Minnesota's Foam Home Goes on Sale

(Sept. 20) -- Can a house feel like a home if it's made of foam?

That's the question prospective homeowners in Minnesota are asking themselves after viewing the "Ensculptic" -- a bizarre residence constructed almost entirely out of polyurethane foam.

Erected in 1969, the strange Minnetrista, Minn., property is now on the market for $237,000.

Some call it a Mushroom House, Flintstone House or Hobbit House but after getting their first look inside many agree it is one of a kind. Located at 670 North Branch Road in Minnetrista there is a home built primarily out of foam.

KMSP

Some people say it looks like a mushroom, and others say it looks like a spaceship -- but a real estate agent in Minnesota is hoping someone thinks it looks like a home. Built almost entirely from foam, the "Ensculptic" house in Minnetrista, Minn., has hit the market at $237,000.

The two-bedroom, three-bathroom residence boasts plenty of amenities, including a fireplace, an attached garage and a deck -- but the real draw is its vaulted ceiling, rounded corners and curving walls.

Because there are so few right angles, it's hard to know the house's square footage, though broker Dayna Murray of Keller Williams Premier Realty estimates it at over 4,000 square feet, according to MyFoxTwinCities.com.

The foam residence is known to locals as the Mushroom House, Flintstone House or Hobbit House, but the family that built it preferred the name "Ensculptic" -- short for environmental sculpture in plastic.

Murray told MyFoxTwinCities that the house is structurally solid but requires some work on its heating, septic system and water line.

The foam building has earned a place in architecture history, but that doesn't mean all homebuyers are bound to be interested in preserving it.

"Bring it back to its original glory or tear it down (approx. $9,000) and start fresh on your own land," reads a real estate listing on Craigslist for the 8.4-acre property.

Read more at MyFoxTwinCities.com.