A man's home is his castle! Quirky home in Florida swampland covered in shiny aluminum plates which once printed newspapers has its own lighthouse and a boat-shaped restaurant for visitors

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They say a man's home is his castle and one Florida man made it his mission to literally be just that.

Howard Solomon started building his dream home single-handedly in 1972 and spent 12 years constructing his quirky masterpiece which is three-storys high, covers 12,000sq ft and is called Solomon's Castle.

Solomon died in August 2016 but his wife Peggy continues to live there and his family help to run the attraction which opens its doors to the public for tours. 

Nestled in Ona, Solomon, who was a sculptor, painter, artist and author, bought 40 acres of swamp land for $350 an acre to build the castle from scratch. It truly was a labor of love with him spending around 14 hours a day constructing it.

When he realized he didn't have enough high ground to build the horizontal building he initially wanted, he decided to build vertical.

Nestled in Ona, Solomon bought 40 acres of swamp land for $350 an acre to build the castle that would be his dream home

The unique home is covered in shiny aluminium plates that were once used to print a local newspaper

The home is three-storys high and covers 12,000sq ft. The entrance to the castle is seen above

Let there be light: The castle has more than 80 stained glass windows which Solomon created himself

In an interview with roadsideamerica before his death Solomon, who was originally from Rochester, New York, said: 'I never was a very good planner.

'I decided, 'Well, if I'm gonna go up, I might as well pick a style'.'

The unique home is covered in shiny aluminium plates that were once used to print a local newspaper and it also has more than 80 stained glass windows. 

He had told The Ledger: 'Castles are for temporary kings,' he said. 'You have to reign before it rusts ... but aluminum... aluminum never rusts... it's never complete.'

Inside the castle is a variety of sculptures and art work created by Solomon and made from junk such as oil drums and machine parts.

The grand entrance to the castle is seen above. The castle throws open its doors to visitors around the year

Inkeeping with the castle vibe, a cannon is seen above near to the entrance of the quirky home

Before his death Solomon said: 'Castles are for temporary kings,' he said. 'You have to reign before it rusts ... but aluminum... aluminum never rusts... it's never complete'

A balcony fit for Romeo and Juliet: One of the towers of the castle which is three-storys high is seen above

Bathrooms for visitors to the castle are inkeeping with the theme as they are dubbed 'lords' and 'ladies'

King of his castle: Howard Solomon died in August 2016. He constructed his dream home from scratch

A 60-foot replica of a 16th century Portuguese Galleon dubbed 'Boat in the Moat' serves as the castle's restaurant to cater for visitors. 

He later constructed a lighthouse - Lile Life House - which although doesn't serve as a functioning lighthouse helps deal with the overflow of diners from the eatery. 

There is also an antique car museum that includes two of Solomon's favorite cars - a 1915 ford Model T Speedster and a 1925 Ford Model T.

Solomon's wife Peggy continues to live in the castle and his daughter Elane runs the restaurant.

Elane recalls that it was her idea to open up their home to the public. 'What if ...,' she said she remembers thinking. 'And that's how it started: next thing I knew, Daddy was building gates because 'if you can't be closed, you can't be open.'

The castle then opened to the public for tours.   

Elane said that in the 1980s they would go to a different town every Monday to spread the word about their unique attraction. 

'Everything was just starting to boom; people were looking for something to do,' she said.

There is also a guest room which can be rented out for the night. 

Solomon died on August 23, 2016, aged 81 in his beloved castle surrounded by his family. 

Admission is $12.50 for adults and $5 for children under 12. For more information on opening times and tours visit the Solomon's Castle website. 

Welcome: A sign at the front of the castle welcomes visitors and explains that Solomon who built the structure died on August 23, 2016

A quirky sculpture of a horse sits in the grounds of Solomon's Castle in Ona. Visitors are known to sit on the horse and pose for pictures

The Boat on the Moat is a 60-foot replica of a 16th century Portuguese Galleon which serves as the castle's restaurant for visitors

The most recent addition to the grounds is a lighthouse - Lile Life House - which helps deal with the overflow of diners from the Boat on the Moat

Inside the Boat on the Moat restaurant where visitors to the unique home can grab lunch and refreshments

Inside the castle: Above left the dining room where Solomon's wife Peggy lives, and pictured right, Solomon's hat rests in the room

Solomon shows off his quirky art work inside the castle. Above is an elephant created from oil drums

A piece of art work dubbed 'Bug Foot's Rollerskate' is seen above. Again it is created from recycled materials

Treasure trove of arts and crafts: A quirky chess set is pictured left and a portrait of Solomon himself is seen right