The Winchester Mystery House – San Jose, Calif

Work on this home began in 1884 and lasted through 1922, when owner and designer Sarah Winchester, heiress of the Winchester rifle company, died. At one point, the property sprawled over 161 acres, but has since been reduced to just 4 acres. Winchester was never a huge fan of blueprints. Instead, she preferred an on-the-fly design strategy, sketching rooms and architectural oddities whenever inspiration struck. Notable features include 40 bedrooms, three elevators, 47 fireplaces, 17 chimneys and 467 doorways. The house originally had seven levels, but an earthquake in 1906 collapsed three of them. Tourists now flock to the house to see its many quirks, including a staircase that leads straight to the ceiling.

222 House – Pembrokeshire, Wales

This house, located within a national park on the southwestern coast of Wales, is sunk into the ground so the landscape remains nearly uninterrupted by its presence. It was completed in 1994 by design firm Future Systems. With turf-covered roofing and siding, the 222 House fits seamlessly into the surrounding field. “This is exemplary sustainable design, where you are integrating the home into the site and minimizing the visual impact,” architect Peter Koliopoulos says. The bathroom and kitchen are prefabricated pods that were lifted into the site during construction. An added benefit of the design concept is the geothermal insulation, which shields the home from wind and cuts energy consumption.

Free Spirit Sphere – Qualicum Beach, British Columbia

This hanging room is the brainchild of Tom and Rosy Chudleigh, a Canadian couple who build these spherical living spaces for customers around the world. The Chudleighs have two spheres hanging on their property: the Eve model, which has a diameter of 9 feet, and the Eryn model, which has a diameter of 10.5 feet. The spheres can be ordered fully loaded, equipped with plumbing, electricity and insulation. An average sphere weighs around 1,100 pounds, and it takes a crew of three about a day to install. The Chudleighs say that the structures gently rock in the wind, a nice thought — depending on just how windy it is.

Chameleon House – Northport, Mich

Anderson Architecture completed this home in 2006 atop a hill overlooking a cherry orchard and Lake Michigan. The striking structure took less than eight weeks to build thanks to the use of prefabricated materials. The steel frame of this house is wrapped in corrugated, translucent acrylic slats, allowing it to take on and reflect the changing colors of the landscape, like a chameleon blending into its habitat. Because it sits on a steep hill, the entrance of the home leads to the third floor, letting residents descend to the bedrooms or walk up to the living area.

Lake Palace – Udaipur, India

This relic of architectural days past dates back to 1746, when Maharana Jagat Singh II commissioned it. Nowadays, it is a high-end hotel, outfitted with modern amenities and luxury suites. The ornate palace sits on a 4-acre slab of land in the middle of Lake Pichola. Its exterior is made from white marble, which architect Peter Koliopoulos says isn’t exactly compatible with the natural surroundings. “You always want to develop design concepts that leverage, reinforce and highlight the natural features of the area. The scale and form of this building, though, are pretty obtuse,” he says. “Incorporating the marble just extends the oddity of the design approach.”

Marathon Coach Custom Motorhome

Marathon Coach is to motor homes what Bentley is to automobiles: pure luxury. A brand-new, fully loaded model can go for as much as $2.2 million, though used models can be picked up for less than $200,000. A custom order takes about 180 days to build. For starters, each Marathon Coach has a minimum of five high-definition TVs, ranging from 7 to 50 inches in size. A 515-horsepower engine powers this house on wheels, and the stainless-steel chassis is covered under a 1.5 million-mile warranty. Other wild options include pullout barbecues, electric fireplaces, a second bathroom and a wine chiller. The major drawback is that the vehicle gets only about seven miles to eight mpg.

Amory Lovins’ House – Old Snowmass, Colo

Amory Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute and a Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award winner, is no stranger to eco-friendly initiatives, and this combined home and work space is a testament to his ingenuity. The residential section of the building costs a measly $5 per month to power, thanks to the structure’s passive solar design, 16-inch-thick walls and krypton-filled windows. Lovins doesn’t rely on a boiler or furnace to heat the space; instead, two wood-burning stoves take care of the job. But most impressive, perhaps, is the greenhouse, which has churned out nearly 30 crops of bananas, as well as guavas, pineapples and other tropical fruit rarely associated with the Rocky Mountains.