"Bring the Outside In."

                                             -- Joseph Eichler

Eichler Homes

Eichler houses are from a branch of Modernist architecture that has come to be known as "California Modern."  Eichler's have numerous unorthodox and innovative features.  The home exteriors feature flat and/or low-sloping A-Framed roofs, vertical 2" pattern wood siding, and spartan facades with clean geometric lines. 
One of Joseph Eichler's signature concepts was to "bring the outside in,"  achieved via skylights and floor-to-ceiling glass windows with glass transoms looking out on protected gardens, patios, and pools.
Other Eichler house features include post-and-beam construction, tongue and groove decking for the roof, concrete slab floors with integral radiant heating, sliding doors and cabinets with sliding doors, and a standard second bathroom located in the master bedroom. Later models introduced the famous Eichler atriums, an entrance foyer designed to further advance the Eichler concept of integrating outdoor and indoor spaces.  Eichler homes are airy and modern in comparison to most of the mass-produced, middle-class, postwar homes being built in the 1950s. 
Eichler homes never achieved large profits for their creator.  Large projects began to overextend the company, and by the mid-1960s, Eichler Homes was in financial trouble. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1967.