How Many Legos Does It Take To Build A House?

(MoneyWatch)  For years, we had a tub of Legos sitting in our basement. Our kids weren't really into Legos, although they'd build something from time to time.

My husband, Sam, has always been far more into building and constructing Lego houses. In Los Angeles, my friend Wendy keeps a bowl of Legos on her living room table to keep guests entertained. And, my neighbors request a new Lego kit (boats, Star Wars figures or battleships) for many of their kids' birthday parties.

Even when Legoland came into being, and I started reading about Lego building contests, I couldn't get our kids interested in building much with the blocks.

But maybe that's because the kids couldn't figure out a real world application for their Legos - like building a house.

Television host James May is going to live in a colorful house built of Legos, located on the grounds of Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, Surrey. It's the first house constructed entirely of Legos, and some 2 million Lego blocks have already been used in the construction.

The idea came up "over a beer," May said. He and his friend were talking about what they would have built if they had had enough Legos.

Will May live in the house, which is going to have Lego furniture, including a bed (let's hope there is a mattress) and flushing Lego toilet? He said to the Daily Mail:

"I'm planning to stay there for two or three days, or until it falls down - whichever is sooner. I'm pretty relaxed about it, but will just have to be careful moving around. If I wake up buried under a pile of bricks, I'll know it's gone wrong."

The house is part of a BBC television series called "James May's Toy Stories" in which May takes some of Britain's best-loved toys and uses them in new ways.