Highlands Eichler Home Tour - Message from the Chair

Welcome to Highlands Eichler Home Tour’s dedicated website.  We are gearing up for our 2009 event, which is scheduled for April 24th and 25th.  As a kid growing up in an Eichler, I couldn’t really put my finger on why I loved these houses so much. It wasn’t until it was time for me to settle into a community with my own children that I knew that an Eichler was where I was meant to be.  It did not take much decision making effort for my husband or I to make our home here in the San Mateo Highlands Eichler community.   

From both the fascination of the architectural style as well as a warm nostalgia for the good memories made in the Eichler of my youth, I continue to appreciate all that these historical homes have to offer.  From the inside-outside feel to the unique look the beams have running across the ceiling of the house to even the goofy parts that make some contractors squeamish about taking a plumbing or electrical job, I love these homes.  In some ways it is like having a quirky relative that you love both for their unique personality as well as their oddities.  

With the unique character of these homes comes the need to employ specialized craftsmen when you want to remodel or update one.  Our family’s journey to a complete remodel and 600 foot addition is in part what inspired the creation of the home tour.  The challenge we faced trying to modernize our home without compromising the integrity of the original architectural design was not ours alone.  We could not have done it without the Eichler specific expertise of the many contractors that worked on our home.  Sharing these valuable resources among fellow Eichler owners is key.  The Highlands Eichler Home Tour is an important way to do that.

Events like this are also important for raising awareness for the place and value these mid-century modern homes have in the world.  Maybe, just maybe, it can help preserve the original inspiration in the pockets of homes that are still left.  Perhaps I am a zealot, but when I see an Eichler torn down and replaced with a 2-story pitched roof traditional home, it is like another acre of rainforest cut down, neither of which we can get back once they are gone.  

Join us to celebrate some of the Highlands’ versions of these architectural treasures.  I look forward to meeting many of you (and revisiting with our alumni guests) in April.  We have an exciting event for you this year.  Thanks for your support.

Sincerely,

Linda Siguenza