Imagine I told you, amidst the jungle of the cookie cutter floor plans enlarged or reduced in the copier machine of the developer, there is an architect designed house, a piece of modernism, and a piece of history right here in Orange County? Eichler homes. Built by US American Real Estate Developer Joseph Eichler, there are 11,000 Eichler homes in California- Nine communities in North California, and three in Southern California. What makes these communities special is, these are not just tracts, they are communities that help people connect with each other, something that the modern society misses. (I hear the Eichler homeowners in the Fairhaven tract know each )
Last weekend, we were looking for something up the hills in Santa Ana, and as we came down the houses with panoramic views and nerve wrecking drive-ways, we saw an open house being hosted by our Realtor. We thought of dropping in to say Hello, and as we drove that way, I realized it was not just another Tustin-Santa Ana-Orange house with half acre lot, it was an Eichler! As soon as the car halted, I ran inside to see something I usually saw in the magazines. Bold colors, floor to ceiling glasses, a very unique design.. and an atrium to welcome us to the world of modernism. I fell in love, unfortunately the stage of life that we are in wouldn't allow us to buy this house- but for anyone with the slightest flair to art, architecture, and anything a cut from the rest, Eichler home is the answer.
What are the features of an Eichler home?
In these homes, traditional bearing walls are replaced by post and beam construction, and glass walls. The floor plans are open, making the house a bonding place for the family, but still giving each room the privacy it needs. The elevation is a typical low sloping roof, or a flat roofed single story structure without any front facing windows. If there is any glazing, it's usually closer to the ceiling, and sometimes frosted too. Vertical 2″ pattern wood siding is another prominent design feature along with clear geometric lines in the facade. There are skylights to make use of the natural light. Floor to ceiling glass windows/walls with glass transoms flood the house with natural light, bringing the outsides in. The atrium is the life center of the house, capturing all the activity from the various rooms of the house, and providing that airy feeling without constricting traditional hallways.
The homes are heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's style of Architecture- clean and simple. Joseph Eichler brought this exclusive and expensive style of architecture to mass market via San Francisco firm of Anshen & Allen, Jones & Emmons, Claude Oakland. Architect designed tract homes without cookie cutter floor plans and planned pools and parks for the community to enjoy. When they first debuted in the market, they were priced at a very affordable $9,500, a far cry from the $2,395,000 this Eichler is listed right now in Palo Alto!
It's not all as rosy as the exotic pictures though. Even the iPhones had their own antennae issues. Heating and cooling is an issue. The houses get too hot, or too cold. Some have solved that problem with radiant heaters beneath the floor, but lets' face it. They do need more maintenance than the regular air conditioning system. My almost teenager daughter pointed out that this house won't be convenient for sleeping in. Of course! All that light and bringing outside in will also bring the natural clock inside. Putting curtains will be blasphemy! Then there is privacy issue too.. Lets' face it, having children in no way stops certain things from happening all over the house, but having glass walls and atriums into the kitchen and living rooms will. The homes stay low in elevation, and the lot size, fences give you the desired level of privacy from the neighbors, but then there is a certain need of privacy within the family also. Leaky roofs are another issue. When the roof is very flat, the 10 days a year California can be hard to deal with.
But there is a solution to every problem. The glasses from the days of yore can be replaced with the tinted glasses that control the temperatures. Low thermal emissivity glass can also be a solution. There are low profile roof top air-conditioning units that can be retrofitted on the roofs without compromising the integrity of the original design and construction. Kitchens can be upgraded via IKEA systems that are affordable and suit the Eichler styles. Rigid insulation spray helps with the roof, and there are Eichler roof upgrades offered by some roofing companies to make it sustainable and comfortable.
Another historical aspect of Eichler homes that might not make sense now, especially in Irvine where the Asian buyers are out-pricing any other buyer by a huge margin- When Eichler homes were built, Joseph Eichler took a stand against discrimination and issued a non-discrimination policy. Anyone could buy his Eichler homes, and be a part of the community. He sold homes to African-Americans breaking barriers. The consequence? He had to resign from National Association of Home Builders in 1958 because they refused to support his policy. In a way, he was the Martin Luther King of housing.
Even in this day and age where money can buy anything and everything, we see segregated housing – but it's mostly economic segregation. When the “company” lets low income families into Irvine, many take offense, talk about how they can't shield their children even after throwing so much money for an Irvine house. That makes up a whole different topic. Without digressing into the social and economic impacts of housing, let's get back to Eichler homes. End of the day like minded people flock together, and for Eichlers, it's the educated art and architecture enthusiasts.
Does the design of a house affect the thinking of the inhabitant?
Joseph Eichler lived in a rental Frank Lloyd Wright home. Steve Jobs lived in an Eichler home. Is it too soon to advertise the association of Eichler with invention? Most of the people living in the Eichler homes are well accomplished in their world, if not world famous. Does the open design open up their minds as well? Where do Irvine homes stand in that regard? Are our homes too constricting and cookie cutter to stifle our thinking? Is it all doom and gloom for our math, music and martial arts progenies thanks to their itty-bitty backyards? It might make up for great independent thesis study, but as a more generic statement, don't we all agree that the adversities bring the best out of a person, not an entitled life? I am in no way suggesting taking all those privileges away from a child, or questioning those who do it, but just trying to make a connection with housing and lifestyles defining success.
Here is the Eichler home we visited in Orange: 732 South Woodland Street, Orange CA
Virtual tour of the house: Orange Eichler
Offered at $769,000, it has four bedrooms and 1.75 bathrooms. Price/SF is close to Irvine standards at $445, but it comes with a 9,148 lot. The Realtor's description says “Living in a home that is an architectural design statement is one of life's joys, and here is your opportunity to do just that. With wonderful, abundant natural light and terazzo tile flooring, this vibrant 4 bedroom, 2 bath Eichler classic brings all the beauty of the outside in. With great positioning on a huge 9,148 square foot lot, this lovely home was once featured in the pages of Sunset Magazine. Enter the front of the house into a plein-air atrium with soothing water feature that opens to the sky, perfect for casual summer dining or a relaxing cup of morning coffee. The spacious kitchen opens directly onto the family room, and the entire back of the house takes in the panorama of the huge backyard pool and free-standing spa, with endless room for huge parties. In the master bath is an open, step-in shower and the bedroom has a long, modern wall cabinet with frosted glass for extra storage. Imagine sitting in your front bedroom/office and being able to see all the way through your house into the backyard, through walls of glass! This beautiful home in the Fairhaven Eichler tract is located just a short distance to the popular Esplanade walking trail, and close to the Chapman corridor with shops, restaurants and plenty of shopping.”
Would you buy an Eichler home? I would love to, but at this stage in life, public schools associated with the house aren't good enough, and private schools aren't an option. I don't mind the upgrades with the trade off being bragging rights. Compared to Palo Alto, this sounds a bargain, but the soil of Orange isn't as sacred and special as Palo Alto, or even Irvine. Eichler home is an empty canvas to express yourself and own the home your way, but what about Irvine homes?
Currently we live in a small and cute detached condominium designed by one of the prominent Orange County Architect, and again, like an Eichler, the Irvine homes are built as communities, not simply as tracts. It takes a great architect to design a mansion, and a greater architect to design something small and extremely functional. It's not a masterpiece yet, but going by what's being churned off the copy machine in the newer developments, and seeing how the same floor plan is aging in the sister community, I would say I am a happy Irvine homeowner!
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