Eichler Homes 101

Table Of Content

• An Eye-Catching Eichler Home in Southern California Lists for $1.1M
• What Are Eichler Homes and Why Do People Love Them?
• San Rafael Eichlers
• S. California Eichlers for Sale
• From Orchards to Eichler Homes
• San Francisco’s Diamond Heights: The Experiment on a San Francisco Hilltop
• Explore Our Featured Modern & Mid-Century Modern Listings
• The Eichler Way: Stylish Modern Living in the Suburbs

I always felt that my grandfather had a presence that was greater than life itself. At family gatherings, the adult topics for my grandfather, father, and uncle, largely revolved around politics, and these could be very animated conversations among them. The war in Vietnam was brought up often enough, that for some reason one recollection that I seem to still hold in my memory is my grandfather telling me that I would not go to war. Our rare and immaculate Eichler home La Nanette is located in Granada Hills in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles.

An Eye-Catching Eichler Home in Southern California Lists for $1.1M

Born in the Bronx to European Jewish parents, Eichler was raised in a politically liberal family and grew up in the culturally diverse community of New York City. Although his parents were of modest means, Eichler attended New York University and graduated with a business degree. A career on Wall Street prepared him for a leadership role in the tough business world. In his native state, Eichler managed to construct just three homes – all located in the village of Chestnut Ridge, New York.

What Are Eichler Homes and Why Do People Love Them?

Those two wings were formed by two bedrooms on the back and the garage on the street side. The bedroom wing helped define and shelter a backyard patio made accessible from the living room through a glass door in a floor-to-ceiling glass wall. Many have restored them to fit their original designs, replacing everything from door handles to faucets. These Eichler communities bring people together, sharing contractors, real estate agents, plumbers, and furniture companies specializing in Eichler design.

San Rafael Eichlers

Many cities and towns encouraged people to move to suburbs, creating planned communities and constructing highways to connect them to the city. Whether you’re looking for a starter home in Oakland, CA, or a forever house in Sacramento, CA, an Eichler home is worth considering. Here’s everything you need to know about these houses, from their history and unique features to their lasting design and social impacts. Developer Joseph Eichler, whose homes had already gained popularity up north in the San Francisco Bay Area, was among those who put their Mid-Century stamp on the architecture of Southern California.

One such architect included one of Wright’s design proteges, Robert Ashen, who designed the initial Eichler home prototypes that were built in 1949. Back then, modern architecture meant elite custom homes and large corporate buildings. Hydronic radiant floor systems, flat or low-slung gabled roofs, floor-to-ceiling windows, and sunny atriums defined the ideal Eichler home.

They were open-air and typically located on the axis of the entrance door. It was another “room” in the house, a communal space around which the entire house was centered, and it became a hit with home buyers. The Eichler developments across California have captivated me for over a decade.

Unfortunately, there was a disagreement between Eichler and Anshen on the fees due to the architect, and their relationship was strained. The living, dining, and kitchen areas flow together in one soaring space. Here, Serrao Design/Architecture placed new, polished concrete slabs over the original ones to alleviate unsightly cracks.

Explore Our Featured Modern & Mid-Century Modern Listings

Eichler's Eichler: Homebuilder's Personal Residence in Atherton, CA, Is Listed for $6.3M - Realtor.com News

Eichler's Eichler: Homebuilder's Personal Residence in Atherton, CA, Is Listed for $6.3M.

Posted: Wed, 27 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Eventually, other firms would partner with Eichler’s company to develop similar homes, all of which were known as Eichlers.

The Eichler Way: Stylish Modern Living in the Suburbs

The house's bold multicolored accents make this a breathtaking Joseph Eichler home. The first Eichlers were a tract of 50 three-bedroom, one-bath homes, which sold for only $10,000 each. In less than 20 years, Eichler built over 10,000 homes in San Francisco and 900 more in Southern California.

Klopf Architecture's modest 72-square-foot addition at the front of the home blends in with the original structure while giving the owners a greater sense of openness in the master and hall bathrooms. Michael Hennessey Architecture paid homage to Eichler’s affinity for open spaces by reconfiguring this home’s living area on the upper floor and moving the kitchen to seamlessly connect the rooms. Once a tight, jumbled cube, the kitchen of this 1959 Eichler rehabbed by architect Mona Ying Reeves now stars a quartzite-covered island that separates it from the dining room. Other inviting touches include Fireclay glazed brick floor tile, custom lacquer-finished red cabinets, and a glass wall looking out on the backyard. Architecture historian and writer Alan Hess says after World War II, Eichler built some 11,000 single-family homes in California. My sense of my grandfather, and somewhat consistent with the stories that have been handed down, is that he would have resisted significant and wholesale updates (renovations) to any of "his" existing homes.

However, because of their assembly-line production, they generally lacked quality and were often identical to neighboring homes. Also, they were usually zoned, built for, and sold to exclusively white communities. Aligning himself with a stable of progressive, empathic architects—first the San Francisco firm of Anshen and Allen, then Jones & Emmons, later Claude Oakland—Eichler realized his dream, styled with imagination. Both Jones and Anshen recommended using post and beam construction for the homes. This system could be erected quickly, allowing for the interior floor plan flexibility.

Eichler, Jones, and Anshen would collaborate closely, vetting out design problems, making plan revisions, and dialing in their designs. Klopf Architecture, Arterra Landscape Architects, and Flegels Construction joined forces to refurbish this Palo Alto Eichler. Standout features include a fully opening glass wall, an outdoor living area with a kitchen and fire pit, and furniture by Kayu and Primary Pouf. One highlight is the island, which the design team crafted in the owners’ own backyard.

The modernist residence is truly an epitome of iconic California living at its very best. The Southern California Eichler Homes developments are in Thousand Oaks, Granada Hills, Orange and Palm Springs. Jamie is part of the content marketing team and is passtionate about climate change, housing affordability, and housing market trends.

The original atrium has been converted and with the extended entryway, the room adds 470 square feet to the home. It was the Bazett House that inspired Eichler to become a real estate developer and to specialize in modern homes. Although Joseph Eichler was not an architect, he worked with famous designers and architects to build gorgeous and reasonably-priced homes that effectively linked the indoors and outdoors. Between 1949 and 1966, Eichler built over 11,000 homes throughout the Northern and Southern communities of California.