http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/incredible-fortress-homes.html
The Creech House
Location: Whitefish, Montana
Price: $16 million
The home is a ski lodge and high-tech fortress all in one.
Photo: Sotheby's International Realty
Many mountain cabins provide breathtaking views and easy access to the slopes, but for some devoted ski-aficionados, thatâs not enough. With its elaborate electronic-control features and a high-tech security system, the home makes up in digital âfortressâ features what it lacks in concrete walls. On-site and smartphone-accessible security features can control home operations such as a full view of the exterior, a detailed alarm system, the ability to contact police and fire departments remotely and checking locks on windows. Add to that being able to keep tabs on the activity in most rooms.
âItâs a nice little feature to see your what your kids are doing,â says owner Kay Creech. And with 16 rooms, seven bedrooms (with the ability to sleep 34 if necessary), 10 bathrooms, and four decks that open up to views of Glacier National Park, any tool to help you keep track of the kids is essential. The home is currently on the market for $16 million.
Transforming Concrete Fortress
Location: Warsaw, Poland
The Warsaw home with its concrete wall retracted.
Photo: KWK Promes
Like a Transformer with a minimalist non-robot mode, this Warsaw concrete compound, designed by architect Robert Konieczny of KWK Promes, can convert itself from an open floor-to-ceiling glass window home into a concrete-clad cube in seconds.
Youâve heard of a panic room? This is a panic home with a panoramic view and lockdown mode. Once the 50-foot retractable concrete wall shutters are closed, the drawbridge (yes, a drawbridge), and the 20-foot metal roll-down gate closes off the glass anterior of the home, this concrete cube can ride out almost any scenario you throw at it. As far as owners who value their security above all else, this home is the gold standard of privacy and protection.
The Fortress Home
Location: Los Angeles, California
Price: $11.9 million
Getting from room to room in this L.A. house will require a security card.
Photo: Realtor.com
Located on a ridge high up in the Hollywood Hills, a steel and concrete sanctuary sits, blocked off from the road behind it, and essentially inaccessible from every other direction. The home features views of the Los Angeles sprawl beneath it (an especially inspiring view at night, when the city becomes a string of electric pearls).
There's an elaborate security system that includes cameras in almost every corner of the property, and a key-access system on nearly every door and gate, requiring that the owner carry his or her card or risk sleeping on the sofa. And all of it, of course, can be remotely accessed by smartphone. City regulations have since banned the construction of such homes, so the property, currently on the market for $11.9 million is truly a rare find.
Malator House
Location: Pembrokeshire, United Kingdom
The "Teletubby House" is built into the ground by the bay.
Like a chameleon peeking out from beneath the grass, the Malator (or the Teletubby House, as itâs colloquially known because of its striking similarity to the home featured in the famous British childrenâs TV show) blends almost seamlessly into the lush green hills surrounding its perch over St. Brides Bay in Wales.
Most of the home is located underground, featuring an earthen roof that perfectly emulates the hills around it, with the glass front facing the bay (the only hint that thereâs a home hidden somewhere below). Like a Hobbit hole of contemporary experimental architecture, the Malator was designed and built in 1998 by avant-garde architectural firm Future Systems, now known as Amanda Levete Architects after a company split in 2008.
Chateau Artisan
Location: Homestead, Florida
Price: $10.9 million
Anyone wanting to invade this Florida home will have to get past the moat.
Charles Sieger, half of the Miami architectural firm Sieger Suarez, made a name by designing and building creative high-rise residential and commercial buildings. But when it came to designing his own home, Sieger instead drew his inspiration from the French and British chateaus (hence the homeâs name), medieval castles, and manor houses.
He dug out a giant circular moat (a time-tested invasion deterrent) to surround the $10.9 million home, built one road leading in and out of the home, put up a heavy metal gate, and installed regular and infrared cameras along the road and around the house. âIn particular, I bought the property because it was on the side of a canal, which also provides protectionâ says Sieger.
The Creech House
Location: Whitefish, Montana
Price: $16 million
The home is a ski lodge and high-tech fortress all in one.
Photo: Sotheby's International Realty
Many mountain cabins provide breathtaking views and easy access to the slopes, but for some devoted ski-aficionados, thatâs not enough. With its elaborate electronic-control features and a high-tech security system, the home makes up in digital âfortressâ features what it lacks in concrete walls. On-site and smartphone-accessible security features can control home operations such as a full view of the exterior, a detailed alarm system, the ability to contact police and fire departments remotely and checking locks on windows. Add to that being able to keep tabs on the activity in most rooms.
âItâs a nice little feature to see your what your kids are doing,â says owner Kay Creech. And with 16 rooms, seven bedrooms (with the ability to sleep 34 if necessary), 10 bathrooms, and four decks that open up to views of Glacier National Park, any tool to help you keep track of the kids is essential. The home is currently on the market for $16 million.
Transforming Concrete Fortress
Location: Warsaw, Poland
The Warsaw home with its concrete wall retracted.
Photo: KWK Promes
Like a Transformer with a minimalist non-robot mode, this Warsaw concrete compound, designed by architect Robert Konieczny of KWK Promes, can convert itself from an open floor-to-ceiling glass window home into a concrete-clad cube in seconds.
Youâve heard of a panic room? This is a panic home with a panoramic view and lockdown mode. Once the 50-foot retractable concrete wall shutters are closed, the drawbridge (yes, a drawbridge), and the 20-foot metal roll-down gate closes off the glass anterior of the home, this concrete cube can ride out almost any scenario you throw at it. As far as owners who value their security above all else, this home is the gold standard of privacy and protection.
The Fortress Home
Location: Los Angeles, California
Price: $11.9 million
Getting from room to room in this L.A. house will require a security card.
Photo: Realtor.com
Located on a ridge high up in the Hollywood Hills, a steel and concrete sanctuary sits, blocked off from the road behind it, and essentially inaccessible from every other direction. The home features views of the Los Angeles sprawl beneath it (an especially inspiring view at night, when the city becomes a string of electric pearls).
There's an elaborate security system that includes cameras in almost every corner of the property, and a key-access system on nearly every door and gate, requiring that the owner carry his or her card or risk sleeping on the sofa. And all of it, of course, can be remotely accessed by smartphone. City regulations have since banned the construction of such homes, so the property, currently on the market for $11.9 million is truly a rare find.
Malator House
Location: Pembrokeshire, United Kingdom
The "Teletubby House" is built into the ground by the bay.
Like a chameleon peeking out from beneath the grass, the Malator (or the Teletubby House, as itâs colloquially known because of its striking similarity to the home featured in the famous British childrenâs TV show) blends almost seamlessly into the lush green hills surrounding its perch over St. Brides Bay in Wales.
Most of the home is located underground, featuring an earthen roof that perfectly emulates the hills around it, with the glass front facing the bay (the only hint that thereâs a home hidden somewhere below). Like a Hobbit hole of contemporary experimental architecture, the Malator was designed and built in 1998 by avant-garde architectural firm Future Systems, now known as Amanda Levete Architects after a company split in 2008.
Chateau Artisan
Location: Homestead, Florida
Price: $10.9 million
Anyone wanting to invade this Florida home will have to get past the moat.
Charles Sieger, half of the Miami architectural firm Sieger Suarez, made a name by designing and building creative high-rise residential and commercial buildings. But when it came to designing his own home, Sieger instead drew his inspiration from the French and British chateaus (hence the homeâs name), medieval castles, and manor houses.
He dug out a giant circular moat (a time-tested invasion deterrent) to surround the $10.9 million home, built one road leading in and out of the home, put up a heavy metal gate, and installed regular and infrared cameras along the road and around the house. âIn particular, I bought the property because it was on the side of a canal, which also provides protectionâ says Sieger.
Gator to Mote
