San Mateo Highlands Eichler History: The Hillside Tract and the X-100
The San Mateo Highlands, Eichler's hillside tract begun in 1955: its ridge-top setting, the steel X-100, the architects linked to it and what to know about hillside Eichlers.
Sunnyvale Manor Eichler History: Where the AA-1 Prototype Began
Sunnyvale Manor's two phases: Eichler's 1947 Sunnyvale Building Company tract and the 1950 addition that introduced Anshen & Allen's AA-1 prototype.
Fairbrae Eichler History: Sunnyvale's 1958–1961 Tracts
Fairbrae, Sunnyvale: the 1958–1961 Eichler tracts tract by tract, their street layout, what county records show about the houses, and the 2016–2018 single-story districts.
Royal Manor Eichler History: Reading Palo Alto's 1957–58 Tract
What the public record says about Royal Manor, Palo Alto's 1957–1958 Eichler tract: its map, the 2015–2016 single-story overlay request, flood rules and house types.
Charleston Meadow Eichler History: Palo Alto's Anshen & Allen Tract
Charleston Meadow, Palo Alto's 1950–1951 Anshen & Allen Eichler tract: its two recorded units, original plan features, Eichler's first control committee and today's rules.
Greer Park Eichler History: Palo Alto's 1950 Anshen & Allen Tract
Greer Park, one of Eichler's 1950 'Subdivision of the Year' tracts: its Seale Tract map, three circle streets, Anshen & Allen design roots and overlay rules.
Greenmeadow Eichler History: Palo Alto's Jones & Emmons Tract
How Jones & Emmons designed Greenmeadow, Palo Alto's 1954–55 Eichler historic district: six models, a pooled community center, original interiors and today's rules.
How to Date a House: A Field Guide to Mid-Century Features
A buyer's field guide to dating a postwar California house by its windows, garage doors, roofing and plan, with an Eichler timeline and the records to check first.
Cliff May Homes: The Designer Who Shaped the California Ranch House
Who Cliff May was, how his ranch houses were planned around patios, the panel houses he designed with Chris Choate, his Menlo Park work, and how to check whether a house is really his.
Pricing an Architectural Home When the Comparables Don't Match
A method for pricing a mid-century or architect-designed home when comparable sales don't line up, built on Fannie Mae's appraisal rules, quality ratings and the reconsideration of value process.
Mid-Century Modern Terms: A Glossary for Buyers and Owners
Plain-language definitions of the mid-century modern terms in listings, inspection reports, city guidelines and historic surveys, with links to deeper pages.
Mid-Century Modern Design Principles: Overhangs, Orientation and Glass
Deep overhangs, careful siting, closed fronts, open backs and planned landscapes: how Eichler-era houses were designed for the California sun, and how to update them.
Eichler Carports, Entry Courts and Blank Street Walls Explained
The closed-looking front of an Eichler is deliberate. How carports, garages, entry courts and fences shape the street side, and what the records say about changing them.
Mid-Century Tract Homes vs. Custom Moderns: What Buyers Should Know
Tract moderns came as sets of models; custom moderns were drawn for one lot. How to tell them apart and why it matters for research, historic value, rules and remodels.
Mid-Century Clerestory Windows and Window Walls: How They Work
High clerestories in front and full-height glass in back: how mid-century houses bring in daylight, protect privacy, handle heat and keep their window pattern.
Butterfly Roof Houses and Other Mid-Century Rooflines Explained
Butterfly, flat, shed and low gable roofs each tell you something about a mid-century house. Here is where each came from and what the roofline means for owners.
Mid-Century Modern vs. Ranch: How to Tell California Houses Apart
Both are low, one-story postwar houses. Here is how framing, roofs, siding, windows and garages separate a Contemporary-style modern from a California tract ranch.
Eichler Atrium Models vs. Courtyard and Gallery Plans Explained
Atrium, courtyard and gallery plans each handle privacy and light differently. Here is where each Eichler plan type came from and how to read it from the street.
How to Tell If a House Is an Eichler: A Six-Step Check
Eichler is a builder, not a style. Use records, the street face, the structure and the original model to confirm a true Eichler, and learn which remodels don't change the answer.
Eichler Mahogany Paneling: Restore, Refinish or Replace
What original Eichler wall paneling is made of, how to identify its finish, how to refinish thin veneer without sanding through, the lead rules for old finishes, and how to match new panels.