Earthquake-proof Los Gatos new-build with an “earth roof” asks $1.9 million

In Los Gatos, California, John Lipka spent five years building his two-bedroom dream house into a hillside — only to reconnect with a high school girlfriend and move in with her instead.

With its earthen roof, the house at 19388 Beardsley Rd, is reminiscent of a modern Hobbit home. It’s in unincorporated Los Gatos, a more rural area among the mountains and redwood forests southwest of Los Gatos proper.

The concrete was poured in place so that it could be built into the 60-degree hillside behind it. The home’s 10-inch-thick concrete walls and 20-foot-long folding glass doors are topped by an earthen roof.

“It is the only house of its kind in Santa Clara County,” said listing agent Cassie Maas. “It might even be the only house of its kind in more than that.”

Lipka owned the house next door as well as the vacant lot where he spent about five years designing and building the property as his dream retirement home. But by the time it was finally finished earlier this year, another longstanding dream had come true — Lipka reconnected with his high school girlfriend and ended up moving in with her.

Now the nearly 2,000-square-foot home is on the market for $1,866,000, a relative bargain compared with incorporated Los Gatos, where a fixer-upper of that size recently sold for $2.75 million. In Santa Clara County as a whole, the median monthly housing cost is close to $8,000.

“You get a lot more for your money in the mountains,” Maas said. “Though the particular house in question is literally just minutes to downtown Los Gatos.”

The home’s design will also reduce heating bills as the thick concrete walls create a constant cool inside the home, even on the hottest days, Maas said.

“I’m in a house that gets full sun all day long and just putting up shades and curtains helped drop the temperature in my house,” she said. “Now imagine if your house was completely covered in three feet of dirt.” In the winter, it can take a few days for the radiant heat to fully warm the home, she added, but once it does the solid walls retain the heat despite the many glass windows and doors.

Lipka also went for concrete construction because of its seismic safety. “Of course, no 100% guarantees can be made, but it is a reasonable assumption that the structure should be able to withstand almost any earthquake,” he said. “Any landslide would just require digging yourself out.”

The home has parking for up to 10 cars (including three in the 650-square-foot garage), a cast-iron soaking tub in one of two en suite bedrooms, LED color-changing lights throughout and a color-changing fireplace. The property also includes a creek, as well as the hillsides in front and behind the home.

Maas has set an offer date of September 10.

“We’ve had people come through that are very interested,” she said. “No one’s made a move yet, but that’s not uncommon for mountain listings.”