Sand Art: Oregon’s Coastal Hippie House Is an Architectural Riddle for $799K

Designed during an era of free-spirited thinking, an unconventional beach house on the Pacific Coast is ready for a new owner.

Known as the Hippie House, this angular abode in Gleneden Beach, OR, is available for $799,000.

The home’s severe shape makes it a real standout on this skinny stretch of shoreline, about 90 miles west of Portland, OR.

“This is very unusual with slanted walls—and kind of the nonconforming way it was designed,” explains listing agent Karla Kuhlenbeck, with Windermere, Distinctive Coastal Properties. “It’s the ultimate treehouse fort. It’s not practical, but it’s everybody’s dream to go in there and see that house.”

Built in 1970, the 1,440-square-foot wooden house has two small bedrooms and two bathrooms. And suffice it to say, the home wasn’t designed for aging in place.

“There are little ladders, and the doors are custom made,” Kuhlenbeck says. “The bathroom is hilarious with funny little sinks going sideways. You kind of have to crawl up a ladder to get to the shower. I call it a piece of art on the sand.”

It was once featured in a 1979 issue of National Geographic and retains many of its original features—woodwork, floors, and some appliances, including a bespoke gas stove in the main living area.

The original owner’s estate is ready to part with the home. Kuhlenbeck says the dwelling’s architect saw the listing and called her to explain how the place got its nickname.

“He said he met the owners and got together and did this freeform design on the sand, and they were all wearing tie-dyed shirts and ponytails,” she recounts. “It was nonconforming and, back in the 1970s, people were young at heart and free-spirited.”

The home is in the Salishan area, known for coastal homes along an eight-mile beach.

“Everybody knows the house,” Kuhlenbeck says. “There are probably six or seven very unique homes [here] that people can identify with. Probably the average home out there is between 2,200 and 3,200 square feet, and this one is smaller. It’s the perfect getaway.”

Short-term vacation rentals are not allowed in the area, so the buyer will probably use the property as a second home and will likely keep its charming quirks intact, Kuhlenbeck predicts.

“In my opinion, I believe anybody can go in certainly change it, but you would have to change it so much, what’s the point of buying it?” she wonders.

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