Joseph Eichler (1900-1974) was the developer of Eichler Homes which are generally refered to as Eichlers. Mr. Eichler ‘s vision of modern architecture was to have an open concept, or as some people refer to it “bring the outside in”. We see that concept in the large windows in our downstairs living areas. The original sliding glass doors and adjacent windows are taller than standard sizes used in most homes, allowing more natural light to enter the rooms. It makes a big difference considering the two other walls are made of reinforced cement blocks. Our upstairs areas use 5 skylights to bring in light. Imagine how dark the stairwell would be during the day without the skylight.
Mr. Eichler was able to do this by using post and beam construction. This allows for some of his houses to have entire walls made of glass, something you can’t do with standard wall construction. Exposed beams are easily seen in the upstairs rooms and hallways. The tongue and groove wood decking in the upstairs ceilings is another Eichler feature found in his homes.
Another common Eichler features are concrete slab floors with radiant heating rather than forced air heating. That feature is typically something you either love or hate; but it is efficient, and keeps your feet warm in winter. Some of his houses and townhomes had atriums in the center of the house to really “bring the outside in”.
Mr. Eichler used several architects to design the 11,000 homes he built between 1950 and 1974. All but about 600 of his homes were built in the San Francisco bay area, with most of the remaining in Southern California. The largest home community is in San Mateo. Here in Santa Clara, Pomeroy Green (built in 1961) and Pomeroy West are 2 of the larger townhouse projects that he built. Pomeroy Green is the only known townhouse community built by the Eichler company; all our homes have the same floor plan, but adjoining units are mirror images of each other.
To really jump into the Eichler experience, we suggest www.eichlernetwork.com and CA-Modern magazine.