Midcentury Home Updated for Multigenerational Livi

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Real Estate

Homes constructed by the postwar developer Joseph Eichler are coveted for many of the features that appealed to families in the 1950s and ’60s, including their modern style, indoor-outdoor flow and large expanses of glass. But other common aspects of the homes, including poor energy efficiency, closed-off kitchens and small square footage, aren’t very conducive to contemporary multigenerational living.

So after a family with a young daughter and twins on the way purchased one such home in Palo Alto, California, it set out to upgrade the home’s function and finishes and to add a grandparents’ suite. The homeowners hired Klopf Architecture, which is renowned for its sensitive Eichler remodels, to get the job done — and to ensure that the home’s architectural integrity and distinctive character were preserved in the process.

Of the 10,000 or so modest but architecturally progressive Eichler homes built in the 1950s through the mid-1970s, more than 2,000 — more than in any other city — were clustered in tract house neighborhoods of Palo Alto. Although they came in several floor plans, they’re easily identified by their shared post-and-beam construction, low rooflines, horizontal orientation and minimal street-facing windows.

Read more: https://www.houzz.com/magazine/houzz-tour-midcentury-home-updated-for-multigenerational-living-stsetivw-vs~178292837