Over the years, we've stepped inside some seriously unique homes that made us do a double-take. And it turns out that there's no shortage of surreal spreads around the world. From a waterside home with its own pirate ship and horror-themed bar to a shingle-covered property shaped like a whale, these weird and wonderful properties have to be seen to be believed. Click or scroll on as we explore the strangest homes on the market right now...

Take one look at these cute adobe domes and you might think they've been plucked straight from The Flintstones, but we assure you they're very much real! Situated in McNeal, Arizona, on 17 acres of land, the three petite properties are anything but ordinary.

Constructed in 2008, the unique little pads are each formed from adobe, a building material made from earth and other organic materials. In fact, adobe is Spanish for mudbrick, which essentially means these structures are built from dirt. Fantastic for warm climates, adobe stays cool during the day and warms up during nightfall. Plus, the malleable nature of the material allows the builder to create any shape they like.

Inside, the domes don't get any less bonkers. From their circular walls to their cone-like ceilings and tiny porthole windows, there's something amazing to see everywhere you look. This main dome features a dining space, a kitchen and a teeny bedroom that sits inside a rotund nook, despite spanning just over 100 square feet. The original owner is said to have been inspired by the work of Nader Khalili, an Iranian-born American architect who founded the California Institute of Earth Architecture.

The estate doesn't just come with three brilliant bubble homes, either. There's also a straw bale pumphouse, a distinctive outdoor kitchen, a private well, two solar systems, two humanure outhouses and a vintage Shasta trailer that could be converted into an amazing guest house or holiday home. If you've fallen in love, then you could snap these characterful little homes for a very reasonable £218,900 ($279k).

Are you a fan of Halloween and spooky décor? If so, then this compound in the Western Catskills of New York State could well be your dream come true. The 50-acre property, known as Sheffield Pond, boasts two themed bars, a six-acre pond and an incredible pirate ship, all for a mere £509,900 ($650k).

Enclosed by towering trees, the property was constructed by the current owner, Kelly Bartosh, a retired contractor and self-confessed horror enthusiast. Every Halloween, Kelly would host a huge event at the compound for the kids in the area, according to the New York Post. But it's clear as soon as you step foot inside that here, it's Halloween all year round! The so-called "Horror Bar" doubles as a house and comes complete with coffin-shaped shelving units, cobweb-covered ceilings and creepy masks instead of wall art.

The house has two bathrooms and three bedrooms just to the side of the bar. We're not sure how much sleep we'd get tucked up here! Strangely, there's no real kitchen, so the buyer would need to renovate to add one, should they choose. In addition to this cool themed home, there's also a second tiki bar, an outdoor kitchen and a guest cabin.

Even the storage shed (pictured) is decorated for All Hallows Eve. Plus, the seven-foot-wide bar in the tiki lounge was sourced from a hardware store in Roscoe, New York, and dates back to the 1850s. And how could we forget the amazing pirate ship that sits right on the water's edge? The ultimate place for a spine-chilling shindig, this property is definitely not for the faint of heart.

When you discover that this Barbie-ready cottage in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, measures just 697 square feet, its £666,800 ($850k) price tag suddenly seems incredibly steep. However, for your money, you'd gain one of the quirkiest and cutest properties in all of Martha's Vineyard.

Dating back to 1870, the distinctive property – aptly known as The Pink House – is characterised by its vibrant bubble gum façade, pretty front porch, signature gothic doors, stained-glass windows and decorative, lace-like trims – found both inside and out. In stark contrast to the exterior paintwork, the inside rooms are crisp white, with the odd pop of colour coming from painted floorboards and door frames. 

The ultimate fairytale home, the gingerbread cottage features an open-plan main room, with a lounge and dining zone, as well as a snug and old-fashioned kitchen. Upstairs, there are two bedrooms and a bathroom, tucked inside the eaves of the roof. The main bedroom even opens to a lovely private balcony.

Plus, the buyer will have easy access to the rest of Martha's Vineyard – a popular tourist spot known for its idyllic harbour towns, waterfront lighthouses, sandy beaches and local farm fare. What's more, it's being sold fully furnished, so the buyer will get hold of all of the home's furnishings and retro window dressings. We don't know about you, but we wouldn't change a thing!

No matter how many times we look at this artist-designed compound in Taos, New Mexico, we still can't quite figure out what's going on. A mish-mash of styles, shapes and materials, the quirky residence resembles a ship and was designed in 1980 by the American contemporary artist, Malcolm McCleod Brown.

Known as Springwild, the unusual pad was finished by Brown's family after he sadly passed away in 2003. They added several guest lodges and outbuildings, increasing the compound to just under 2,000 square feet, all while staying true to his vision of creating a one-of-a-kind casita. Inside, the main home features cosy living spaces, decorated with rustic timber, exposed tree trunks, mismatched furnishings and pretty tiled floors.

There are no square or rectangular rooms to be found. Instead, every space seems to narrow and widen randomly, with furnishings and fittings often placed in odd positions – the dining table in this guest lodge is wedged under the kitchen counter, while a rickety wood staircase in the main house lies in the middle of the living room floor and leads up to a hole in the roof. Inside, there's a bedroom formed from odds and ends of timber and logs.

Of course, there's also a crow’s nest at the top of the house, located inside the central tower. It offers 360-degree views of Taos and the surrounding Sangre de Cristo mountains. The main house is complemented by four holiday rentals, vegetable gardens, a workshop, a chicken coop and meditation trails that wind down to a river. For sale via Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Taos Real Estate for £1 million ($1.3m), the buyer will end up with one of the most distinctive homes in America. 

Offering an altogether different way of living, this structure in Vaxholm is as historic and unusual as it is beautiful. Nestled on the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden, the original water tower was constructed in 1923 and served the local community for many years, before it was converted into a distinctive family home about 20 years ago. The slimline residence is now spread over four of the building's seven storeys.

The rotund residence is defined by curved walls, round rooms and period features, such as arched windows, soaring ceilings, exposed brickwork, portholes and rustic timber beams. The interior comprises a chic kitchen, two drawing rooms, a music room, an office, four bedrooms and four bathrooms, making it perfect for a family seeking a one-of-a-kind place to call home. There's also an old water tank that's just waiting to be turned into a swimming pool.

There are plenty of exterior balconies too, which allow for unobstructed views across the surrounding scenery. Even better, the still-functional water tower produces surplus power that can help generate an extra annual income by selling the surplus to telecom companies. There's even a standalone 430-square-foot studio apartment that could be rented out to holidaymakers, providing even more income opportunities.

The distinctive dwelling also benefits from its very own Swedish sauna, positioned on the top floor of the tower. Offering unparalleled vistas over the picturesque archipelago landscape, this serene space is sure to entice. Despite its beauty and scale, the home is proving hard to shift. It first hit the real estate market in 2020 and it's still for sale now. Got £1.5 million ($1.9m) going spare? Then it could soon be yours.

Another property that defines logic, The Whale House in Santa Barbara, California, is difficult to describe. The crazy-cool compound was constructed in 1978, as a labour of love for its architect owner, Michael Carmichael. And this unorthodox, mound-like structure is only the guest house...

Described by Sotheby's International Realty as an 'architecturally magical masterpiece', the compound also boasts this 2,600-square-foot residence that soars up three floors. A cross between a wave and something Antoni Gaudi might have dreamed up, the property features curving exterior walls covered in rough cedar shingles and huge river rocks. Bulging balconies jut out and seemingly endless windows are decorated with towering columns. 

The interior can be accessed by walking through the whale's mouth. Once inside, things are just as eye-catching, thanks to the home's hand-moulded Venetian plaster surfaces, towering structural beams, rotund walls – in fact, there isn't a straight line in sight – and random boulders that stick out of the walls and ceilings. There's even custom furniture, designed to fit the home's undulating rooms. There's a living room, dining room and kitchen on the ground floor, a master bedroom on the second and another bedroom on the third floor. 

Other interesting elements include the home's rock-covered elevator shaft, its 270 Belgian leaded and stained glass windows and an indoor Jacuzzi, that can be found in a rocky cove inside the master bedroom. Outside, you'll find a 75-foot-long rock-lined lap pool, which flows through a secret tunnel made to look like a whale’s tail. Finally, there's a mound-like guest house that resembles an organic mushroom, growing from the earth. Fancy moving in? It could be yours for £2.5 million ($3.3m).

If your budget will allow, then you could get your hands on this replica Wild West town, that looks like it was plucked from a Spaghetti Western. Located close to the town of Saguache, Colorado, the property sits on 320 acres and borders National Forest land, allowing the lucky new owner to truly disconnect from the hustle and bustle. Let's take a closer look...

It was constructed in 2007 and inspired by the classic frontier towns that cropped up across America during the Gold Rush. These towns had everything the new arrivals could need and this replica settlement is no different. For starters, the property boasts a beautiful family home known as Ponderosa Lodge, equipped with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, an open-plan living room, kitchen and dining room.

The tiny town even offers an authentic replica inn, which has operated as a real hotel. Spacious and beautiful in equal measure, it has 12 guest bedrooms, each named after a character from the Old West, as well as a stunning entrance hall with a soaring ceiling, stove fireplace and piano – the perfect gathering place for a sing-a-long. But, of course, that isn't all this replicate Western town has to offer...

The estate also has a miniature golf course, a shooting range, an outdoor stage, a dance hall, a divine church, two cabins and a barn that houses a museum of authentic stagecoaches and historical artefacts. Elsewhere, there's a cowboy saloon with a long bar and a set of wooden swing doors. We can almost hear the sound of tumbleweeds rolling down the street outside. Currently on the market for £3.3 million ($4.3m), this listing is a once-in-a-lifetime purchase.

Occasionally, we come across a home so bonkers that we become lost for words and no property quite has this effect more than The Castle at Smith Lake. Positioned on a hilltop ledge overlooking Alabama's Lewis Smith Lake, the surreal house is undeniably one of the weirdest residences in America, if not the world...

The home's exterior could certainly be described as eclectic, thanks to the spine-like central column, its sloping walls and its random pockets of glass. The modern castle was built in the 1980s from masonry and steel, and while its appearance might be divisive – some have named it one of America's ugliest homes – there's no denying it's a real feat of engineering. 

Luckily for us, things are just as odd inside. The sprawling, 4,974-square-foot property is arranged over four floors and features medieval-style design details throughout. From custom tile work and kooky built-in cabinetry to asymmetrical ceilings and walls that appear to be falling in on themselves, every room is wonderfully weird. 

There are four bedrooms, a two-storey solarium with lake views and numerous bathrooms. This one might be one of the home's most unusual spaces, thanks to its built-in tub that has the appearance of a coiled snake. The castle landed on the market in January 2019, for a whopping £4.1 million ($5.2m), complete with all the furnishings, but for some reason, it failed to sell. Still available right now, the price was recently dropped to a slightly more reasonable £3.8 million ($4.9m).

Almost too surreal to be true, Business Insider called this house "one of the most uniquely designed mansions in Malibu" and we couldn't agree more. With its bold, futuristic design, cavernous living areas, futuristic staircases and statement art installations, this is undoubtedly one of the world's most distinctive dwellings. Adding to its impact, it's currently for sale for an eye-watering £46.3 million ($59m) – a £7.8 million ($10m) price drop from its original listing price.

The incredible residence was designed by the celebrated contemporary architect, Edward R. Niles, in collaboration with the homeowner, Dr Wei-Tzuoh Chen, who requested a Feng Shui, multi-generational compound. Constructed from concrete, glass and steel over a six-year period, the 8,206-square-foot home was finished in 2006. Interestingly, its design incorporates the number eight throughout – the luckiest number in China. 

For starters, it's made up of eight separate structures, each of a different shape. One's shaped like a cylinder and another like a triangular prism. It also features numerous art pieces and furnishings showcasing the figure eight. Thanks to the home's 29-foot ceilings, statement staircases and floating walkways, which hover above the main living areas, the property has the appearance of a high-end art gallery. 

Across the home's numerous structures, you'll find a mesmerising entrance foyer, huge living rooms, five bedrooms and six bathrooms. The kitchen lies inside a bright pyramid structure, with a vaulted glass ceiling. It features plenty of unusual extras, too, such as a state-of-the-art music room, soundproof home theatre and a nearly silent, hydraulic elevator. It was also engineered to survive natural disasters, including tsunamis and earthquakes.

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