Eichlers get an upgrade

Performance improvements for the prized homes of an influential developer who wanted us all to be able to own one.

- BY JUSTIN R. WOLF

The American Dream is an elusive proposition.

If a common denominator can be found, it may be the possibility of homeownership. To this end, few captured the spirit of the dream better than West Coast developer Joseph Eichler. From 1949 to 1974, Eichler built over 11,000 homes, most of them in California's Bay Area, that came to define the Mid-century Modern and California Modern aesthetics. "Livability" was the key ingredient in an Eichler home.

The term evokes “informal and adaptable space, convenient for all residents, with an open disdain for the rules of elegant propriety,” wrote Gwendolyn Wright, a professor of architecture at Columbia University, in her foreword to the 2002 book Eichler: Modernism Rebuilds the American Dream. Wright continued: “No single architectural element embodied livability. It assumed a thorough and ongoing commitment to practicality and comfort throughout the dwelling.”

From tangible to treasured

Built to be stylish yet egalitarian, Eichler homes often sell today for millions of dollars even when still needing performance upgrades. This Klopf project, the “Indoor-Outdoor Eichler,” is an example of owners willing to do the work. Cost aside, today’s options for big exterior doors align perfectly with Eichler’s goal of connecting interior and exterior. It’s not the most energy-efficient detail, but it represents a trade-off with insulation and air-sealing upgrades and the installation of more efficient HVAC equipment. The floor plan had some modifications, but the Eichler style is intact with the high ceiling, great room, atrium garden, and outdoor connections, even in the bathrooms.