Best properties on the market
This week: Straw-bale homes
1. Cayucos, Calif. Straw-bale construction has a long history, but in recent decades, homes created from straw-block walls have made a comeback because of the technique’s environmental benefits. The straw-bale main house at Wellspring Ranch has two bedrooms and a dance or yoga studio. The ranch’s 158-acre property also includes a guesthouse, a yurt, horse and hiking trails, and a grove of 1,000 young avocado trees. $1,995,000. Jutta Jacobs, Barnes & Associates/Sotheby’s International Realty, (805) 909-0520
2. Three Forks, Mont. Set on 163 acres, this two-bedroom home, built in 2000, features an open floor plan, two master suites, and an attached four-car garage with a shop area. As required by state law, the home has a window in one wall (shown at right) to prove that actual straw bales were used in construction. $459,900. Sue Frye, ERA Landmark Real Estate, (406) 556-5056
Steal of the week
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. Kanab, Utah Located in a remote town that sits between Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park and southern Utah’s Dixie National Forest, this four-bedroom adobe-style home has a straw-bale addition and achieves passive-solar climate control using radiant-floor heating and an evaporative cooling system. The purchaser is afforded access to community tennis courts and a pool. $299,000. Brian Bernath, ERA Utah Properties, (435) 899-9025
4. Woodbury, Conn. This five-bedroom, Italian-style villa uses geothermal power to do away with heating and cooling bills. The house stands adjacent to a nature preserve on a south-facing hillside overlooking the Weekeepeemee River. Interior details include mahogany floors, a gourmet kitchen with a pizza oven, barrel-vaulted ceilings, and an exercise room. $1,895,000. Stacey Matthews, William Raveis Real Estate, (860) 868-9066
5. Santa Fe This adobe-style, three-bedroom home is located in Las Campanas, a private golf community. The house has two fireplaces and a library with floor-to-ceiling shelving. The property includes landscaped gardens and unobstructed views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. $949,500. Marion Skubi and Johnnie Gillespie, Sotheby’s International Realty, (505) 954-0730
6. Galisteo, N.M. This two-bedroom house and its artist studio are located on a 2.5-acre lot south of Santa Fe. The home features a kiva fireplace, ceiling vigas, and floors made of concrete and brick. The property borders an 85,000-acre ranch. $350,000. Amber Haskell, Santa Fe Properties/Christie’s Great Estates, (505) 216-3426
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Is China winning the AI race?
Today's Big Question Or is it playing a different game than the US?
-
5 refreshing podcasts you may have missed this spring
The Week Recommends Exploring the cultural impact of Jerry Springer, a look at contemporary spending habits and more
-
Mortgages: The future of Fannie and Freddie
Feature Donald Trump wants to privatize two major mortgage companies, which could make mortgages more expensive
-
6 well-preserved homes built in the 1930s
Feature Featuring a restored 1934 colonial in Arizona and a cold-storage warehouse turned loft in New York City
-
6 lounge-ready homes with conversation pits
Feature Featuring a terrazzo-flanked pit in California and a fire-side pit in Nevada
-
6 elegant Queen Anne Victorian homes
Feature Featuring original diamond-glass doors in New York and a registered historic landmark in Arkansas
-
6 charming homes in Rhode Island
Feature Featuring an award-winning home on Block Island and a casket-making-company-turned-condo in Providence
-
6 isolated homes for hermits
Feature Featuring a secluded ranch on 560 acres in New Mexico and a home inspired by a 400-year-old Italian farmhouse in Colorado
-
6 peaceful homes in farm country
Feature Featuring a two-story solarium in California and a three-season screened porch in Wisconsin
-
6 must-see homes in Boston
Feature Featuring a factory-turned-loft in South Boston and a wraparound roof deck in South End
-
6 display-ready homes for art collectors
Feature Featuring hand-painted floors in Louisiana and 13-foot beamed ceilings in New York City