Dreaming of an Eichler House | The Press

(Palo Alto, CA) Eichler homes embody the best-known style of California homes in the world. These one-storey pavilions, with windows that extend from the ceiling to the floor and blur the boundaries between the interior and the exterior, have even inspired Quebec architects such as Roger d’Astous. More than 60 years after their birth, they still arouse enthusiasm in California.

Seminole Way. In this residential and quiet street of Palo Alto, a wealthy city in the heart of Silicon Valley and birthplace of Stanford University, the Eichler houses follow one another and are not always alike.

The common points, first: the houses which offer an often colored entrance to the street, framed by wood and pillars, conceal the lives of their occupants from the view of passers-by. The “voureux” will have to be content with the garage door, on the street side.

The differences, now: some have been revamped, brought up to date, even enlarged (with an additional floor). Others have kept the brown colors from the time of their construction, in the 1950s and 1960s.

There are no fewer than 11,000 homes developed by real estate developer Joseph Eichler in post-war California. These middle-class homes are largely found in Palo Alto, Silicon Valley, but also north of San Francisco in the Marin Hills. Today, the craze for this style of house inspired by modern American architecture is undeniable.

Soul

Since the early 2000s and the return of the “Mid-Century Modern” style – think about the decor of the series madmen : teak furniture, Herman Miller chairs, open spaces and bay windows, or even some interiors in That’s how I love you —, Eichler houses are experiencing a resurgence in popularity.

“I remember when half the owners of Eichler were complaining about the problems they had in those homes — failing radiant heat, leaking flat roofs — but now that’s all changed,” Marty says. Arbunich, owner and publisher ofEichler Networka magazine and support network for Eichler homeowners since 1993.

As many owners of homes with a strong architectural bias, like Habitat 67, know, preserving and modernizing an Eichler can indeed present quite a challenge. The most common of them: the misunderstanding of this design, which is far removed from traditional houses.

Think open spaces, but also small bathrooms and more modestly sized kitchens. The roof is flat, and the houses respect a certain plan in order to preserve the privacy of neighbours. A second floor, which can be tempting for space lovers, can thus offer a view of the neighbor’s living spaces, which distorts the concept. “This lack of understanding is something shared by new owners and the service companies they hire,” says Arbunich. Without experience of this architecture and the lifestyle that goes with it, they miss their maintenance work and their “remodels”, new kitchens and extensions. »

Lifestyle

When he got his hands on his Eichler house in Los Altos, a small upscale town located near Palo Alto, at the turn of the 2000s, Tanguy Leborgne, a French expatriate in the United States, decided to make as few changes as possible. The house had had a single owner, who had bought it as soon as it was put up for sale in the late 1960s.

“The house was still in its 1968 state, and we kept all the original elements,” explains Mr. Leborgne. We didn’t know this style, but we fell in love. »

Tanguy Leborgne brings up their two daughters with his wife in a house that opens onto a garden with swimming pool and atrium. The couple decided to put their house up for sale in 2016, after the departure of their children. The house is sold quickly, at higher prices, as is usually the case in the San Francisco Bay Area. But the nostalgia is still palpable when they both talk about the unique lifestyle they may have had in their Eichler.

Visits

In the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the highest-paying areas in the United States, Eichler homes are not high-end real estate. But you still have to be ready to loosen the purse strings to own one of them, and be ready to engage in a bidding war.

It should be noted that several agencies specialize in the sale and purchase of this type of property, which is in high demand. “The average price of an Eichler in the Peninsula is 2.6 million US, and at this price, they are not renovated”, warns Monique Lombardelli, a real estate agent from the Peninsula, who has made these houses her specialty. .

Monique Lombardelli estimates that the average market for houses in the region is around 6.7 million US: “At less than 3 million US, the Eichlers are in a sweet spot”, believes the one who has in her listings houses designed by masters of modern American architecture.

You are not a millionaire: know that these houses are also found for rent, especially near Palo Alto. According to our observations, it is necessary to count at least US$4,500 in rent for a moderately renovated house that will respect one of the original plans (1,200 sq.²a master bedroom, two small children’s bedrooms, two small bathrooms), a price that is not crazy for the region but which, we will agree, is not a bargain.

We visited several last winter, in the neighborhoods of Greenmeadow and Fairmeadow, in Palo Alto, but also in the hills of San Mateo, a small town located south of San Francisco. There is a magical side to seeing the lemon trees from your bedroom; and have the impression of being outside at all times, but out of sight since the living areas are turned towards the garden.

Fans of real estate reverie can also subscribe to the newsletter of Renée and Barry Adelmann, agents specializing in modern homes. And catch yourself dreaming of a very Californian lifestyle…