Joe Eichler: The builder's builder

In July 1955, an Eichler Home -- similar (if not identical) in style to some of those built here in Sacramento -- graced the cover of House + Home magazine. Inside the magazine was an effusive article regarding the evolution of Eichler Homes over the last (then) eight years plus marketing strategies ("built-in merchandising") used by Eichler to sell them. Full scans of the article in its entirety are posted here on Flickr.


A floor plan identical to that of JE-85 (one of the Sacramento models -- see here for a brochure with more plans) by Jones and Emmons is featured in the article, as well as photos of other new design characteristics featured in our neighborhood. The article was written right after the Grand Opening of Eichler Homes here in South Land Park Hills and even mentions the practice of using the garage of the model as a showroom.

Special mention/credit: Associate Emiel Becsky worked with Jones and Emmons on their designs.

Also of interest is the number of homes originally planned for our subdivision: 142! As those of you who live here know, not all 142 were built. The reasons for this are likely a combination of economics as well as demand. At any rate, check out the whole article. You will undoubtedly see many familiar sights!

Happy Halloween!

My mom, October 1950

Wishing everyone a very safe and happy Halloween!

And for those of you in an Eichler home here in town, hope the ghosts and goblins are able to find your front door :)

Anniversaries

My grandparents, 1951

This week marks the one-year anniversary of our falling in love with our Eichler Home. I still remember the first time I walked into the middle of the estate sale and being overwhelmed with how wonderful it was. I only bought a $2 vase that day but the house haunted me and we made an offer on it a couple of days later.

This week also marks a sadder anniversary -- two years since my sweet grandmother passed away on November 1st. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday (one of my grandmother's favorites too) but when I light the pumpkin candles I now also light at yahrzeit candle in her memory.

My grandmother and me, 1965

My grandmother primarily raised me and made my childhood happier; we were very close. She and I shared many Halloweens together. She always made it a point to put together a special treat for the neighborhood children. This tradition continues at our house.

Hope all of you have a very happy Halloween!

Locally and family-owned appliance repair shop gets it done

Zajic (rhymes with magic) Appliance Sales and Service has earned another loyal customer after fixing our 49 year old TradeWind double oven at the wacky ranch. And they did so after several other companies said they couldn't, wouldn't, or that I should buy a new one. While I could buy a newer double oven I'm reluctant to send a fixable one to the landfill.

The technician, Richard, was prompt, pleasant and thoroughly competent. Went right to work on that old TradeWind without hesitation or complaint. I made a mental note that they also specialize in working on old Thermadors like the original ones installed in our Eichler Homes.

If you have an appliance in need of repair, I highly recommend them.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Part III

Even though we're not quite done, we celebrated our master bed/bath remodel at the wacky ranch last night. It feels great! Especially when I look at the "before" and "during" pix :)

Credits:
Interior architecture/custom cabinet design - Curtis Popp
Project construction - John DiDomenico Construction
Walnut paneling on cabinets and doors - Grass Cabinetry
Metal cabinet fabrication - Fusion Cor
Illumination - Sean Rollins, Lumens Light + Living
Interior/decor - us.

Is anyone else as giddy about lighting as I am?

Ah, lighting. I am drawn like a moth to a flame when it comes to anything related to lighting and always have been.

One of the things I fell in love with immediately at our Eichler home was the set of lamps by E.J.S. Lighting Corporation in the living room, which I've discussed at length here.

I'm also fairly certain at one point the original owners had George Nelson Bubble lamps at our home. George Nelson is one of my favorite furniture and lighting designers. His light fixtures were produced by Howard Miller. I've been lucky enough to find two catalogs of his lamps and wanted to share these with you and the MCM community on Flickr.

Check out these awesome mid-century Lightolier lights from another catalog I recently found. I wish I knew the name of the designer of these lamps. If anyone knows, please leave a comment below.


Do any of you collect lamps/light fixtures? Certainly I can't be the only one who's been bitten by the lighting bug!

It's a Small (MCM) World After All

I thought I'd share our Craigslist story about a great lamp we bought -- and a cool discovery we made when we met the sellers.

Last Spring we had been trying to find a suitable lamp for one of our bedrooms, which had no built in lighting. I found this "Mid Century Modern Wall Mounted Hanging Light" on Craigslist and decided to go take a look.

The sellers, Ken and Katie, had a ton of MCM Danish teak furniture and some cool accessories. We piled into the car, not quite sure from the pictures whether we'd like the lamp or not.

We talked with them for a while about the state of mid-century modern in Sacramento, where they had found their items, etc. One of the ways they find a lot of MCM items at a reasonable price is attending estate sales. I asked if they had attended any sales in our Eichler neighborhood and discovered they had been to our house the previous Fall -- and had bought the curtains from one of our bedrooms. I instantly recalled walking up to our Eichler for the first time and seeing Ken and Katie walking out with those curtains!

We had the lamp rewired, added an on/off switch to the cord, and it looks as if it always has lived in our home.

If you're looking for vintage goodies and don't have time to scour yard, garage, and estate sales, I recommend checking out Craigslist. Craigslist has posted some recommended safety precautions -- check 'em out. See also Leah's story and recommendations on her blog. Fortunately, we've had some great experiences and have met some nice people along the way.

Fall Maintenance

Adorable print by Jenn Ski, available at her Etsy.com shop!

Fall is here, busy squirrel feet are skittering across our flat-top roofs, and we should be getting ready for cooler, wetter weather! Time for gutter cleaning, furnace maintenance, and fireplace cleaning at your Eichler home.

Extensive gutter system and flat top on our Eichler home requires regular cleaning

Just last week I had the gutters cleaned on the Eichler and our MCM ranch. Sacramento is renowned for its trees which naturally gunk up our gutters. If you're in need of someone who does a great job at cleaning off your roof and gutters, look no further than Justin Kemper of Castle Gutter Cleaning. Justin and his crews have done an excellent job and clean-up every time -- very conscientious and meticulous work. You can reach him at (916) 988-1825.

What was left of a Likeler in Palo Alto that exploded in a fireball after a gas leak

Sadly, a flat-top home, possibly a Stern and Price, in Palo Alto was severely damaged after a gas leak caused an explosion this last week. There had been reports of a strong gas odor before the explosion; a mother and her baby had just left the home. The father was still inside when the explosion occurred but miraculously was not severely injured. The blast literally blew the roof off, the windows out, and reduced the house to a charred frame. Reportedly, neighbors said the homeowner had recently complained of smelling gas and had called inspectors to the home.

I recommend you print out PG&E's recommendations for when you smell gas odors on your property and post them in a handy place along with relevant phone numbers. Do regular maintenance such as changing your filters and having your furnace inspected by a qualified professional. I recommend Brent McCully of California Heat & Air. I've been most impressed with his work. You may reach him at (916) 355-9900.

Finally, a clean fireplace is a safer fireplace. We prefer not to use ours (the smoke aggravates our allergies) but the original owners had used it A LOT and had extensive records of what had been done to the fireplace and chimney. I decided to stick with the same company, Chim Chimney. I appreciated their professionalism -- they even offered to give me a written record of the previous work that had been done over the years. I highly recommend them.

Hope the referrals to local services are helpful. Here's to a healthy and safe season!

Going Green

I recently ran across and am amazed by Showcase for a Green Eichler Remodel. This blog outlines a family's vision, plan, and actions taken to remodel their entire Eichler Home in Monte Sereno using the latest green building innovations and techniques.

Owners Bryan and Jo-Anne Mekechuk purchased their 1969 Claude Oakland designed Eichler home from the original owners' estate in 1997 and have been living in it since. On re-evaluating their living space needs as their family has grown, they decided to remodel the main floor and build a second lower level underground!

Per their website:

"Unfortunately, Eichler houses consume an immense amount of resources (i.e., energy and water). Importantly, we want to have an environmentally friendly house that will have a minimal adverse impact on our environment.

Our design objectives for the project are to:

(1) increase comfort levels (e.g., cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter, and quieter throughout);

(2) simplify cleaning and maintenance requirements; and

(3) lower ongoing operating costs.

.... Our building objectives include:

(1) using innovative building materials (e.g., hollow core concrete panels);

(2) using innovative building practices; (e.g., building as much of the structure off-site and only assembling the components on-site; and

(3) managing the costs of construction.

Hats off to the Mekechuks -- they are a real inspiration!

Here are some resources that I have personally used locally for greening-up our 1961 MCM ranch:

Castle Window Covers - magnetized window covers that go on the inside of your existing windows and provide extra insulation for a fraction of the cost for replacement.

Our ranch has single pane aluminum and jalousie (Florida slat style) windows. You can imagine how poor they were at keeping out the weather, bugs and noise as a result. One of the first things we did at the house was to cover most of our windows with magnetized plastic covers from Castle Window Covers.


Green Fiber Insulation - During our recent master suite remodel, we had an opportunity to insulate some walls decided to further insulate our attic with an environmentally friendly mulch. It also is fire retardant and dampens noise really well. Green Fiber claims their product:

* Delivers high-efficiency thermal insulation and effective R-value.
* Offers permanent and proven fire resistance for the life of the structure.
* Reduces nuisance noise when used in walls.
* Offers a more comfortable living space.
* Is made from 85% recycled paper fiber.
* Supports energy conservation programs focused on environmental responsibility.

Click on the picture above to see more pictures of how it was installed in our remodel.

The Eichler Network also has a list of preferred service companies that you may contact with further questions on how to make your home more comfortable and energy-efficient.

Feel free to add any other products or services you have personally used to "go green" at your home in the comments section below.

How to Party Like It's 1955

Today we have two 1955 vintage newspaper advertisements highlighting the Eichler Home way of life in Sacramento (and San Mateo, Walnut Creek, and San Rafael).


Here's what this ad says:

"Hallmarks of the Eichler Home — the room everyone wants —

How many times you've longed for in extra room in your home — enough space for the whole family to spread out and enjoy living. You've seen It in your mind's eye again and again — a room at once beautiful and practical — ready to serve as family TV theater, children's rainy-day playroom, sewing center, family office, game room, library or guest room, as the occasion demands.

In this, as in every other family need, Eichler Homes has anticipated you — with a big, handsome all-purpose room like the one pictured below. A family-fun room which gets a feeling of light and spaciousness from high clerestory windows and big glass wall opening on the patio — and an air of quiet elegance from rich Philippine-mahogany-paneled walls and beamed ceiling.

Everything in the Eichler Home bespeaks beauty and quality. The plans were created with a lavish hand by architects Jones & Emmons, acknowledged leaders in contemporary design. And the skilled builders have spared no effort to translate those plans into beautiful homes. The result is a house which looks better, works better and holds its value better than any other house on today's market.

Eichler Homes range in price from $15,960 to $21,500. Eichler Homes — designed for better living."

What is really interesting to me about this ad is how the table (still have mine!) was originally attached in the kitchen area. My friend and fellow Sacramento Eichler Home owner Dane Henas told me about the original (and awkward) placement of the table -- wow!

Here's what the ad says:

"Hallmarks of the Eichler Home — the most important room in the house . . .

The kitchen of the Eichler Home is a miracle of well-planned convenience— carefully designed for the easy, casual, servantless lives most modern families prefer to live. And its utility is more than matched by its beauty . . . housework becomes less trouble, more fun in this cheerful, light, airy room with views of both the private enclosed garden and the entry garden.

The big, built-in Formica table is the focal point for informal family meals and snacks-and doubles as buffet or service bar to the adjoining dining area. Roomy built-in kitchen cabinets, above and below, give more storage space than you ever dreamed possible. They give the kitchen a smart contemporary look, too, finished in charcoal Zolatone with contrasting grey sliding panels. Handsome Eichler-designed lighting fixtures diffuse light evenly throughout the room.

The work surfaces—range, oven, sink, chopping block, Formica counters—are laid out to save steps and motion. And all surfaces—including the Philippine mahogany walls and the cabinets—can be cleaned quickly and easily with detergent and water.

Standard in an Eichler Homes kitchen are the built-in stainless steel Thermador range and oven, overhead exhaust fan, and garbage disposer. Many have built-in dishwasher as well.

As with the kitchen, so with the rest of the Eichler Home—the same combination of beauty, utility and quality is apparent in every detail. For the Eichler Home is designed to make life easier, more pleasant, more beautiful for the modern California family. Eichler Homes range in price from $17,250 to $21,500. Eichler Homes — designed for better living."

-- Well.... hahaha that housework becomes less trouble! Clearly that ad guy didn't help out around the house!