Some houses aren’t built to impress. Instead, they’re designed to irritate. So-called “spite houses” are purposefully awkward or impractical—they’re meant to snub a pesky neighbor, or defy an intruding government, or even fan the flames of an ongoing family feud. Today, thanks to modern zoning laws and building codes, coming across a spite house is rare. Those that do exist are strange markers of sheer human stubbornness and ire.