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Real-Life Hobbit Houses And Other Strange Homes For Sale

This article is more than 10 years old.

Forget books and movies. When it comes to hobbits, those pint-sized Middle-Earth creatures of literary lore, some J.R.R. Tolkien fans express their zeal in much more constructive ways. Literally.

Take the Trout Creek, Mt. compound that calls itself the Hobbit Village. The real-life "Shire" touts houses dedicated to Tolkien characters Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, a “Troll House” with an accompanying bridge, an “Elf Communication Center” and a collection miniature “Fairy” houses decorated with tiny garment-studded clotheslines. There's also a human-sized 1,000-square foot abode nestled in a grass-covered mound whose exterior was copied from the Lord of the Rings movies.  During the spring and summer months, visiting hobbit enthusiasts can inhabit the village for upwards of $195 per night or $1,365 per week on vacation rental site, HomeAway.com.

"The Hobbit House is not just for fans of these classic stories; it is a haven where visitors can come, relax and rejuvenate," Steve Michaels, the village's creator, has said of his Trout Creek retreat.

The Hobbit Village is one of many strange and unusual homes available for rent or sale. With the help of Realtor.com, Trulia.com, Sotheby’s International Realty and others, we drummed up a list of the most outrageous, unique and in some cases, downright weird digs that slough the cookie-cutter McMansion aesthetic.

If Sci-Fi space travel sounds more enticing than a Middle Earth apocalypse, check out the Modern mansion in Australia's Elanora Heights that's asking $10.5 million. The seller, a lifelong Trekkie, designed the sleek white structure after the Starship Enterprise on the television show Star Trek.

Gallery: 20 Strange and Unusual Homes

Some unusual abodes owe their quirky appearance (at least in part) to a surprisingly practical purpose: green technology.  Such is the case with the Phoenix House in Taos N.M.  Constructed from recycled tires, cans and bottles, this futuristic abode operates 100% off-the-grid, right down to the food supply. Interwoven into the 5,400-square foot living space are fruit trees, vegetable patches, a “deluxe” chicken coop, wild birds and a  tilapia-stocked fish pond.

“This basically has an Amazon Jungle in it…It’s a warm home that makes its own electricity, harvests its own water and produces its own food,” says Michael Reynolds, founder of Earthship Biotecture, a Taos-based home builder that creates green, self-sustainable housing around the world from discarded materials. He built the Phoenix House as a demonstration of how a family of four could live comfortably off-the-grid, in need of nothing. While the property acts as a hotel, renting out to nature-loving guests for as much as $295 per night, it’s also listed for sale for $1.5 million.

In Puerto Rico's Rincon, the $4.8 million Castle of Palatine Hills, a cliffside compound sporting a lookout tower, helipad and 10,000 square feet decorated with armored "knights", sports off-the-grid energy technologies, too. "Should the world come to an end — and I’m not a survivalist — but if it should, I included all the amenities that I would want here,"  Gary Hellings, the castle's builder-seller, told Forbes earlier this year.

Castles maintain a relatively robust niche on the sale block. Others currently shopping for moneyed buyers include a perfectly symmetrical $10.9 million moated fortress in Miami, Fla; a $6.9 million winery in Paso Robles, Calif. peddling a water-flanked Medieval-style castle; and a $1.3 million Contemporary castle in Lincoln, Mass. spanning five stories of steel, glass and marble.

Gallery: 20 Strange and Unusual Homes

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