Weird Homes: The People and Places That Keep Austin Strangely Wonderful

Unlike other reviewers, I have not taken the tour in Austin because I hate Austin. I purchased this book hoping to find unusual use of building materials and interesting ideas on how to use unconventional/weird planning/repurposed items. 80% of the book is regular homes packed to the roof with unusual decor choices. Now that is fine, choose to decorate as you wish, but just because you have 4,000 pieces of plastic junk tacked to your living room wall doesn't make your home weird it means that the owner is making weird decor choices. The title is not a correct representation for what's inside. There is a dumpster house, an earth bag home, a home called a burrito and a modern built castle, those are the only unusual/weird homes and those homes were fascinating and unusual. I wish I had known this, I would not have bought it.

I've had the privilege of working with and volunteering alongside David and Chelle as they built the Weird Homes Tour from the ground up. Visiting these homes on tour day is such a treat. You can't help but be inspired. I'd say pictures don't do the homes justice, but Thanin Viriyaki's photos are an exception. This book is nearly as good as stepping into the homes themselves. And the best part is that it captures the other magical side of the tour: Learning about the artists and creators who call these places home. Most are struggling against the gentrification and soaring property taxes Austin is experiencing right now. Some of the homes featured in this very book no longer exist for that very reason (for real: one was recently bulldozed to make way for a fancy new million-dollar home). So while this book is pretty and entertaining, it also serves as an important time capsule for our fading weird-and-wonderful Austin culture. Thank you David, Chelle and Thanin for capturing these stories and images so that they can live on!

I sure would hate to clean some of these homes...but what a fantasy life revealed! And the people who created these homes....I kept thinking, "My ex-husband would LOVE this artistic woman...and this one,,,and this one....so terribly true. But my son will love the dumpster house idea, the village of tiny homes on Hog Eye Lane, and the small but wonderful living space of that dumpster house guy...the professor at Huston Tillotson. Sorry, the book is already in my car, ready to be taken to my son!!! His father will have to get it later...maybe never.

What an impossibly stylish and artful portrayal of a truly unique city. I purchased this gem after moving away from Austin two years ago, and this book filled my soul in all ways ATX that I needed. Insightful writing that introduce you to the often glanced over corners of a city and absolutely stunning photography. I have been using the Wildsam field guides to discover the nuances of cities and now I can only hope they follow up with a tour of New Orleans.

I've actually taken the Austin Weird Homes Tour before and the book does not disappoint! The photography captures the fun and uniqueness of each home so perfectly- it was just like taking the tour all over again! If you can't make it to Austin to see what makes it so weird, then, you really need this book. If you have been on the tour, then you will want this book for its memories. The book absolutely keeps up with the spirit of what keeps Austin weird.

Beautiful pictures and interesting text make this an unique book about Austin, Texas. Definitely NOT your usual tourist book! Various collections and architecture are featured, providing something for anyone who is a creative dreamer!

These could be helpful if you are planning to relocate to Austin. This book was interesting and entertaining to look through. There are colored pictures of the inside and the outside of about 100 houses.

These folks enjoy life, and it shows. Over the topInspiration for the soul, or maybe a corner. I’ve got 23 acres. Let’s get it on. 💖💖