The Glass Box

Spectacular View Eichler in Castro Valley

back view of 5664 Greenridge Road with child & view reflection

With it's semi-rural hilltop location, the 200 Eichlers of Greenridge enjoy sunny weather, sweeping views, peaceful surroundings and fantastic commutes to major job centers. In short, it's an ideal location for a family to enjoy indoor/outdoor living in Midmod style.

Very few Greenridge Eichlers come on the market at any one time, and are often snapped up quickly. Like most Eichler subdivisions, the homes of Greenridge vary in desirability of location as well as size, finish, and condition. Admittedly, I have not been in many Castro Valley Eichlers. I have, over the past couple of years however, driven around the neighborhood and checked out homes from the street.

So many of Greenridge's Eichler homes have been renovated that many of them can be compared to the best in Marin as well as the Peninsula.

One such home is a now for sale on 5664 Greenridge Road.

In short, this home is special. It is one of the best examples of renovated/original I have seen. The owner really understood the spirit of Eichler, *Contemporary Architecture*.

And while the asking may be above the recent comps, I believe it is justified here because of the uniqueness of this home. It can truly be compared to those in more expensive markets, and when you add the incredible views, it exceeds those homes in many ways.

I had a blast photographing this Eichler. So many special *moments* or views in the home. I really loved it! Here is the info:

Update: This home SOLD for $900,000

5664 Greenridge Road, Castro Valley  asking $850,000

• 4/2, 1842 sf, .25 acre lot
• Ashen & Allen  Model E-111, Built 1960
• Atrium model with double garage (the best of both worlds!)
• Most original Eichler interior is intact & maintained
• View side of the street
• Very desirable location in Greenridge- top of subdivision- quiet & level street
• Last sold: 2005

Contact: Thomas Westfall, Alain Pinel Realtors  415-889-7608 direct

I am changing it up for this post, because there is really nothing to ding or "needs work" on this home. I'll just lists some of the detail which made an impression on me:

• A stunning amont of original in this home from acres of mahogany to kitchen & bathrooms.
• All wood was preserved
• Super clean, beautiful atrium
• Great curb appeal
• Siding and beams look fab
• Flooring is VCT
• Closet doors are restored and gorgeous
• Dining room created out of the den, wall taken down, opened up the room and made a great room- it works!
• Very cool, extra large mahogany closet in diningroom.. I'm envious!
• Mistolite glass added in hallway in two places, looks great and period correct
• Impeccably staged
• View is to die for with great kidney shaped pool

5664 Greenridge Road, Castro Valley

original Eichler door knob and escutcheon

new Eichler numbers, good to see!

atrium view, gorgeous- this is what you see when you open the door!

open atrium with beams

family room, first room as you come in the slider from atrium

family room shot 2, t&g is painted

kitchen view from family room, kitchen is ALL original with carefully curated newer appliances. increduble view is shared by all common areas!

original Eichler pantry. what a dream!

Eichler cabinets, original counters & cutting board

new cooktop fitted carefully into existing Eichler counter and cabinet. love the original spice rack! 

hallway to bedrooms with mistolite glass windows

master, all luan!

master view from the bed

going out to the pool from the master bedroom

original master vanity with mahogany walls

master vanity tooth brush holder. it's thrilling to see this stuff preserved!

even the closet system is mahogany!

a nicely staged vignette in one of the kid's bedrooms

kid's bathroom is, of course, all original. shower is updated

office with Eames desk, lots of mahogany here too!

original Eichler closet doors are throughout the house. these are in the office. they appear to be restored perfectly.

atrium view and beyond- from office slider

luan hallway is awesome! master at the end

new dining area is on the other side of the kitchen, part of a great room which was created. notice the new beam and steel supports. no post in the way, a clear span!

diningroom/livingroom ceiling with new beam

beam detail with steel

dining room view from outside side yard slider

sweet Eichler mahogany closet in the dining area

diningroom looking out. a fab space!

lovely plycraft chair and ottoman in livingroom

perfectly planted bamboo gives this slit window in the livingroom a nice *moment*

livingroom with a view- part of the 'great' room area shared with diningroom

nice grove of bamboo right outside of livingroom slider

pool view from livingroom slider

back of house with pool reflection- stunning!

full on pool view from right side- looking north west

view with snappy orange DWR bench

entire back of house

view looking north east- it's all good!

random shots- these vintage Fiats literally come with the house (for a fee of course). you can get the whole kit!!

random shots- Nest thermostat- 1960 meets 21st century

random shots- atrium view from kitchen/familyroom

exterior shot from left side with fence

street shot- massive curb appeal!!

 

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any realtors or real estate brokerages. I am not a general contractor or home inspector. I am an Eichler homeowner with 15 years of renovation experience. Observations on homes are my own and are made during a walk through viewing. Buyers should obtain their own inspection by a qualified home inspector before purchase.

 

 

 

 

 

Lovely Original Condition Eichler in Concord... A True Bargain in the Bay Area!

orginal ball light, original stain on t&g, unpainted mahogany crown... kinda says it all!

**This is a Glass Box Exclusive! Not yet listed on the MLS.**

Update: This home is now in escrow!

With a white hot SF Bay Area market in full swing this Summer, finding anything of quality under 500K has become like seeing a mirage in the desert. Fortunately for those buyers eagerly awaiting the scarce Concord Eichler market to give up another great listing, one is coming which will please even the diehard Eichler fan.

This home is *original maintained* which is the ideal for most in the market for one of these post and beam gems. This Eichler has got very little which has been altered, needing, upon a quick inspection, only minor, superficial cosmetic changes.

If you were holding out for a big dose of Eichler goodness, this may be the home for you!

4058 Wilson Lane, Concord  asking $449,500

3/2, 1,367 sf, 7,300 sf lot

Rancho del Diablo neighborhood

Contact: Peggy Martinez, J.H. Russell Real Estate Group  925-330-0260

(Just picked up a house flyer & realtor's info is different from her card, so I have changed her contact info to reflect this).

The Good:

• Couryard model with flat roof- very midmod
• Clean, owner occupied
• House appears to have been maintained
• Radiant floor is working
• New foam roof put on the house a year ago with top coating
• Instant hot water installed
• Great floor plan
• Kitchen layout and some Eichler cabinets intact
• Luan intact & gorgeous
• Stained t&g intact, not painted in 95% of the home
• Ball light intact
• Original Eichler cabinet in hallway laundry area
• Fireplace remains unpainted
• Original Eichler switch plates present
• Mahogany baseborard unpainted in common area
• Original closet doors intact
• Original mahogany bookcase intact
• Siding appears to be in good-excellent shape with crisp lines indicating the house has been stained and not painted (like it was originally done by Eichler)
• No obvious dry rot
• Large lot for the area
• Lot is basic but clean, ready for a great garden
• Courtyard is clean with tons of potential
• Large garage

Needs work:

• Minor alterations to the kitchen could use a small update
• Carpet is clean, but should be removed and replaced with some type VCT or alike
• Cork flooring is both a plus and a minus, it's clean and period correct, but has a tiny bit of fading near window
• AC livingroom installation could be better, a minor fix
• Awning and patio cover should be removed or remodeled, attached to back beam and not very MCM- does appear to be clean & functional.
• Arcadia sliders and one window (in kitchen) are white aluminum replacements. They are not too bad looking, and double pane, but not original finish (plain aluminum)
• Lot, patio, and fencing will need a bit of spucing up
• Front entry is dark and uninviting, definitely needs new fencing
• XLarge, non-Eichler garage door hurts the curb appeal, it dominates. I would consider restoring the original sliding Eichler barn doors
• I would consider painting the home a different color. This may have been close to the original Eichler green, yet seems a little too 'forest'. Something about it makes this home lost in a crowd.

Summary:

This home is in an awesome, Eichler enthusiast community. There are several nice examples of this model within the subdivision.

Over-all this one's a beauty, and is under $500,000! It's a smaller home which would work best for a couple, or family with one child. The dull curb appeal is deceptive, the home's interior is beautifully original. This Eichler could be made to shine bright with very little elbow grease & money. There's a lot to love about this house!

front view of 4058 Wilson Lane

gi-normous , non-Eichler garage door and dark entry could be greatly improved upon

courtyard with tons of potential -at the front of the home, it's behind a fence and private

courtyard view- front of the Eichler

courtyard view

courtyard view from far corner

this model has a slider as the front door. I would probably remove this gate and make the outer gate more secure.

original mahogany bookcase and closet door, just inside the front door slider

in kitchen area looking back at front slider, notice luan and cork flooring (which is in good condition over-all)

kitchen- original layout is still there with some very minor alteration

kitchen view, notice original pantry... very cool.

Pantry with sliders, mahogany in great shape, they ran the cork up to the cabinet

pantry view from inside the kitchen area

t&g and ball light in the kitchen

stained t&g and Eichler fan in kitchen

livingroom view- as you enter house and go to the right

livingroom- unpainted fireplace, two slit windows, mahogany paneling and baseboard, stained t&g

stained t&g, ball light in living room

original Eichler switch plate and swtich, another example of how much *original* is in this home

original Eichler thermostat

original Eichler cabinet, with original paint, in hallway laundry area

second bedroom, very clean with original windows

original closet doors in bedroom, painted, but could be restored. unpainted mahogany trim over closet is great!

t&g in bedroom 2 (the other kid's bedroom has a light white wash on the t&g)

hall bathroom looks clean & mostly original

back of the home, sliders off of the living room and kitchen

back view, looking into the livingroom

large side yard, view of the back of fireplace

back yard... tons of potential!

back yard

back of house

patio view to back yard

back yard

the siding looked pretty darn good outside, the square down spouts & trough for the gutter is a good sign that maintenance was done

some mature planting on side yard, lovely

back view of the home. the lucky new owner will have a great house and garden to enjoy!

 

 

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any realtors or real estate brokerages. I am not a general contractor or home inspector. I am an Eichler homeowner with 15 years of renovation experience. Observations on homes are my own and are made during a walk through viewing. Buyers should obtain their own inspection by a qualified home inspector before purchase.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Neglected Eichler in Skyrocketing San Francisco

front walkway and entrance, land to the left is part of the lot, so much potential!

With *tech* money flowing freely through San Francisco's veins it's no wonder that real estate prices continue to climb at a lightening quick pace. I was told by a realtor this week that the new median price in SF is $1,000,000 and climbing.

As a former long term resident of the City, I lived through the crazy dot com years in the 90's, ultimately having to escape to Southern CA in order to buy my first Eichler. The Diamond Heights Eichler homes- which were located close to my family- were unattainable at the time, selling in the 600K-700K range. Of course that was 15 years ago! Now you can't get arrested in that small Mid Century subdivision for under 1.7 million...

But wait, a bargain has come on the market for a mere $1,449,000. Great model, largely original, flat & large corner lot, some views, quiet neighborhood. So- what's the catch?

91 Cameo Way, asking $1,449,000

Update: This home SOLD on August 1, 2014 for an amazing $1,425,000! 

4/2, 1,948 sf, 7,048 sf mostly level, corner lot

Built 1962, Claude Oakland designed

Approximately 100 Eichler homes in SF

Good news:

• Even with the unfortunate demo here, this home is almost all original!
• Great Eichler model- long and low, very mod, great use of clerestory windows in common areas, could be an amazing *magazine-shoot* type of Eichler home
• Looks like and original owner lived here
• Stained t&g ceilings, no paint!
• Ball lights intact
• Incredible UNPAINTED square block fireplace! Super cool & rare
• Mahogany wood work is unpainted
• Eichler vanity in bathroom
• Eichler front door & interior doors intact
• Original laundryroom intact 
• Some original paneling still there
• Original wood & grass cloth closet doors still intact and all there
• Radiant boiler looks newer
• Looks like fairly recent paint on exterior- possibly requied by HOA
•  Super cool-what appears to be original- mahogany livingroom cabinet intact with round pulls
• Incredibly rare corner local with large flat lot, raised from the street, tons of privacy!
• Comes with SF approved plans for renovation (may not matter if you don't like the plans!)
• Several renovated Eichlers in the same Eichler Subdivision

 Needs work:

• This is an abondoned demolition zone, so kiss the conventional financing goodbye!
• Decades of deferred maintenance! 
• Several significant cracks in slab- which is now exposed- makes me worry a bit about the foundation
• Leak drops on ceiling, I would factor in a new roof into the renovation
• Radiant is not working; could be upto $50K to fix (as per estimate told to me)
• Electrical panel looks original, and a little sloppy, should be updated
• Extremely dirty throughout house- black mold, white mold, must, green fungus, animal smell, demolition dirt
• Dryrot on beams and siding
• Lot needs total clearing including demo of large patio in back of home
• Needs new fencing
• Front door escutcheon is gone. A little thing, but those suckers are hard to find!
• Big thing- Kitchen is gone as well as some original paneling which was dumped in the garage-Boo! Don't know for sure if kitchen was original, but I suspect it was given how original the rest of this home is...

Summary:  

I love this area of San Francisco! The windswept hills of Diamond Heights with its sweeping views was home to my Father for almost 40 years. If I could afford purchase an Eichler in this area, I would!

On 91 Cameo, however, I am not sure why someone didn't just do a major clean-up, and sell it intact? This home was probably 100% original!!??

Much better to leave it alone than to stop after partial demo. Who knows what was lost? It shows so poorly now. And, they have limited their pool of buyers.

The estimates for repair on 91 Cameo Way, I was told, came back around $280,000 for renovation which seems under to me... my conservate estimate would be closer to $325,000-$350,000 when you factor in the lot. There are several unknowns here, especially the extent exterior damage.

So, a big chunk of change out of pocket! The owners (I believe this is an estate sale) have backed away from their *Plan A*and now seem to be looking for a retail buyer to fall in crazy-irrational love and sink serious dough into this rough diamond.

If someone does remodel, carefully, they will be left with a stunning home. But, at 1.4 asking, it cannot be a flipper. In this market, this Eichler- renovated- would command between $1.7 million and $1.85 million dollars based on a very recent comp:

25 Cameo Way (around the corner), 4/2.5, smaller interior lot @4,421 sf, remodeled and lovely, asking $1,499,000, CLOSED May 2014 for $1,735,000. Now that's a bidding war! 

As an Eichler enthusiast, I hope this fabulous home stays intact and goes to someone willing to keep what's original, then do a sensitive remodel.

This rough & neglected home needs an Eichler lover with a lot of stock options to cash in!

view into atrium- original Eichler front door, missing escutcheon

some uncovered dry rot on exterior, apparently there have been inspections on this property- lots of Section 1!

 exterior shot of the side, atrium glass

east side of house- large corner lot is incredibly rare in SF!  

white, non-Eichler garage doors dominate front view of house

all garage door panels have this dry rot damage, must be rain flowing onto them in the Winter

overgrown atrium, hard to see the condition of siding everywhere

original Eichler light in atrium, T&G painted here

demo'd & sad kitchen space looking into the atrium

looking from kitchen space towards front door, looks like a wall was removed here since beam is raw wood

same space, entrance wall- notice original channel cut into beam to run electrical. I saw this all over the house... interesting!

one of my fav shots! original stain, entrance wall and ball light.

where the, I assume, *original* Eichler kitchen was... tragic!

none of the mahogany is painted-including this bedroom door! original Eichler door knob

cool slit windows facing the street, shuttered and moldy

door to atrium in common area

original Eichler vanity

original Eichler closet doors throughout home, will need a deep clean!

groovy, original mahogany cabinet in living room with glass screen- divides the hall way from livingroom. thankfully looks like they saved the mahogany baseboards!

mahogany cabinet (detail) with round finger pull. Stain matches throughout the house, so I believe this is Eichler- entrance to living room

view towards the incredible, UNPAINTED- square block fire place. hard not to geek out about this one... in livingroom

unpainted square block.. love this so much

OK, one more! fireplace with back yard view

all ceilings are stained T&G. lovely!

outside now, looking at the groovy glass screen/mahogany cabinet wall

Malm fireplace outside the livingroom block fireplace. Not the best installation. Probably sitting there for 40+ years!

large covered deck outside the livingroom slider. looks like a teardown to me...

remnants of a butterfly chair-so sad- with a bit of trash. sums up the condition of the lot...

view of back yard from far corner, directly behind large patio

a large flat lot next to a one story home in central SF- incredible!!

one more of back yard and house- so much potential!

back of home

side of home & side yard

some random shots- interior unpainted mahogany jam

random shots-newer boiler and water heater

random shots-cabinet left behind in a good size laundry room

random shots- sky light and an Eichler fan in the bathroom!

random shots- several large cracks in the slab

random shots- peek-a-boo view across the street

random shots- a neighbor- nicely renovated Eichler a couple of doors down. there are some real spendy gems in this neighborhood!

 

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any realtors or real estate brokerages. I am not a general contractor or home inspector. I am an Eichler homeowner with 15 years of renovation experience. Observations on homes are my own and are made during a walk through viewing. Buyers should obtain their own inspection by a qualified home inspector before purchase.

 

Concord Eichler for Sale- Peaceful Setting... Loads of Potential!

4006 Santa Fe Court, nice curb appeal

For those in sticker shock over the seemingly unattainable asking prices of MCM homes in the SF Bay Area, rising rapidly by the week, there is one refuge in a small collection of Eichler tracts. Quiet, tree lined streets, family orineted neighborhoods, views of the mountains, minutes to SF by Bart. This is Concord.

The crazy escalation of housing prices have shook loose several Eichlers this Summer, placing them onto the market, ready for anxious buyers. Multiple offers have become the norm in the last 12 months. Yes, it has happened that quickly. The existence of the Concord Eichlers is no longer a secret as the East Bay Area has not only recovered for the recession, but is now beginning to surpass it's 2005 highs. Tech is here to stay and so are the high prices.

The latest Concord Eichler on offer is in the Rancho del los Santos (RDLS) neighborhood which is comprised of approximately 41 Eichlers. RDLS is very close to the Rancho del Diablo Eichler tract, and the two neighborhoods often share activities such as the upcoming vintage and garage sale on July 19th.

Here are the particulars on the home for sale:

4006 Santa Fe Court, Concord, CA   asking $520,000

UPDATE: This home is SOLD for $545,000

• 4/2. 1,598 sf, 7,500 sf lot
• Atrium Model
• Built 1965
• Corner lot
• looks like a Jones & Emmons
• Radiant works (as per Redfin)
• Single car garage and carport

Positives:

• Home is clean and owner-occupied
• Located in a cul-de-sac
• Windows have been upgraded to energy efficient, double pane
• Much of stained T&G remains
• Several of the Eichlers globes are present
• Good curb appeal
• Front glass screen looks to be in good shape
• Nice lot with room to garden
• Several mature fruit trees
• Newer driveway
• Atrium is open with caps on beams
• Lovely views to back yard from house
• Wonderful views to Mount Diablo from the cul-de-sac
• Great neighborhoood

Needs Work:

• Needs a cosmetic re-fresh and *Re-Eichlering*, very few modernist/Eichler elements remain in the interior
• Kitchen and baths need a remodel
• Yellow oak floor in living room is not efficient with radiant
• Saltillo tile in kitchen is laid in two-three sections and should probably be removed
• Needs a total re-paint
• T&G ceiling was painted orange in front bedroom 
• Sections of house will need new siding
• Back patio paved right up to windows, no planter beds
• RV pad on side poured too close to bottom of siding, too much of the sill is covered up, some dryrot
• Several sections of conduit running outside the house
• Trellis on front of house should be removed and beam trim restored
• Window replacements: this is a plus and a minus... Dual pane is great for energy conservation, especially in the Summer, BUT everything is white vinyl. The back windows were replaced in two sections unfortunately.

Over-all this is a very workable house with a great asking price!

 

 

 

Back view of the home

 

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any realtors or real estate brokerage. I am not a general contractor or home inspector. I am an Eichler homeowner with 15 years of renovation experience. Observations on homes are my own and are made during a walk through viewing. Buyers should obtain their own inspection by a qualified home inspector before purchase.