Spent an afternoon shooting some pictures of some of my favorite Eichler homes in Orange. Most of these homes can be found in Northern California but we are luck to have 3 neighborhoods in the City of Orange with these beautiful mid-century homes. I wish I knew someone who lived in one so i could shoot the amazing interiors.
Very nice photos and those buildings look lovely to live in. Very light and quite a design statement.
What exactly are Eichler Homes? It’s not a term i’ve ever come across in the UK.
I grew up in that area — while it has changed dramatically, this architectural look and feel still seems so iconic of the SoCal of my youth…
Fun post!
These are gorgeous houses, and the pics are pretty amazing. thanks for sharing!!
I lived in an Eichler in Palo Alto many years ago. I’ve loved the design ever since. These are great photos, thanks for sharing them!
I loved the grass on the second picture!
Great pictures. A lot of hard work gone into their making and all the decorations.
Congratulations on being the Freshly Pressed.
Great shots! I’ll have to find these homes – they look very interesting architechurally.
Excellent architecture . . . marvelous photography . . . .Five stars …..
Really cool. Love that green door!
Thanx for sharing these pieces. I was not aware of this architect, but your photo’s have captured beautifully an essence of design that speakes clearly. I love the minimalist feel, almost Zen like quality to the outside environment… very calming…
Cool imagery well done for film in an age of digital.
Great shots! There are quite a few hidden gems in OC if you manage to get through all the beige stucco
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Congrats on Freshly Pressed.
Very true lizisilver. We are a county of contrasts. Students travel from all over the world to see SoCal architecture yet most of us are in massive tract home housing projects, which is also iconic of SoCal.
I love the clean Asian lines of these homes and the way the landscaping coordinates with the building. Thanks for sharing these pics, and congrats on being Pressed!
Such classic architecture – clean lines, minimal & with a pop of color – great photos. Congrats on being FP!
I know about one such neighborhood, north of Taft between Glassell and Tustin. Where are the others?
oh my stars – i love eichlers! i grew up in nor cal and lots of my friends lived in them. i always wanted one when i grew up – mainly because i was in love with the heated floors as a child, but later for the fabulous lines and form fitting function. although pretty grown up now, i don’t have my eichler yet, but i’m not giving up. thanks so much for posting these winderful pictures!
Great site! Love the architecture. Keep up the great posts!
Wow! Those places are amazing. I love mid-century modern architecture. The clean lines and unique accent colors are terrific. I was drawn to the colors of the doors and that awesome orange wall. Are there companies that still build in this style or does one have to keep an eye out for an original when they go on the market?
These are beautiful. I love mid-century modern architecture, too. Thanks for sharing!
My dad would love to see homes like that. If you’d like you can see some of his work here: http://jimcardoncustoms.blogspot.com/
My parents bought a new home just two blocks from away from these in the early 60s. I remember thinking how “modern” they looked. I walked to school through the neighborhood and always wanted to see inside some of them. I go back now to see how they have faired and some of them are not doing so well. Others though, like the ones you have shown here still look great. I never knew before now who the builder was. Thanks for that.
Bodrie
A Gun Enthusiast Speaks
I grew up in the SF/Bay Area in the ’50s/’60 and remember tracts of Eichlers getting built. My parents were looking for a new house and every sunday we would go tour all the new home developments that were pretty much the the subject of the Top 40 hit “Little Boxes”… that’s now the theme song for the TV show Weeds.
I grew up in old Victorian building full of beautiful old antiques that was my grandparents home. My parents were into modern stainless steel and Formica… the whole mid-century thing that is making a comeback now. Everybody shunned the “old” stuff and went crazy for the “modern” look. I never was really convinced that the Eichlers were better than old houses on our neighborhood in the City.
Years later when I became a carpenter and remodeling contractor, I worked on tons and tons of Eichlers. From the San Mateo Highlands to the flats in Palo Alto and Mt.View… even one in SF proper. We tore that sucker up and turned it into something else!
Eichler was and interesting guy and way ahead of his time. He had his own mills and factories that produced modular components like redwood siding, plywood and millwork items. The first Eichler I got roped into working on I found out that you couldn’t just go to the lumber yard and buy siding or doors from the lumber yard… you had to get material and make it yourself, if there was a prayer of making it match the existing.
I got to hate working on these pieces of junk. While they looked good, (that’s subjective right?) they had lots of structural problems. The beams were low grade material so they warped and checked. Foundations settled. They didn’t put any insulation in, and the glazing was just a big heat sink. If I had a nickel for every hole I had to jackhammer in a slab floor to repair leaks in the radiant heating system… I could buy enough beer to forget I ever walked into an Eichler.
I could go on and on… I got years of remodel stories. It’s like I say about vintage cars and motorcycles, that guys spend crazy amounts of money to restore… so they can take careful little drives on Sunday… and are all emotionally attached too; There is a reason that they don’t make them like that anymore.
Beautiful architecture and nice images! Thank you so much for capturing and sharing with us.
Beautiful examples. I hope you get the opportunity to photograph some interiors, as you mentioned.
Thank you everyone for the nice comments! I’m rather shocked that this is being featured on Freshly Pressed since most of the time i get a few visitors a month. Going to update this more often to keep everyone entertained.
Lots of Eichlers in Marin County in the Bay Area also. They’re even lovelier inside.
Amazing photos with an eye for detailed Architecture! Really enjoy them!
I love these homes too. Check out the open houses on Saturday & Sundays, that is how I was able to view so many of these beautiful homes in Orange.
stop! stop! stop! Too many gorgeous images… I am having house envy! Gotta move to California.
Eichlers are amazing. I love the clean lines! Nice photos!
I live in an Eichler in Palo Alto and love it. There is truth to some of the complaints the contractor above notes — they were inexpensive homes (though many are north of $1 million today) — but there is joy to living in one of these mid-century marvels.
Thank you boldsoul! Great pics. Eichler homes are all over CA so check them out in your area. Built between 50s to 70s. They are a hot real estate commodity in Marin County just north of San Francisco as well as Palo Alto in the peninsula.
Check out it’s hip, it’s here… http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2007/12/eichler-homes-real-imagined-and-for.html
dream on.
I was lucky enough to live in an Eichler in Palo Alto for awhile. If you live in a hot climate, these houses are wonderful — light, airy. The place I stayed in had beautiful mexican tile floors, a glass back wall (pretty scary in an earthquake) and a cosy, light-filled den. There’s a ton of different landscaping you can use around these homes too. We had fruit trees and terraced koi ponds.
Beautiful architectural design is such yummy eye candy for me. Thanks, great post.
Rita
That’s what I’m talkin’ about! Amazing pics. My dream living…
I had a friend who lived in one in Palo Alto too, she had just rented it for a few years and even though she loved the appearance she said she could see enough problems that she probably wouldn’t purchase. That was about 20 years ago. Great photos.
I love photography and Mid-Century Modern. These are great photos of incrediable homes. As for the contractor that called them junk – well they were and are works of art. If you live in one of these see it as worth restoring and preserving. Falling Water, Frank Lloyd Wrights creation had great structural problems also. It makes neither any less than great architects.
linear. love it.
wow!!! Nice Home . may one day my dream come trues he he.
OMG~~incredibly！！such gorgeous houses!
cool
Very nice, love the squarish step up with some nice shade around the door
Love the houses! They remind me of the Huf Haus houses that you can buy ‘flat-packed’ from Germany.
Great architects
Great stuff.
you have a great eye!
simple but amazing
Love it. Great job. The decor photos are wonderful. Financed a few of those. Wow. So great to see your photos. Thanks! Keep the blog going. Your doing a great job.
<3 Eichler. Classic. Thank you for sharing.
Would love to see the interior pictures! Nice exteriors. Thank you for sharing.
Love these designs. And love the principles behind bringing custom designs to regular people.
I love the Eichler design!
My brother and his wife owened an Eichler in Orange but sold it move into their dream custom home. The interior of their Eichler home had glass walls in the living room so when you entered the front gate you could see right through from the atrium in the entry through the living room all the way to the backyard. It was gorgeous! I still think the Eichler is a better choice than one of those cookie-cutter-no-personality million dollar homes in Yorba Linda.
These homes are very cool. They look like they were designed by Mr. Brady from the Brady Bunch – LOL!
Beautiful architectural design.Great pics.
Look like Gene Leedy Homes of the Sarasota style. We have 5 on our street.
Wauw ! love this post as well as your blog
!
wow.. awesome pictures. I will build my house like this.
wow.. awesome pictures. I will build my house like this.
Very nice post and photography.Are you planning to photograph the inside?
I love the angles and lines… great photos
They remind me of Palm Springs, Love your pictures. Congrats on FP
When I lived in Atherton, CA I lived next door to Eichler. He lived in a much larger house than the ones he was known for. They were generally three or four bedrooms with an open atrium in the middle of the house and had a great open feeling. There is quite a cluster of them in Palo Alto and surrounding communities. They sold for under $20,000 in the late 50′s. He had great architects and was quite a promoter.
One thing I forgot, the biggest complaint I heard from owners was that the radiant heating under the slab floors was problematical…..I believe that later Eichlers has central heating.
Great pics! Those seems to be very comfy homes!! Lovely!
Great and wonderful designed mansion!
Did no one complain about your taking photos of the homes? I’d like to take pictures of some amazing homes around where I am but I feel people here wouldn’t like their homes on display.
Nice snaps! The architecture is great, and the way you took photos made it look better.
So now I want to live in one of these…
Nice to see the Eichler homes in Orange again after so many years of not seeing them. I had a friend who lived in one the Eichlers that are pictured in your post and it was so different than any other home I have been into. Spacious, good use of space, natural, earthy and comfortable. The last time I was in their home was back in 1998. They haven’t changed a bit since then.
i love looking at people’s houses (not in a stalkerish way) – it’s really interesting to see how they can make it their own. great photos – great post
Very nice shots!
incredible shots!
I love the style, the freshness and the openess. What a contrast to European living.
I’d love to have an entrance like that.
Really cool looking buildings and well composed shots.
Rob
http://robfranklin83.wordpress.com
My FAVORITE house I’ve ever visited was in Virginia- three stories, personal gym, bowling lanes, arcade room, and even a classic pull back bookcase that leads to a secret room! It was INCREDIBLE. I’m fortunate enough to live in Northern CA and often see homes like this. Cool post.
Beautful homes and photography, the houses are clearly loved and looked after and the garden landscaping is also inspirational. Thanks for sharing. You could just knock on the door and ask, they would probably be proud to let you see inside!
I love the clean lines.
enjoyed your photos,I too wonder whats inside.
Small, simple but beautiful. Good eye for details.
Great pictures!! looking forwards to more pictures about different style houses.
NIce car !
VERY NICE AND ENVIRONMENTAL <3
nice
very nice photos!
I like the forth photo because the color is vivid!
Lived in 2 different Eichlers, when I lived in Palo Alto. Beautiful! Thanks for reminding me. Hoping to build a garden shed that’s a homage to them…;-)
Great photography!
My aunt lives in one of these homes in the Sunnyvale area, and my wife has a friend that lives in one in Orange. They have very particular design elements and often contain interiors that are as interesting as the exteriors. Great pics!
I recently found wordpress. I was searching for ideas on creating a blog. This blog is the first I chose after scanning several pages. I’m equally inspired by the design of the building and your effort to share it with us
Where exactly are these homes in Orange? Is it anywhere near The Block? Thanks for sharing! I’m new to blogging here and I just love how supportive and creative everyone is! If you have time, could you please check out my blog? http://shecooksandheeats.wordpress.com/ I would love some advice or feedback, and how to get more exposure
More information can be found here. http://www.eichlersocal.com/GalleryMainFrame.htm
Print out this article, mail it to these people, and share the interior shots you’ll be taking – can’t wait.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/us/joseph-eichlers-revolutionary-midcentury-california-homes.html