A South Austin compound with a rainbow exterior, secret passages, rope bridges, and a solar-paneled observation tower. A 33-square-foot dumpster turned into a hip pad. A home made out of pounds and pounds of literal bags of dirt. These unusual abodes fascinate local couple David J. Neff and Chelle Neff so much they started an annual self-guided Weird Homes tour in 2014 to celebrate outrageous and creative structures. And now they’ve written a book that comes out later this month, Weird Homes: The People and Places That Keep Austin Strangely Wonderful (Skyhorse Publishing, 224 pages), with photos by Thanin Viriyaki. “Austin has always been a hub of creativity, energy, art, and weirdness,” says David, a digital strategy consultant (Chelle is the founder of Urban Betty hair salon). “It’s full of artistic people who would rather be pirates than join the Navy. But Austin is rapidly changing. And, although we are proud of our growth, we want to fiercely guard what makes Austin unique.” Giving back is also important to the Neffs, who donate 10 percent of the tour proceeds to affordable housing nonprofits. This year, they will launch similar tours in Houston as well as Portland, Detroit, and New Orleans. Here is a sneak peek into some of the weird and whimsical homes featured in their book, which hits stores February 20.
A First Look at Austin’s Weirdest Homes
A new book out later this month showcases some of the city’s most outrageous, wacky, and whimsical dwellings.
Artist James Talbot has kept adding on to his Casa Neverlandia since 1979. An avid traveler, Talbot has visited more than 33 countries, each of which has inspired his decor choices in some way.
Thanin Viriyaki
Each of Casa Neverlandia three stories uses completely different color palettes, patterns, and themes.
Thanin Viriyaki
Talbot, a designer and builder, did many of the rooms in his home himself. He says: “I live in a pantheistic, pan-cultural world in which things have a life of their own—they express deeper meaning and are not simply what they seem. "
Thanin Viriyaki
Taking over four years and 4,000 hours of labor to complete, Austin's Earthbag home is a two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom, 750-square-foot labor of love. Thea Bryant's hivelike house is constructed of dirt-filled burlap bags. At one time, she lived there with her four children.
Thanin Viriyaki
As a year-long experiment, Huston-Tillotson University Professor Jeff Wilson, a.k.a. Professor Dumpster, lived in a 33-square-foot garbage container. His goal? To reimagine the way we live in our homes and continue the conversation about sustainability. Wilson's time in the dumpster brought about a lot of media attention and a new business idea, Kasita, "a beautiful, small-footprint home" that he now runs in Austin.
Thanin Viriyaki
Artist Stefanie Distefano left Austin for Smithville, but before she moved she transformed a basic beige home into the Flamingo Ranch, a mini pink palace of whimsy, complete with a kitchen with walls covered in sequins that she applied herself.
Thanin Viriyaki
Sharon Smith, a beloved professor at Austin Community College and a ceramic artist, has filled her Austin home with artifacts, folk art, and shrines to many different religions.
Thanin Viriyaki
Smith has taught everything from ceramics and drawing to art history over her career as a university professor. Pictured is just one of her many collections.
Thanin Viriyaki
From the outside, the two-story red brick home looks traditional, but inside, the Music House is far from basic. An altar used for meditation sits under an aquarium in the entry way.
Thanin Viriyaki
It's no surprise that Steve Wiman, the owner of the iconic Uncommon Objects antiques shop, has collections of many things. But his ornament wall full of items he's collected over thirty years, is still a surprising delight.
Thanin Viriyaki
In addition to ornaments, Wiman also collects seeds, baseballs, cowboy boots, dice, dishes, and art.
Thanin Viriyaki
Cathy DeYoung and Michael Hayes transformed the tract home that was used as Tim Riggins' house on the Austin-shot "Friday Night Lights" television series. It couldn't look any more different, with oddities like a police car hood attached to the ceiling, a WWll surgical table, and a 1930s dental chair.
Thanin Viriyaki
A First Look at Austin’s Weirdest Homes
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