LEGO isn’t just for kids. I mean, people have used these iconic building blocks to create a full-scale, drivable replica of the $3,000,000 Bugatti Chiron for crying out loud. Designer Shari Austrian is also one of those people who just can’t put them away. Only her area of expertise is a little more static. She specializes in recreating homes. In fact, she enjoys this so much, she even launched an ETSY shop, offering to replicate people’s actual houses.

More info: ETSY

Designer Shari Austrian is recreating people’s homes using LEGOs, and they’re incredibly detailed

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

The price is $1.25 per square foot, so a 3,000-square-foot domicile would cost $3,750

Image credits: Shari Austrian

These replicas aren’t cheap. A full model will cost at least $2500 (the exact price is based on the square footage of your home). The price includes the cost of the materials Austrian invests in each project, which can add up fast. The designer said that the average LEGO piece costs about 10 cents and her models are made up of tens of thousands of pieces.

However, if you’re looking for something cheaper, she also offers exterior-only miniatures for $1,500 and up.

Image credits: Shari Austrian

“From the time I was a little girl, I have always loved creating and collecting miniatures,” Shari told Bored Panda. “I used to build tiny home scenes out of play-doh, collect baby animal glass figures from my travels, design landscapes from the food on my dinner plate, and so on. While the medium I choose to create with these days is unfortunately quite a bit more expensive than the alternatives, I am drawn to the precision and cleanliness and strength of building with Lego. I am a perfectionist with obsessive-compulsive disorder and I could not imagine a better fit than Lego for my creative adventures.”

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

Shari describes her current relationship with LEGO as rediscovering a long lost passion. “While the brand was much less developed at the time, I loved building with LEGO as a child,” she said. “I remember carrying my blue, hardshell LEGO case all over the house and creating whenever and wherever I could. Then, after a 20-year hiatus, I was reintroduced to LEGO through my children. I am amazed how the product line has expanded. The creative possibilities are truly endless!”

Austrian bases her designs off interior and exterior photos of the houses, as well as their architectural plans

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

She usually spends 8 to 12 weeks on one project

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

“I like working with LEGO both for the complexity and simplicity,” she said

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

Image credits: Shari Austrian

“I’m a perfectionist just as much as I’m an artist and I value the clean lines, precision and interlocking strength of the bricks”

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

Image credits: LittleBrickLane

In the past, Austrian had run into some problems that made her question if it’s even feasible to safely ship her models. “I pour all of my passion and energy into creating solid, tiny masterpieces for my customers to enjoy. But my efforts are only one part of the equation when having to [transport them],” she wrote on Facebook. “I was a bit nervous about handing a model over to UPS but they assured me that everything would be just fine, that they package and ship lighting fixtures, etc. [However,] my model was destroyed. I flew out to Tennessee the following week to reassemble the model so it was as good as new but the whole experience was heartbreaking.”

Luckily, she has been advised by a number of other artists and sorted everything out. “I now only transport my models through professional art handlers.”

Image credits: Insider

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