Wednesday, September 07, 2022

Architecture Wednesday: East Bay Eichler

Eichler homes epitomize that Mid-Century Modern style; as an offshoot of Frank Lloyd Wright designs, Eichler homes have clean lines. Natural materials but differ from FLW in that they also have minimal ornamentation.

Inspired by his time living in a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Joseph Eichler, a real estate developer working in California in the 1950s and ’60s,  was one of the primary builders responsible for bringing modern homes to the masses, building over 11,000 in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. Eichler wanted to take Wright’s design ideas and make them accessible to middle-class home buyers.

A true Eichler will feature small windows facing the street and huge windows facing an outdoor space in the back; post and beam construction; center courtyard or roofed atrium; an abbreviated entry court; carport; and “front-to-back” planning that puts the living spaces in the rear of the home.

And that’s where we find this Eichler in Castro Valley’s Greenridge neighborhood and for sale for just $2,650,000. The homes, originally, was small, but in 1974 the owners added an enormous primary suite, bathroom and closet—which features my one, huge quibble … a toilet literally inside the primary suite closet—taking the house up to 3,300 square feet with four bedroom and three baths.

The current owners have taken the home to the next level by respectfully updating everyone’s favorite features including a full kitchen remodel with a massive ceramic tile island, ample cabinet and storage, and a rare gas range for an Eichler home; in addition, they also remodeled the two original bathrooms with high end fixtures.

Other features include period specific cork flooring throughout, original globe lights and mahogany paneling, beautiful unpainted ceilings, an open-air atrium entrance, and an open concept floor plan in the great room for today’s living. Upgrades and other details include an insulated foam roof, updated electrical system, EV charger, newer high efficiency boilers for the radiant heating, a two-car attached garage, remote control solar shade window treatments throughout, and a CAT-5e wireless system for efficiently working at home, or running a business. 

And all of this sits on a 15,000 square foot lot, with room for a pool, incredibly private and perfect for entertaining. This one is still on the market y’all, so you might wanna check your bank accounts.

As always, click to emBIGGERate …

33 comments:

  1. Oh, yeah. Let me check that bank account right away. I’m not sure exactly how much is in there. Do I have a spare 7 million or do I have only 2?

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    1. I'm checking the couch cushions.

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  2. Too much glass, and I'm not a fan of the barn doors.

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    1. Glass is a hallmark of midcentury, and I find the doors more like sliding walls.

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  3. I think my family would have to
    send out a search party for me!
    xoxo :-)

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    1. The addition is really quite large.
      xoxo

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  4. First impressions-Something about the craftsmanship that looks cheap. Also, I do not like homes with garages sitting prominently in the front. I am not a light wood person. Love the light.

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    1. I think the garage and the trees and lack of windows make for a mysterious house view, especially when all that changes once you enter.

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  5. Too much shrubbery/trees in the front. Why are they hiding the house? Love everything else. So much light. Though, I do wonder how many times I'd walk into those glass walls before I learned to navigate the place. A bit of a labyrinth! But charming. And I love the open backside (but then, I always have...)

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    1. I like that the front is hidden with very few windows, but the whole back is glass to the yard.
      And I've heard about your penchant for open backside ..... 😎

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  6. Being born with a mid-century mindset I did as suggested and checked my bank balance. Low and behold I might actually be able to buy one of the door knobs as long as they are reproductions and not original to the house. Now, as for that "open concept" bathroom/closet. I might actually be the first person to ever buy and house and add a wall. Still a lovely home though and in Calif. which is always a plus for me.

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    1. That bathroom-closet combo would be changed instantly if I had the millions to buy this place!

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  7. Unsurprisingly, this whole place rubs me the wrong way.

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    1. It needs a red door????? 😊

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  8. Anonymous6:44 PM

    Oddly enough this one didn't do it for me. Normally I like the style but despite all the glass I find it rather confining in places (cork floor, wooden walls and ceilings?) Also don't care for the white and/ of the cabinets and doors. The color of the couch I really dislike as well and the carpets make me dizzy .. Nah, I'll keep my money in the bank.

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    1. The wood tones need to be worked with, yeah, and the furniture can all go, but it's that bathroom closet that terrifies me.

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  9. Love the 'living towards the inside' of the house. Fantastic for entertaining and the indoor/outdoor feeling is perfect. Love the glass doors, because the patio just becomes part of the house.
    The wood on the walls is not my fav, but it's warm.
    XOXO

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    1. It's that indoor-outdoor California vibe!!
      xoxo

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  10. Well, I'll , huh, let you all fight over this one.......

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    1. I like parts, and don't like other parts ... I cannot get beyond that toilet in the closet!!!

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  11. I don't get any kind of a "homey" feeling about this place ... ugly!

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    1. Midcentury is definitely more streamlined and sleek than a cozy home.

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  12. The only thing I like here is the colour of the seating in that TV room.

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    1. Perhaps they'd part with the couch?

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  13. There are two many functional issues with the floor plan, I will pass this week,

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    1. But it has upper cabinets????

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  14. It doesn't do much for me. I'd have to skip bidding on this one.

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    1. No worries, it's an Eichler, and it's in California, so will likely sell for far over asking.

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  15. It's a beautiful house, but I wish it was still the size of the original. Those houses were meant to be small and artful on a large lot with lots of greenery. "Bringing the outside in," and all that.

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    1. And the addition is way too large and out of scale with the rest of the house, though the exteriors might up nicely.

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  16. Lynn Marie12:39 PM

    Looks extremely uncomfortable, as if only very angular people with bony elbows would be allowed to live there. The one touch of comfort, the pillows on the beds, is clearly out of place.

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    1. Now I can only see stick figures living there, and I cannot unsee the pillows!

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