In 2021, Sarah and Brandon Jones moved to a floating cabin on Lake Fontana in western North Carolina. Even after renovations, living on the water was cheaper than land.

This couple in Fairbanks, Alaska saved money by DIY-ing their own home build.

Since moving from New York City in 2022, Jordan Heiden and Cass Lang have invested in solar panels, built gardens and attended city council meetings.

Charlotte Kreutz listed a private room in her home on Airbnb. Almost immediately, she started getting bookings.

Melissa Mesku happened upon the perfect rent-stabilized apartment on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. How did she beat the odds?

“You could teach the entire history of American architectural style just using dormitories,” says Carla Yanni of Rutgers University.

“It would be definitely a bucket list of mine to get to visit all of them in my lifetime,” said Annilee Waterman, a residential designer in Dallas.

They are an affordable housing option in a country where so few affordable housing options exist.

Shaped by the car culture, dingbats are going obsolete due to earthquake risk. But their names and style flourishes bring nostalgic smiles.

Judith Chabot devotes much of her free time to searching for houses built from kits sold by Sears. “It’s kind of like bird-watching,” she said.