rosalyn kahlil: This rotating dome home spins right 'round

Zillow

The dome home rotates to take advantage of the sun's energy.

By Erika Riggs, Zillow

116 Canaan Rd, New Paltz NY
For sale: $1,200,000

Normally, when someone asks for the remote, it's because they want to undertake some serious TV channel surfing. But in one unique home located just 90 minutes north of New York City, playing with the remote control will set the entire wooden house spinning on its axis.

This dome home was, in fact, built on an electronically-controlled axle. So with a push of a button, the 3,000-square-foot New Paltz home for sale can rotate 360 degrees. In five orbital minutes, the house completes one full rotation.

The owners of this circular domicile aren't constantly on the spin cycle. The feature is used to take advantage of the sun for the home's solar energy needs. Each season, the home is rotated for maximum efficiency, explained listing agent Anne Rajs.

While the home looks similar to geodesic dome homes, it was built using a kit from France called Domespace and is the only structure like it that has been constructed in the U.S.

"It does look like a space ship," said Rajs, "But it's an amazing home. It's the coolest home I've ever seen."

The two-story home features 40-foot ceilings centered by the axle. Tall, wedge-shaped windows keep the interiors light-filled and open. The home features bamboo flooring and custom wood and stone cabinetry. The first floor contains two bedrooms and the majority of the living space. A central spiral staircase leads to the second floor which holds the master suite, office and additional balcony space.

Although one of the home's main appeals is its unique design, Rajs believes that the home's location is a big sell as well.

"It's this beauty of a house in the middle of 28 acres," Rajs said. "And you can walk to the Mohonk Preserve which has 1,000 acres more of hiking and rock climbing."

The home has also been featured on the Discovery Channel and a video of the interiors, as well as the home rotating, is on YouTube.

According to Zillow's mortgage calculator, a monthly mortgage payment on the home will be $4,475, assuming a 20 percent down payment on a 30-year-fixed-rate mortgage.