The house grew from a modest carport into a sprawling bottle‑filled residence, with every bottle hand‑laid by the Finches and friends between 1964 and 1982.
Each green wine, amber beer, cobalt blue medicine jar was cleaned and embedded in thick mortar, creating walls that act as natural insulation and a living stained‑glass wall that filters desert light.
The design also keeps indoor temperatures moderate; the glass‑concrete mass absorbs daytime heat and releases it at night, cutting energy usage in an era before green building codes.
After Joy's death, artist Kathe B purchased the house, restored plumbing and wiring while preserving the bottle façade, and later listed it with Long Realty on a 5‑acre lot that boasts mature saguaro and views of the Catalina Mountains.
Preservation groups have praised the house as a rare, structurally sound example of mid‑century desert folk architecture, and the listing is attracting buyers looking for unique, eco‑friendly homes.
Prospective buyers can arrange viewings through Long Realty, with the property scheduled for an open house next month.