The Beer Can House: Man makes House Made From beer Cans

What started as a desire on the part of John Milkovisch to do something useful with an attic full of empty beer cans turned into a project that would free him from painting his house and ultimately resulted in the creation of one of the most recognizable landmarks in Houston – a house completely covered with beer cans. Milkovisch’s work of art is featured on the Beer Can House website.

According to the site, Ripley’s Believe It or Not once estimated that the house is adorned with over 50,000 beer cans. The project, which Milkovisch started in 1968, continued for 18 years until his death. The beer cans not only spared Milkovisch from having to paint the four exterior walls of his home, they were used for curtains and fences among other things.

The house was purchased by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art 10 years ago so that it could be restored and preserved for posterity. It is open to the public for tours.

Ruben Guevara, head of restoration and preservation of the Beer Can House, perhaps stating the obvious, said that John and Mary (his wife) drank a lot of beer, and they saved every empty can. The variety of cans used on the Beer Can House reflects the fact that Milkovisch bought whatever was on sale at the time.