorama.

The Converted Cliff

Just over 20 years ago, Cathy Wertz and Randy Clark purchased 45 acres of land in Bisbee, Arizona after falling in love with its natural beauty. After much deliberating they then took the most difficult route possible and decided to convert one of their newly owned cliff-sides into a home by creating a 3′000sqft cave. A habitable cave in itself isn’t that rare but just glancing at the interior tells you this must surely be one of the most luxurious around. The cave home is currently on the market at $1.95m.

The cave has its own website here.

The Converted Car Ferry

After seeing various converted tugboats being used as houses, architect Olle Lundberg decided to fry a bigger fish and purchased a ferry in need of some love. After stumping up $260k for the retired vehicle carrier and transporting it from Iceland to San Fransisco he duly renovated the interior to the standard you see above and moved in with his wife. The result is a stunning, floating and unassuming duplex home.

More information available at Inhabitat.

The Converted Missile Silo

Ed Peden was the first person to convert a missile silo into a habitable living space (something that still only a few people on earth have done since his brainwave occured in the early 80s) and when he first viewed the silo he did so using a canoe due to major flooding of the entire structure. The complex itself is huge, highlights including a 47ton door, a few 18inch thick concrete walls and a 120ft long tunnel connecting the 2 halves of the home.

Fancy converting a missile silo yourself? Check out this guide first.