“There’s nothing like it”: Unique ‘sculpture’ house hits the market
A home built from nearly 100 tonnes of salvaged steel has become known as the “Steel House” in Ransom Canyon, Texas, and its new owners are hoping to sell it.
Courtney and Blake Bartosh, realtors with Taylor Reid Realty, bought the home several months ago from the builder’s daughter, before putting it back on the market for $USD 1.75 million ($NZD 2.6 million).
‘We purchased it with every intention of turning it into an Airbnb or VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner). We’re getting a cash out [refinance] to finish the house, because the inside of it is not done,” Courtney Bartosh told realtor.com. “If it sells for what we’re asking, great. If not, as soon as we get our refinancing done, we will take it off the market, and we will finish it.”
Construction of the Steel House began in 1974, but its builder, Robert Bruno, never finished it, passing away from colon cancer in 2008.
The structure has been unoccupied ever since.
“Robert built an incredible house, and nobody has ever really been allowed in it,” Bartosh added. “He built it for a reason, not to just sit there and have people drive by and look at it. He wanted people to see inside of it. We don’t want someone to buy it and never open it up. Robert built this incredible thing. People drive by it constantly, and they should be able to go in and see it.”
The unfinished home is made up of two steel shells with insulation between them, and features stained glass windows, winding stairs connecting the different floors, and archways and curved designs throughout.
Bartosh said some of the walls could be painted, but that the steel still comes through.
“I don’t think that the house is meant to be a warm and cozy house. People are not going to go stay in it because it is warm and cozy,” she said. “They’re going to want to stay in it because it’s iconic. It’s different. There’s nothing like it.”
Currently, the home’s configuration includes three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms inside the 200-square metre steel structure.
However, its new owners will need to put some work in to get it ready to live in.
“There’s subfloor and tile in some places. Some areas need some flooring. Some of the windows need to be worked on. One of the bathrooms is not finished, and the kitchen needs to be finished out,” Bartosh said.
The house sits on four legs - which also contain rooms including a sitting area and an office - and boasts views of the Ransom Canyon below.
“The house sits on three lots, and it overlooks the Ransom Canyon and the lake. The main window in the living room is incredible to look out of. It’s an incredible view,” Bartosh said.
Despite the majority of the house appearing suspended, you enter through a regular front door.
“Where you park in the street, you just walk straight into the house,” Bartosh explained. “When you walk in, you’re on the main level.”
This level also houses the living space, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms, and a couple of bathrooms, and the master bedroom is found upstairs.
Bartosh said she and her husband plan to finish construction in about six months, but they know they might encounter obstacles once the work begins.
Though she said she is OK if the home doesn’t sell, Bartosh added that it is a unique opportunity for a new owner.
“Who else can say they live inside a sculpture?” she asks.
“We love the house. It’s an incredible home. Nobody else in the world can say they’ve owned something like it.”
Images: Realtor.com, Courtney Bartosh, The Bartosh Realty Group