Architect David Hertz paid $35,000 for a jumbo jet at a scrap dealer that specializes in old airplanes. Then he had to get permission from 17 different government agencies to turn it into a house — including the FAA, which needed to determine that pilots flying over it wouldn't mistake it for an airplane crash site.

Reader support helps sustain our work. Donate today to keep our climate news free. All donations DOUBLED!

The result is a California home that incorporates almost the entire plane (but does not look like a crash site in the least). The first class cabin, for example, became a guest house.

Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one.