Austrian’s creations sell for upwards of $2,500 because of the cost of Legos and the amount of time she puts into each project. One home can take her eight to 10 weeks to complete.
“The first two weeks are just the analysis and processing, figuring out what I need to build and ordering the pieces,” said Austrian, who prefers to work from architecture plans but can also use photos to create her own measurements.
Some individual pieces of Legos cost up to $20, according to Austrian, with the average Lego piece costing 10 cents.
“I don’t know how many people are comfortable considering a Lego structure a piece of art, but I do,” she said. “A lot of people say, ‘I’m not going to spend that much money on Legos so it’s really a niche market that I’m just hoping to reach out to and bring some joy to.”
Austrian works out of her dining room, where the Legos are carefully organized in bins. Her children provide “emotional support” but do not help her with the projects.
“It’s building it floor by floor,” she said, noting that roof lines are the hardest. “I’ve learned through trial and error certain things that have to be done first, like building stairs before building the next floor.”
Austrian added, “When you do figure out a solution it’s mind-blowing, like, ‘This really works.’ There are just endless options.”
Credits: abcnews.go.com