Mid-century modern homes, including those designed by Joseph Eichler, dot the Silicon Valley & South Bay Area real estate landscape.  There are probably more than 5,000 Eichlers in Santa Clara County altogether, plus all the other homes of that genre with the similar modern style, which was influenced by the ranch and prarie styles as well as the dramatic work by Frank Lloyd Wright (open beam ceilings, nearly flat roofs, lots of exposed wood & glass windows stretching from the floor to the ceiling).  Eichlers, especially, put a premium on privacy from the street but open to the outdoors otherwise.

Not every community in Santa Clara County has Eichler homes, but most have the mid-century modern style homes & neighborhoods. These homes vary from tiny, modest cottages of 1100 square feet to large & elegant  houses of nearly 3,000 square feet, featuring big, central atriums or courtyards.  (There are also some co-ops in the valley too.)  The quality varies, as the homes were constructed by several different builders with different home buying budgets in mind.  Real estate prices range from “entry level” to very expensive, depending on the location (city and schools), size of the home & lot, and condition of the property. Most of them are now about 50 years old, though some are a little younger.

Some of the West Side Silicon Valley Communities which feature Eichler and Mid Century Modern Homes

In Los Gatos there are no Eichlers but there are a small handful of single family homes which are mid-century modern on Eastridge Drive (just off Blossom Hill Road and Hillbrook). There are a couple more at the end of Magnuson Terrace (off Magnuson Loop and Los Gatos Blvd).  Additionally, there are some smaller mid-50s homes on El Gato (and adjacent portions of Escobar) off of Los Gatos-Almaden Road. Unfortunately, not all of these homes are “well kept”, though many are.

Monte Sereno is home to 16 Eichler designed houses on Via Sereno beginning at the intersection of Winchester Blvd with Via Sereno.  These houses were built in the late 60s to early 70s.

Visit Saratoga and you’ll see 35 larger Eichler homes (on larger lots) just off Cox Avenue (“in the schools“) along De Havilland Drive. I showed one a few months ago and noticed that this street, despite enjoying the famed Saratoga Schools, is not so well kept – it could be that some neighbors were simply conserving water due to the then 10% water cutback demanded by San Jose Water due to the drought.  One home owner added on or remodeled but it was such that the architectural style of the original building was lost – a shame!  Many of these homes enjoy a creekside location.  The only real negative is that there’s freeway noise from nearby highway 85.  There are a few more Eichlers near the busy intersection of Quito & Allendale (facing Quito) along the Campbell border. 

The Willow Glen area of San Jose has an abundant supply of large & gracious Eichlers on wide roads: there appear to be hundreds of them spread out over several developments.  For the most part, these are beautiful neighborhoods with tree-lined, wide streets and a great sense of space. Most of these homes are more affordable than you’d expect and the reason is the public school scores in the area.  Had the homes been built out of the San Jose Unified School District area in into the Campbell schools area, they’d certainly sell for much, much more.  In that area is the very popular St. Christopher’s School (Catholic), which many kids in Willow Glen attend.

More affordable Eichlers can be found in central San Jose near Fruitvale and Bascom and again in parts of Sunnyvale.  In the least expensive areas, though, beware of deferred maintenance.  Last year I showed a home near Fruitvale in San Jose which was simply riddled with foundation cracks.  These are hard to repair with a slab foundation – it can mean jackhammering up the whole foundation! 

There are some mid-century moderns in the Cambrian Park area of San Jose both in the Rosswood/Bel Estos area (scattered in with some more traditional ranch style homes) and also just off Hillsdale and Foxworthy in the Hacienda Gardens neighborhood.

Cupertino and Santa Clara also have a good showing of Eichlers (Santa Clara also has “cooperatives”, which are a bit like condos or townhomes, which are Eichlers too). 

Continuing north, the supply of Eichlers in particular increases dramatically as you get to Los Altos and then even more in Mountain View and Palo Alto, where Eichler enclaves number in the thousands.  (Word of caution: some of these Mountain View homes are in the 100 year flood plain and it will require flood insurance if you purchase a home there  and utilize a loan.) Want to live on the Peninsula? You can find many mid-century modern homes there too.

Special concerns with mid century modern or Eichler homes

As with any 50 year old home, there are things to watch for in purchasing these properties! While many of the mid-century moderns are built on raised foundations, some aren’t – and Eichler’s aren’t. That wouldn’t be such a big deal except for the fact that the plumbing is embedded in the slab, and so is the radiant heating coils. If they go out, it can be a pain to replace them. (Eichler often built with copper pipes, luckily.) The radiant heating systems do sometimes fail and if/when that happens, homeowners can either add baseboard (which is fairly inexpensive and easy to do) or rip up the concrete and fix the coils.

A more common and persistent problem is with the open beam ceilings and the tar and gravel roofs over them: there’s no insulation.  Luckily, in recent years foam roofs have become a popular solution.  They not only protect the roof from the rain and other elements, but they insulate beautifully.  The downside is that if an area becomes damaged, you can’t “patch” it like you can with other roof types – instead, you really need to replace the whole roof. Yes, that’s expensive.  But clients of mine who’ve gotten the foam roof love it as their homes are more comfortable both in summer and in winter.

Many non-Eichler properties had plumming with galvanized steel pipes. Watch for that – those tend to last about 40 years, so if the home hasn’t been repiped it may be an expense waiting to happen.

A small concern with radiant heat is the type of floorcoverings that can be used over it. Often these homes are built with vinyl, linoleum or other hard surface flooring.  Carpeting can be difficult because the heated floors can be a problem.  So area rugs are usually preferred.

For further reading, please check out the Wikipedia article on Joseph Eichler and another on the Mid-Century Modern style.

What does it cost to buy an Eichler home in the San Jose, Los Gatos or Saratoga Area?

As of right now, prices range from a low of somewhere in the $500′s to well past a million dollars to purchase an Eichler style house.  These homes in Monte Sereno or Saratoga will cost much, much more than a similar home in Santa Clara or Willow Glen.  Browsing is perhaps the best way to get a feel for the pricing.

Some of the Eichler homes currently for sale or sale pending in Silicon Valley

If you’re interested in buying or selling one of these classic homes, please contact me today!

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Los Gatos is a charming town at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains that features a good amount architectural beauty in commercial and residential buildings (and natural beauty too, as the town’s backdrop is the coastal foothills).

Today we’ll have a look at some of the diverse types of architecture seen in Los Gatos homes. There are many neighborhoods built out by many different builders within the town (and in county pockets). Each one has its own personality and “feel”. Many of the town’s residential areas have ranch style homes that are 30 – 50 years old, but certainly not all of Los Gatos can be described that way. What types of houses does Los Gatos have? It really depends on the neighborhood and age of the area or development – and, to an extent, on the owners and how they care for the home. Here, then, is a “sampling” of architectural styles found in the homes of Los Gatos.

The Almond Grove District is one of the oldest parts of Los Gatos and it features many lovely Victorian homes, some craftsman and a smattering of everything else. It’s a fabulous place to see at any time of the year, but especially in October or December, when the area seems to go all out in decorating for the holidays. This neighborhood is located near Los Gatos – Saratoga Road and N. Santa Cruz Avenue, and includes streets such as Almendra, Massol, Tait, and Bean. (And yes, it was once a grove of almond trees.)

And here’s a lovely Craftsman style home just touching the Almond Grove area:

Close in age and location to the Almond Grove District, the Edelen District of Los Gatos also features gorgeous, and beautifully tended, Victorians. The Edelen District is close to Old Town Los Gatos, which is found on University Avenue near Main Street, and encompasses much of the area between University Avenue and the freeway.

The homes on Broadway mark the first subdivision in Los Gatos (and predate the Almond Grove area): imagine that it was a novely to plan real estate growth in town!

Further out from the downtown area of Los Gatos, you’ll find more ranch style homes. Many of the older ones have been expanded, as is the case with this one near downtown (this home was once a cottage of about 800 square feet).

Surrey Farms is a highly prized Los Gatos neighborhood off of Kennedy Road that is fairly close to town and enjoys lots of 1/3 to 1/2 an acre in general. It was once a horse ranch and the first home on the right side of the subdivision was once the stable! Below see a typical Surrey Farms ranch style home, complete with a hint of a split rail fence.

Also located in Surrey Farms, but seemingly of another time and place, is this gorgeous Spanish style hacienda, which sits on an enormous and tree studded lot. This is one of my favorite homes in Los Gatos – someday, I’d love to see the inside of it!

Other styles of homes can be found in Los Gatos too. Here’s one that is sort of a contemporary style (quasi chalet with A Frame roof?).

Particularly in the hilly areas of Los Gatos, there are other unique styles of construction to be seen. This hillside home is also somewhat modern in design:

Enjoy the photo home tour? Take a look at my slideshows of Los Gatos next!

Love beautiful residential architecture? Love Los Gatos? A must-read book is Los Gatos Observed by Alastair Dallas (photos by Peter S. Conrad). It’s a wonderfully interesting and engaging handbook on Los Gatos and its historic buildings. You can find it at Border’s in Old Town Los Gatos or order a used copy on Amazon (they don’t seem to have any new ones available).