Photos: You can own this 18-acre property that comes with three dome homes made out of barbed wire and sandbags for $279,000

Jordan PandyJul 22, 2023, 18:47 IST

One of the three adobe structures at Ransom Ranch.Kimberly Ewing

A rural ranch in McNeal, Arizona, is looking for a new owner who can forgo a mortgage.
The 18-acre plot is outfitted with three hand-built adobe domes, a well, and is powered by solar.

An 18-acre ranch in the Southern Arizona desert is looking for a new owner who's willing to rough it.

The $279,000 property doesn't have electricity — so that means no washing machine or refrigerator — but it isn't too far from the nearest town. Ransom Ranch, is located in McNeal, Arizona, only a 35-minute drive from Bisbee, Arizona, as well as the Mexico border.

The property has 12 fruit trees, an organic garden that grows flowers and nuts, and a private well. But the showstopper on the property are its three adobe domes.

The domes were built by stacking sandbags filled with earth on top of each other, layered with barbed wire for stability in between, and finished with a cement mix.

Everything is powered by solar and there's two "Humanure" outhouses, making it a pastoral experience.

"It's just a different way of living," listing agent Kimberly Ewing, of Bisbee Realty Inc., told Insider. "But certainly it could be a year-round private residence if someone was willing to take that on."

The unique property will force any buyer to embrace their settler urges. Check it out.

Marcia Gibbons purchased the undeveloped land in McNeal, Arizona, in 2007.

One of the three adobe domes Gibbons built on the property.Kimberly Ewing

Her original plan was to build a casita on the vast, empty plot, but decided she wanted to try a more uncommon building style instead.

A smaller adobe dwelling.Kimberly Ewing

Gibbons was fascinated by the adobe building technique popularized by Nader Khalili, an Iranian-American architect.

Some of the mature trees on the property.Kimberly Ewing

The same year she purchased the property, Gibbons traveled to CalEarth, Khalili's workshop in California, to learn about the technique with the hope of eventually building a home of her own.

Inside one of the adobe domes.Kimberly Ewing

The same year she purchased the property, Gibbons traveled to CalEarth, Khalili's workshop in California, to learn about the technique with the hope of eventually building a home of her own.

The process of building an adobe structure includes piling bundles of sandbags and earth on top of each other, with barbed wire between, and coating the outside with a cement mixture to lock it all in.

Some cacti and a view of a couple of the adobe domes.Kimberly Ewing

The process of building an adobe structure includes piling bundles of sandbags and earth on top of each other, with barbed wire between, and coating the outside with a cement mixture to lock it all in.

Gibbons, who Ewing said was a former public school teacher, used the help of former students to construct the domes.

A brightly colored adobe dome.Kimberly Ewing

Today, the property includes three domes with small openings to let sunlight in, as well as an outdoor kitchen, and a strawbale pump house that holds the well.

A skylight in one of the adobe domes.Kimberly Ewing

Gibbons made other improvements to the property, like two outhouses and a large garden with an orchard of fruit and nut trees.

A piece of the property where Gibbons planted fruit and nut trees.Kimberly Ewing

Any prospective dwellers should be prepared to rough it.

A living space inside one of the domes.Kimberly Ewing

There are two solar panels that provide power to a few lights around the property.

The two solar panels on the property.Kimberly Ewing

According to Ewing, Gibbons never lived full-time at Ransom Ranch, but was a frequent visitor.

Ransom Ranch signage.Kimberly Ewing

Bisbee, a nearby town with a population of fewer than 5,000, is only 25 minutes away from the property, according to the listing.

An outdoor sitting area just outside of the kitchen.Kimberly Ewing

Gibbons often used the ranch as a community meeting place to discuss alternative building methods, Ewing said.

The view from the outdoor kitchen.Kimberly Ewing

Ewing said interest in the property was high when it first hit the market in April, but has tapered off since.

A sitting area inside one of the domes.Kimberly Ewing

One reason buyers may be balking at the listing isn't necessarily the price. It might be because a buyer needs to pay in cash, forgoing a mortgage.

Another view of the outdoor kitchen.Kimberly Ewing

Ewing said that getting a mortgage for a property like Ransom Ranch isn't impossible, but because of the alternative builds, it makes it a lot harder to secure a loan.

The exterior of another adobe structure.Kimberly Ewing

She also added that the alternative-living lifestyle is popular in that part of Arizona.

A view of the outdoor kitchen sans a refrigerator.Kimberly Ewing

Ewing believes that it's a good location for a short-term rental, like Airbnb or Hipcamp, mainly for people looking for a reset from ordinary life.

A sitting nook inside one of the domes.Kimberly Ewing

Ewing also floated the idea of the property being used as a learning center for children.

An adobe dome surrounded by cacti and trees.Kimberly Ewing

Gibbons lives nearby, according to Ewing, and used the property as a getaway and space for creation but no longer has the time for its upkeep.

The two outhouses on the property.Kimberly Ewing

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Photos: You can own this 18-acre property that comes with three dome homes made out of barbed wire and sandbags for $279,000

Marcia Gibbons purchased the undeveloped land in McNeal, Arizona, in 2007.

Her original plan was to build a casita on the vast, empty plot, but decided she wanted to try a more uncommon building style instead.

Gibbons was fascinated by the adobe building technique popularized by Nader Khalili, an Iranian-American architect.

The same year she purchased the property, Gibbons traveled to CalEarth, Khalili's workshop in California, to learn about the technique with the hope of eventually building a home of her own.

The process of building an adobe structure includes piling bundles of sandbags and earth on top of each other, with barbed wire between, and coating the outside with a cement mixture to lock it all in.

Gibbons, who Ewing said was a former public school teacher, used the help of former students to construct the domes.

Today, the property includes three domes with small openings to let sunlight in, as well as an outdoor kitchen, and a strawbale pump house that holds the well.

Gibbons made other improvements to the property, like two outhouses and a large garden with an orchard of fruit and nut trees.

Any prospective dwellers should be prepared to rough it.

There are two solar panels that provide power to a few lights around the property.

According to Ewing, Gibbons never lived full-time at Ransom Ranch, but was a frequent visitor.

Bisbee, a nearby town with a population of fewer than 5,000, is only 25 minutes away from the property, according to the listing.

Gibbons often used the ranch as a community meeting place to discuss alternative building methods, Ewing said.

Ewing said interest in the property was high when it first hit the market in April, but has tapered off since.

One reason buyers may be balking at the listing isn't necessarily the price. It might be because a buyer needs to pay in cash, forgoing a mortgage.

Ewing said that getting a mortgage for a property like Ransom Ranch isn't impossible, but because of the alternative builds, it makes it a lot harder to secure a loan.

She also added that the alternative-living lifestyle is popular in that part of Arizona.

Ewing believes that it's a good location for a short-term rental, like Airbnb or Hipcamp, mainly for people looking for a reset from ordinary life.

Ewing also floated the idea of the property being used as a learning center for children.

Gibbons lives nearby, according to Ewing, and used the property as a getaway and space for creation but no longer has the time for its upkeep.