County Furmanagh, Northern Ireland We begin in a Furmanagh, Ireland, home built and owned by architect Richard Pierce, who lives there alone. According to Pierce, the landscape probably hasn't changed for a couple thousand years. He created a ring fort, which is essentially a farmstead for an extended family. He deliberately built it to look ancient on the outside, yet the inside is a very modern house. You enter through a thick stone wall into rooms like circular huts. Most of the individual rooms open onto a central space. There are 1,800 square feet: five bedrooms, four baths, a living room and a kitchen. Because the walls are very thick, they absorb the heat of the sun, so heating bills are practically nothing.
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Because of its many miles of waterways, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, is sometimes called the Venice of America. Dave Drimmer's home, named the Cosmic Muffin (by Jimmy Buffet ), is a houseboat that used to be a plane. Drimmer's home started as a Boeing B307 Stratoliner once owned by multimillionaire Howard Hughes. Hughes bought the plane in 1939, named it the Flying Penthouse, and furnished it accordingly. Eventually Hughes sold it, and in 1964, it wound up in an airport in Fort Lauderdale, grounded due to damage. A local pilot volunteered to take the plane off the property. He cut off the wings and tail, found or built a boat hull for it, and put the two together. Drimmer purchased it in 1981 and restored it to the glamour of its Howard Hughes days. He bought it for $10,000; since the rebuild, it's now worth over $150,000. In his decorating, Drimmer pays homage to Jimmy Buffet fans who call themselves Parrotheads by decorating with parrot curtains, a parrot sculpture and a poster for the novel that inspired the boat's name. He also refurbished some of the original Hughes-era furniture.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, we visit the home and studio of architect Bart Prince . Prince's home looks like a giant airship tethered to several towers. Sculptures surround the house, and part of it is set into the ground. The materials at ground level are heavier, such as concrete. The next level is mostly steel for strength and wood for warmth. The tower portion is masonry and heavy glass. The ground-floor studio has plenty of workspace with good light, and a spiral staircase leads up to the living quarters. Two entrance doors lead guests out to the deck. Back inside , water tubes comprise part of a passive solar heating system which stores and slowly releases warmth from the sun. The media room is furnished with a pair of Eames chairs . Another staircase separates the media room from the sleeping area. At the far end of this level is the master bedroom, and going down the stairs at this level takes you to the living room and kitchen. Prince says the only reason he has a kitchen is to open the cat food and get a building permit.
Lubbock, Texas
In Lubbock, Texas, we visit sculptor Robert Bruno. He has been working on his home for more than 20 years. For the first 18, he did all the work himself, but recently he has taken on some part-time help. The house is steel--not just the exterior but part of the interior as well. We get a room-by-room tour of what the home will be--one day. We see the elevator shaft and are told that there will be glass sides and a floor, but no top. The view from the upper area is lovely. Bruno plans to live in the house when it's finished, but in some ways, he feels like he's already living there.
