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A ‘Treasure’ in the Desert: .2M Artist-Built Adobe Home in AZ

We have the dirt on a fascinating artist-built home in Cave Creek, AZ, on the market for $1.2 million. This adobe home was constructed with handmade mud bricks, molded from clay found on the land and baked by the sun.

The part-art, part-architecture project was the brainchild of local artist George Reiley, who engaged students and artists to help with the construction. The home was completed in 1984.

Inspired by a Hopi kiva, the residence is built in the round and earth-sheltered. It was even blessed by a Hopi priest. The adobe abode, which was covered by Phoenix Home and Garden magazine, is known slightly differently by the neighbors.

“All the locals call it the ‘Flintstone house,’” says current owner Kris Stevens. “It’s the look of the home. It either speaks to you or it doesn’t.”

This unique spot definitely spoke to Stevens.

“We fell in love with it the minute we saw the house. It’s just a piece of art,” she says. She and husband Mike Stevens purchased the place in 1991. Barbara Miller of Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing.

“We refined it,” Stevens says of the house, while trying “to stay within its boundaries” of the original design. Thanks to their improvements, the house no longer leaks or floods. They also converted an old art studio into a guesthouse and installed air conditioning, which is crucial in this desert climate.

The 3.6-acre property includes a three-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot main house. It has an en suite master bedroom with fireplace; custom built-ins throughout; brick and stone flooring; a full kitchen, dining room, and living room; patios; and a roof deck. The upper level has two more bedrooms and a bathroom.

A 900-square-foot, one-bed, one-bath guesthouse comes with its own two-car garage.

The property has a six-stall barn and covered parking for tractors, horse trailers, and other equipment. Access to state land leads to miles of trails for horseback riding, biking, and hiking.

The homeowners, who are moving to be closer to work and horse shows, are reluctantly letting their livable art go.

“It’s amazing. You forget the things you don’t have, like flat walls. You don’t care; you just accept it the way it is. It’s a treasure,” Stevens says.

She says her favorite part of the home is the feeling she gets when she’s inside.

“No matter what else is going on in the world, you don’t have any cares. You can shut everything out; it’s its own little world. It hugs you,” she says. “It’s been hard to give this place up.”

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Source: Real Estate News and Advice – realtor.com » Real Estate News