Just maaahvelous for raising llamas

Anyone who has ever taken a second, wistful look at those TV commercials urging viewers to raise alpacas may find this home on the range in the Santa Ynez Valley appealing.

The 118-acre property has been the residence for Joan and Don Speirs and the headquarters of Joan’s business, El Ranchito de las Llamas y Alpacas, which breeds the doe-eyed animals from South America and produces the fiber used in making sweaters.

The couple designed the Tuscan-style villa, completed about eight years ago, around fine, old doors -- some dating to the 17th century -- and other antiques they gathered on-site.

Joan always had an interest in architecture and design but said she loved working with animals. “My business started 23 years ago when we moved from Palos Verdes to the [Santa Ynez] valley,” she said. It began with a 4-H project to give her younger son, Dan, an experience caring for a llama.

“As it turns out, llamas are like peanuts,” she said. “You can’t have just one.”

There have been as many as 200 llamas and alpacas on the property at one time. In preparation to sell the 118-acre ranch, Joan cut her herd to a handful.

About this property: Joan plans to continue her business on a smaller scale nearby. “Interestingly, nobody who has looked at the ranch has been interested in the business,” she said. “The last one to look wants to grow grapes.”

Asking price: $6.9 million

Size: The main house has two bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms in 3,840 square feet. There is a large, detached office/guesthouse, and a 32-foot tower containing a meditation room with a 17-foot ceiling. The property also has a two-bedroom, one-bathroom manager’s house and barns.

Features: The exterior walls are more than a foot thick. There are Belgium limestone counters in the kitchen, patterned brick as well as planked wood floors and a courtyard entry. The home has panoramic views of the pastures and rolling hills with hundreds of oaks. There are five masonry fireplaces, including one outside, and a rose garden. The ranch has its own well.

Where: The home is in the east end of the Santa Ynez Valley, near the Santa Ynez River.

Listing agent: Wayne Natale, Village Properties, (805) 688-1654

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To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, please send color interior and exterior photos on a CD and a brief description of the house, including what makes the property unusual, to Ruth Ryon, Real Estate Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Questions can be sent to homeoftheweek@latimes.com.