Eichler did not have a background as an architect but he built a successful home building business. He hired architects to apply Frank Lloyd Wright's "green ideas" to planned communities. According to About.com, an Eichler home is said to be a one-story home that consists of:
Post-and-beam construction
Concrete slab foundation
Long front facade with attached carport
An open-air courtyard at the entrance
Floor-to-ceiling windows
Sliding glass doors
Radiant heat in the floors
Exposed ceiling beams
This home style is reminiscent of an ANCIENT ROMAN home as it includes an open-air courtyard. Roman homes included this area as a place to greet and entertain visitors. The open-air portion of the home was for the public while the covered interior was for the private portions of the family's life.
The Frank Loyd Wright feel of an Eichler home is the integration with the environment. The many windows give the impression that the living space and the environment share a seamless transition into one another.
Eichler's homes were considered affordable middle-class family homes in the mid-century. Many of the 11,000 homes he constructed were located in California. Organizations have emerged that promote the restoration of these modernist homes. One such organization is The Eichler Network.
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