You call that a Rock house....This is a ROCK HOUSE

You may be forgiven for thinking that this is a scene from a remake of the Flintstones by Tim Burton., but believe it or not, it is a real house in the rural settings of the Fafe mountains in northern Portugal.

A Casa do Penedo, or "the House of Stone," was built between four large boulders found on the site.

The house was built in 1974 as a family's rural retreat, but in recent years it has attracted the attention of tourists and architecture enthusiasts alike. Some come to marvel at how this unique house is so perfectly integrated into its natural surroundings, while others just want to come see the 'Flintstones' house (as it has been called by many). Interest in the stone house has grown to the point that the current owner, Vitor Rodrigues, has had to move to find solace from the curious visitors, and has had to install bullet-proof windows and a steel door to prevent the robbery attempts and vandalism it has incurred in recent years.

Although the house lacks electricity and running water, it does surprisingly house an array of amenities, which include a fireplace, a sofa made of cement and the stem of eucalyptus, and a swimming pool carved out of one of the large rocks.

I was unable to find any photos of the interior, however I did take these stills from an interview by the Portuguese media with Vitor Rodrigues.

 

 

For those who are interested in seeing the video interview, it can be found here, but be warned it is in Portuguese and of poor quality.

The guy who built this was not the only person to think of building a house in between huge rocks. Another example I came across is this more formal looking house near Plougrescant, Bretagne, France.

 Castel Meur

Photos of 'Casa do Penedo' by talented Portuguese photographer Jsome1.