A Bay Area Eichler Home That Stays True to Its Midcentury Roots

There are far more expensive homes and much grander mansions one can buy across California’s Bay Area. But like those who collect rare vintages or classic cars, homes built by the late and prolific developer Joseph Eichler—often referred to by aficionados as Eichlers—are prized by midcentury design enthusiasts. 

And those who prefer their Eichler’s in largely original condition but are not so taken with the task of overseeing a cumbersome restoration and update will take note of one particularly authentic, yet carefully modernized house in the East Bay community of Concord, about 30 miles northeast of San Francisco, now up for grabs at $1.375 million with Dara Buzzard of the Dudum Real Estate Group.

Known as the CC-174R Model and originally designed by the relatively unsung midcentury architect Claude Oakland, the not-quite-2,000-square-foot period piece sits on a corner lot of almost one-third of an acre in the Parkwood Estates neighborhood, which is informally known as Eichler Parkside. There are four bedrooms, one housed in a semi-detached casita, and two vintage bathrooms with updated plumbing and fixtures.

Beyond the broad concrete steps that traverse the water-friendly (and automatically irrigated) xeriscaped front yard and through the lime-green door that animates the charcoal exterior cladding hides a small courtyard open to the sky, a classic feature in an Eichler home. Glass sliders serve as the main entrance to the home’s interior spaces—another hallmark of an Eichler—where myriad period features include the aggregate flooring at the entrance, tongue-and-groove ceilings, globe lights, and a bunch of built-in cabinetry.

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In the breezy, light-filled great room, the living area is grounded by an exposed brick fireplace, and the original mahogany paneling on the back wall of the dining space has been refinished. Around the corner and exposed to the courtyard, the eat-in kitchen’s whimsically color-blocked cabinetry has modern appliances, such as a smart-touch faucet, seamlessly introduced.

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The primary bedroom, with a compartmentalized bath, spills out to the backyard, and the oversized laundry room, which also opens to the yard, easily doubles as an art studio, home office, and/or exercise/yoga space.

Out back, the pancake-flat yard was refurbished just two years ago with year-round relaxing in mind: saltwater pool and spa, clean-lined pergola outfitted with ceiling-mounted heaters, and fire pit. The low-maintenance turf is punctuated with spikey and flowering plantings that add dimension and character, French drains redirect water away from the foundation, and for all the green thumbs, a side yard holds citrus, fig, and crab apple trees.

Click here for more photos of the Bay Area Eichler.