Sonora Eco-Friendly Straw Bale House on pond

Earthen home in Sonora, California

  1. 6 guests
  2. 3 bedrooms
  3. 5 beds
  4. 1 bath
Hosted by Lisa
  1. Superhost
  2. 12 years hosting

Listing highlights

Top 5% of homes

This home is highly ranked based on ratings, reviews, and reliability.

Self check-in

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Extra spacious

Guests love this home’s spaciousness for a comfortable stay.
Modern, gorgeous, light filled home in the heart of gold country. Home resides on a seasonal pond and creek. Sit outside by the fountain and enjoy a glass of wine or coffee as you watch the turkeys and deer stop by. Perhaps catch a glance of the river otters that live in the pond, or catch a fish. Kayaks are available. Relax in the hammocks and watch the stars.

Close to Yosemite, white water rafting, gold panning, hiking, caves, historic towns, wineries, Dodge Ridge & Leland

The space
A unique sustainable architecture form, made to passively heat and cool. The walls are 18” thick and each room is bathed in natural light. There are solar panels on the roof and the concrete floors have radiant heat, in the summer the concrete floors keep the home cool.
The land is rolling golden hills with oaks, wildflowers, a pond and seasonal creek. In the heart of gold country, with a historic gold mill pond. Through the woods you can peek an old logging train trestle.

Close to Dodge Ridge and Yosemite. All the cute towns and cafes, hikes and swims we share with you.

We have lots of wildlife that call our land home. We ask that dogs be leashed and under your command at all times.

We have several outdoor gathering spots for quiet reflection or group meals as well as several outdoor games such as ring toss, Cornhole and ladderball.

The house is close to amazing white water rafting on the clear, cool Tuolumne river. Yosemite is an easy trek, fun historic small towns and so much more to explore. There is a lot to see in beautiful Tuolumne County, however many people just want to stay put and lie in the hammock with a book and listen to the water.

The bathroom has a toilet that can be accessed separate from the shower. So someone can take a shower and the toilet is a separate space with a door, often called a water closet. There is only one bathroom but because of this design it is functional for most groups of 6.

Yosemite 40 miles
Dodge Ridge 29 miles
Pinecrest Lake 30 miles
Jamestown 11 miles
Murphys 26 miles
Sonora 8 miles
Columbia State park 12 miles
Twaine Harte 7 miles
Black oak casino 4 miles
Leland snow park 30 miles
Tuolumne river white water rafting 25 miles
Stanislaus National Forest 5 miles

Guest access
The house @sonorastrawbale on IG, is yours while you are a guest. The pond is shared with our adorable hobbit house, check it out on Instagram @sonorabirdsnest

Other things to note
If you are bringing small kids; this is a fragile home with lots of opportunities to damage the lime covered walls. Strawbale is covered with breathable lime plaster which some small hands may want to gouge, pick or otherwise destroy. Also, there is a fountain with over two feet of water outside the back door. There are several steep cliffs, drop offs and areas to fall. There are wild animals all around. It is a magical home and surroundings but we have Mt lions, coyotes, cliffs, ponds- you get the idea. Kids will need to be closely supervised.

House has shades that can be drawn in the summer and we have added window air conditioners to cool it off on very hot days.

Where you’ll sleep

1 of 2 pages

What this place offers

Garden view
Lake view
Waterfront
Kitchen
Wifi

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Rated 4.98 out of 5 from 101 reviews.

Guest favorite
This home is in the top 5% of eligible listings based on ratings, reviews, and reliability

Overall rating

  1. 5 stars, 98% of reviews
  2. 4 stars, 2% of reviews
  3. 3 stars, 0% of reviews
  4. 2 stars, 0% of reviews
  5. 1 stars, 0% of reviews

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for cleanliness

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for accuracy

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for check-in

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for communication

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for location

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for value

Guest reviews mention

Where you’ll be

Sonora, California, United States
This listing's location is verified and the exact location will be provided after booking.

Neighborhood highlights

The house is at the end of a culdesac, then down a long gravel driveway. it's surrounded by federal land so we have a lot of wildlife among our rolling hills and pond. The pond gets lower in the summer depending on rainfall. Bring old tennis shoes if you plan to use the kayaks. We don't have a dock yet.
There is a small magical cob house also on the property that is rented through Airbnb as well.
IG @sonorastrawbale
IG @sonorabirdsnest

Meet your host

Superhost
515 reviews
4.97 out of 5 average rating
12 years of hosting
Born in the 70s
My work: Massage Therapist
I have a massage therapy business and over 27 years experience doing bodywork. I enjoy good coffee, gardening, reading, hiking, and nature. My husband Brendan and I love to explore gold country and we are happy to share what we love about the area. Brendan is an avid mountain biker and Industrial Designer. Our boys are 11 and 16, and keep us busy. Now that we have kids, hotels don't work for us. We need a kitchen, we need some room to spread out, and we love a yard. It is always nice to have a little privacy as well. When we travel we love to stay in people's homes and now that we have been hosting since 2015 we are committed to creating a relaxing, nurturing and healing space. As a couple we are just remembering what we used to enjoy doing before kids. We enjoyed traveling, walking around our city with no destination in mind, eating at quirky restaurants, art, and meeting fabulous people.

Lisa is a Superhost

Superhosts are experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests.

Host details

Response rate: 100%
Responds within an hour
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Things to know

Cancellation policy
House rules
Check-in: 4:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Checkout before 11:00 AM
6 guests maximum
Safety & property
Exterior security cameras on property
Nearby lake, river, other body of water
Heights without rails or protection

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