Streng Brothers Homes: Sacramento's Mid-Century Modern Tracts
Bill and Jim Streng and architect Carter Sparks built about 4,000 houses in the Sacramento area. What defines a Streng house, how it differs from an Eichler and where to find one.
Mid-Century Modern ADU: Adding a Unit Without Fighting the House
What California ADU law allows on a single-family lot, why a conversion often fits a mid-century house better, and how to design a detached unit that respects the original architecture.
Section 1 and Section 2 Termite Reports on Post-and-Beam Homes
What Section 1, Section 2 and further inspection mean on a California pest report, where post-and-beam homes tend to show wood damage, and how buyers and sellers use the report.
Mid-Century Home Inspection Checklist: What to Check, System by System
Which inspections to order for a 1950s or 1960s post-and-beam home, and what to check on the roof, slab, wiring, glass and original materials before your contingency ends.
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.
How to Read a Mid-Century Floor Plan Before You Tour
Find the original model, then read the zones, the shape, the glass and the slab. A six-step method for reading an Eichler or post-and-beam floor plan before a tour.
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.
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.
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.
Post and Beam Earthquake Retrofit: Slab Homes, Programs and Checks
Why slab post-and-beam homes differ from raised-floor houses, which California retrofit grants and insurance discounts fit, what an engineer may check, and the earthquake disclosures in a sale.
Flat Roof Drainage on Mid-Century Homes: Fascia, Gutters and Grading
How water leaves a low-slope post-and-beam roof, why the fascia needs care, how to choose open edges, scuppers or gutters, where water should go at grade, and what to check each season.
Insulating an Exposed Beam Ceiling: Above the Deck, Edges and Walls
How to insulate a post-and-beam house with no attic: above-deck and below-deck options, what the 2025 Energy Code requires at a reroof, the roof edge, and walls, glass and air sealing.
Post and Beam Repair: Inspecting and Refinishing Exposed Beams
Where exposed beams on mid-century homes decay, how to inspect them with simple tools, the repair options preservation specialists use, and how to refinish beams without losing the look.