Modernizing an Eichler Landscape

Mission: Transform an old and tired Eichler into a masterpiece maximizing its garden and outdoor living spaces to take full advantage of the home’s airy design.

For this gem of an Eichler, the exterior had seen better days. The front yard included a wooden stockade fence – not unusual for Eichler homeowners seeking to provide greater privacy due to the large expanses of glass. The backyard was a mixture of old decking, broken brick walkways and patches of dirt.

The refresh included replacing the front fencing with an attractive, modern wall, contemporary relaxing seating areas in front and back, surrounded by low maintenance and low water usage plantings to create beautiful spaces.

Since the front of the house is all windows, we wanted to maintain privacy from the street while also creating a usable courtyard area. We took the opportunity to play into the modern themes of the home’s design and built a showstopper custom concrete wall covered in tile using a geometric pattern in a soft grey. Playing off of the subtle palette is a front deck cum lounge area, flagstone pathway and river rock completing the look. Now, visitors from curb through to the front gate are immediately embraced in a subdued yet fully modern environment that celebrates the history of the home.

The front yard outside of the courtyard provides aesthetic appeal and requires minimal upkeep with its Dymondia ground cover, a drought tolerant plant that forms a dense mat, reduces weeds and provides colorful yellow flowers spring through fall. Adding interest to the outer corner of the yard is a rock garden housing an artistic collection of large white planters with drought tolerant plantings.

In the Eichler backyard, the entire space has been converted into a designer retreat complete with custom decking, a spa, hardscaping and fresh new bamboo plantings for a low maintenance and zen-like feel. A custom engineered overhead structure adds shade and gives a nod to the home’s mid-century sophistication. This attractive piece maintains the required 50% opening to the sky in keeping with local city ordinances. Matching screens adorn the backyard fence.

Along with the exterior changes, the dark and enclosed master bedroom added LaCantina doors to two walls – one leading to the new dining deck and the other to the backyard seating and spa area – perfect for relaxing in the Mountain View evenings.

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