CARRABELLE, Fla. (WTXL) — It's a unique house very few know about.
Luis Rojas and his son stumbled upon pictures of the Carrabelle Bottle House on social media. They made the trek from Tallahassee to get a glimpse of this.
"Somebody has an artistic flair and they had a use for bottles."
But they're not the only ones traveling hundreds of miles to see the house made from glass.
Leon Wiesener said people from across the globe travel to visit the Carrabelle Bottle House. It took him a year to build it. 6,000 glass bottles — from liquor, beer, and wine make up this house. The sun's rays add an artistic touch — illuminating these walls with colors from blue to green. You could say it was a community effort.
"I put an ad in the paper. I dumpster dove. I went over to the recycling center in Eastpoint and made a deal with them. And people would leave the at the fence."
And a lot of drinking.
"I had friends from Atlanta who were drunks and they would bring them down."
Most importantly, a major effort to recycle and becoming more resourceful.
"I was into trying to save money and save the world some. This is just a little tiny contribution."
Wiesener also built a 15-foot-tall lighthouse in his backyard out of, you guessed it, bottles. A reminder of how symbolic the Crooked River Lighthouse is to the area.
"I know it's a big symbol for Carrabelle so I just built my own. And it works. It rotates and shines at night."
When you factor in the concrete and roofing, Wiesener told ABC 27 that it cost more than $3,000 to build the bottle house.
The Carrabelle Bottle House is located on Seventh Street and is open to the public.
