- [Narrator] Money
can't buy you happiness, it's true, but it can buy
you a pretty awesome house. Of course, if you've got
billions at your disposal, why settle for a mansion
or a castle somewhere? For one thing, mansions and
castles are easy to find, they appear on maps. Boring! We all love secrets, so why not make your house
the ultimate hideaway and disguise it from the world? Here are 10 hidden homes you
literally won't believe exist. - Amazing! - [Narrator] Number 10,
Norwegian Mountain Cabin. Architects like to talk
about their buildings functioning in harmony with
nature, but this remote cabin on the side of Norwegian
Mountain, Åkrafjorden, takes things a step further. It functions in harmony
with nature so well, you'll struggle to
separate it from the hill. It's curved design, grass roof, and use of wood and rock
as building materials embeds it into the natural surroundings and gives it a beguiling aura of secrecy. Apparently the cabin can house 21 guests, though you'll have to be fit
to get there or own a horse. Let's hope you've got a good
sense of direction, though. The house is so well hidden, you'll ride straight past
it if you're not careful. Number 9, Barn Conversion. Barn conversions are
all the rage these days. Designers love to retain
original features, like rotten roof beams and rusty doors, claiming that they add character. The designers of this Texas barn had something very different in mind. From the outside the building
has as much character as the protagonist of an airport novel. It looks like a large
corrugated iron shed. Therein, though, lies
the genius of the design. If you want something to be truly secret, you disguise it, and
when you open the door of this barn you enter another world. The lavish interior
has wood paneled walls, leather sofas, and even chandeliers, a level of luxury you might
expect in a Manhattan penthouse. If you think about it, it's the best kind of home
security imaginable, too. The rich have a lot to lose,
but who's going to break into a bland shed in rural
Texas in search of riches? Number 8, Underground Town. It's one thing creating a secret hideaway that can house a family or two, but surely that pales in comparison to a hideaway for a whole town. Coober Pedy, in the Australian Outback, houses no less than
3,000 people underground and out of sight, with only
bland, featureless mine entrance to indicate there may be
anything beneath the scrubland. Coober Pedy dates back to 1915 when it was mined for the stone, opal. The father and son duo
who discovered the site quickly realized that it was too hot to live above the ground, so found sanctuary in the
natural cool of the mine caverns. The town continued to grow
and now contains a bar, a hotel, and a swimming pool amidst labyrinthian corridors and caves. A truly unique place. Number 7, Desert Living. The desert isn't traditionally seen as an attractive place to live. Water is the stuff of life,
and there isn't much of it in the wind-blasted and
dust-caked canyons of Utah. There is, however,
spectacular natural beauty, unique rock formations carved
by centuries of erosion, orange canyon walls that display the stratum layers of centuries past. Built into these one of
these canyons in Utah, is a unique house called Cliff
Haven, which more or less does what its name
suggests, but in some style. Built inside a natural
gully in a canyon wall, the house appears as part of the scenery, rather than an add-on and is a unique secret hideaway for
those inclined to enjoy the beauty of the desert in comfort. Number 6, Fallout Shelters. When we discuss luxury
retreats, it seems safe to say that underground bunkers created for use in the case of a nuclear holocaust, wouldn't usually come to mind. When you think of about it though, what better place for a hidden retreat? The bunkers were designed to
be lived in for long periods having all the amenities built in, and have extremely cool period
features like control rooms, glass doors, and spiral staircases. Glam them up a bit, like
Sila home builders have done to some Atlas F-Series missile
bases that make a very cool James Bond villain type of retreat. The Vivos Europa One Elite Shelter in Germany is an even bigger example. Built into an old Soviet
Union Cold War bunker, the complex is over
227,904 feet of floor space beneath ground and houses apartments, pools, gyms, and restaurants. There's even a helicopter
service for your convenience. Number 5, The Narrowest
House in the World. Blink and you'll miss it. In fact, stare at it and
you still might miss it. Keret House in Warsaw, Poland, has a width of between 92 and 152
centimeters, and is jammed between two far bigger
buildings, like an alley way that felt left out and
wanted to become a house. Designed by architect Jakub Szczesny, Keret House is technically
classed as an art installation and has been described by the artist as a memorial to members
of his family who died when the Nazis invaded Poland. Those in the margins won't be forgotten, appears to be the message of the house. The house won't be forgotten either. Number 4, Ground Houses. Sometimes, the obvious
hiding places are the best, so why overcomplicated things when you can simply dig
your house into the ground? From the outside, this
luxury Swiss ski retreat looks like a giant satellite dish or a bizarre military installation. Then you think, wait a minute, why would a satellite dish have curtains? The house is angled so
as to offer the best view of the surrounding mountains
and at the best part of $4,000 for a night's hire, you'd hope the view is worth it. Greece has some pretty nice views too and those low-level seaside
villas are blended into the landscape so well one of
them is called Mirage House. Even when you see it,
you won't believe it. Number 3, Crazy Cliff Houses. If you suffer from vertigo, look away now. These cliff houses are certainly
not for the faint of heart. Casa Brutale in is Greece
literally built into a clifftop. No part of the house
extends above the ground and front of it only juts out
slightly from the cliff face. The giant glass from the
house offers visitors the kind of views that will have them clutching at the back wall. While the swimming pool
laps up against the glass, the very top of the
cliff, reinforced glass, apparently, I should hope so. If you thought Casa
Brutale was well, brutal, check out two houses that hang from cliffs with grips that look as tenuous as the nightmare scenes from movies, where only the chief protagonist's fingertips keep him from disaster. Not exactly a relaxing
weekend getaway home. Number two, Jungle House. The jungle is the ultimate hiding place. Dense vegetation means
that you can barely see a foot in front of you,
and with snakes, spiders, and all sorts lurking in the foliage, you wouldn't want to be
wandering out on the off chance you might encounter something interesting. The Amazon is the largest
rainforest in the world. Making this special
jungle house built into one of the best hideaways around. The house is raised from the ground to enjoy natural sunlight
and ocean views as well as the lush vegetation harboring some of the must remarkable plant, animal, and insect life on the planet. Number 1, Rooftop Houses. Rooftops might be the biggest waste of the space in the world. Our cities are crowded,
jammed with flat-roofed buildings and skyskrapers,
so why not make use of that extra bit of space on top? David Puchkoff and Eileen Stukane, residents in Manhattan's West
Village, obviously agree. Helicopter shots show a rustic
cabin in the lush garden atop their top-level
flat in New York City. While their wealthy
friends talk about getting out of the city, the couple
must smile to themselves. Their country retreat
is on their own roof, hidden from the city below. China has the biggest
population in the world, so perhaps it's natural
that some of its wealthier citizens would also seek
to explore rooftop living. Unfortunately, they keep
forgetting to ask permission. The residents of luxury villas built on top of a shopping
mall were evicted because they didn't have the correct license, but their story pales in
comparison to the Beijing rooftop mansion discovered from outer space. It was Sepetember 2010
when a satellite captured images of a suspiciously
green area in Beijing. A drone was sent up to investigate and discovered something truly remarkable. A mansion shaped like a mountain replete, with an an enormous rockery and even a vineyard on
top of a skyscraper. No wonder residents had been
complaining about cracked walls and long waits for the elevator. So there you have it. Which one would you live
in if you had the choice? Let us know in the comment
section and remember to subscribe so you don't miss out on future videos. It's a crazy world out there,
but we've got our eye on it. Thanks for watching.
