Nestled in the rugged landscape of Joshua Tree, California, is a cluster of rock-like domes that look like they belong on Mars.
The otherworldly property, known as Bonita Domes, just hit the market for $2.1 million.
Jeffrey Weiss, the current owner, bought the house in October 2020 for $808,500, per listing records. This is the first time that he's listing the property for sale.
Houses in Joshua Tree have a median listing home price of $440,000, according to real-estate data platform Realtor.com. There are currently 181 single-family homes for sale in the area, with prices ranging from $119,999 to $18 million. The Bonita Domes property is the third most expensive listing in the area.
The domes were constructed by a woman named Lisa Starr over seven years, listing agent James Bianco from Coldwell Banker Realty told Insider.
The structures were built primarily using excavated earth from the site, Starr, a drum-maker and spiritual healer, wrote on her website.
Starr built the domes based on a design by Nader Khalili, an Iranian-American architect who passed away in 2008, Bianco said.
Khalili was a pioneer in SuperAdobe architecture, a building method where sandbags of moist earth are stacked with barbed wire in layers or coils to create a structure.
Khalili founded the California Institute of Earth Architecture, or CalEarth, a nonprofit organization that researches and develops sustainable building designs, in 1991.
He developed the SuperAdobe building system by integrating "traditional earth architecture with contemporary global safety requirements," according to the CalEarth website.
"He was assigned in the mid-80s by NASA to design for lunar and space habitation, so the result was a shelter using the most stable of all the architectural elements — the arch, or dome — and he also found local materials that would insulate and protect," Bianco said.
Inspired by Khalili's work, Starr decided to adopt his building method to create a SuperAdobe house of her own.
Starr wrote on her website that she connected with Khalili's building philosophy after attending a one-week workshop hosted by CalEarth in 2010, and bought the blueprints so she could build her own home.
Starr completed the house in 2014 and lived there for the next six years, until 2020.
The 1,339-square-foot house comprises three domes: a main residence that has five bedrooms, a bathhouse, and a cocktail bar.
The five bedrooms can each comfortably fit about two people, Bianco said.
"The door comes down and you need to crawl in there," Bianco said. "At first, you're like, 'Oh my God, I have to crawl in this space,' but they're actually fairly spacious."
The property also comes with an on-site meditation temple, Bianco said.
The domes include built-in features, such as bathtubs and display shelves.
In 2021, Weiss added a pool and landscaping on the grounds around the house.
The outdoor fireplace and kitchen are more comfortable to use when the sun is down, Bianco said.
There are plenty of other unique homes in Joshua Tree, California. Part of the reason, Bianco believes, is because the people who own houses there want to create something that's as different as the atmosphere itself.
Bianco thinks that the property is a great investment opportunity: "I can see somebody owning this as a trophy piece."
The property is well-suited to be an events space where weddings and parties can be held, he added.
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