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Eichler homes in Southern California
Joseph Eichler’s company built roughly 575 to 600 houses in Southern California in the 1960s, in five tracts across Los Angeles, Orange and Thousand Oaks. Jones & Emmons and Claude Oakland designed them, with Anshen & Allen in Orange, and they have the atriums, glass walls and post-and-beam framing of the Bay Area Eichlers. Four of the five tracts are now local historic districts with exterior design review.
The housesThe rulesBefore you buy
- built1960–1966Orange first
- tracts5Los Angeles, Orange, Thousand Oaks
- homes575–600sources differ
- districts4 of 5local, 2010 and 2018
the houses
What makes them distinctive
- Atrium plansEach Balboa Highlands house has an open atrium courtyard, and Thousand Oaks sales copy described an atrium “open to the sky.”
- Glass wallsFloor-to-ceiling glass walls open onto the atrium and rear yard at Balboa Highlands; the Thousand Oaks plans had glass walls facing patios.
- Three rooflinesBalboa Highlands has four basic models with flat, A-frame and slant roofs.
- Post-and-beamA 2011 profile describes a Fairhaven house in Orange with post-and-beam construction, flat roofs and walls of glass.
- Heat in the slabThe Thousand Oaks plans had radiant heating; at Balboa Highlands the company ran air-conditioning ducts in the concrete slabs “with mixed results,” Eichler Network reports.
- Mahogany interiorsPhilippine mahogany paneling appears in Thousand Oaks sales materials and in a Jones & Emmons house in Orange’s Fairmeadow tract.
the tracts
The five tracts
| Tract | City | Built | Homes | Designation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balboa Highlands | Granada Hills, Los Angeles | 1962–1964 | more than 100 | City HPOZ, 2010 |
| Fairhaven | Orange | from 1960 | about 141 | City historic district, 2018 |
| Fairmeadow | Orange | from 1962 | about 128 | City historic district, 2018 |
| Fairhills | Orange | from 1963 or 1964 | about 80 | City historic district, 2018 |
| Conejo Valley tract | Thousand Oaks | 1963–1966 | about 100–120 | none found |
Counts and dates as the sources report them; they differ, so treat them as estimates.
protection
Designation and the rules
- Balboa Highlands HPOZThe tract became a City of Los Angeles Historic Preservation Overlay Zone in 2010. A five-member board works with City Planning and reviews changes to the facades of contributing houses, including windows, doors, roofs and additions.
- Orange historic districtsIn November 2018 the Orange City Council voted 5–0 to make all three Eichler tracts local historic districts and adopted Orange Eichler Design Standards for changes visible from the street; they bar second stories on existing Eichlers but allow two-story rear additions under strict conditions.
- Mills ActOwners in a Los Angeles HPOZ and in the Orange Eichler districts can apply for Mills Act property tax relief; Orange contracts run 10 years, renew automatically and require the savings to go back into the house.
- Thousand OaksEichler Network reports no historic designation or design guidelines for the Thousand Oaks tract. We found no National Register listing for any Southern California Eichler tract.
before you buy
What to check before you buy
- Past approvalsIn Balboa Highlands and the Orange tracts, ask for permits and design-review approvals for past exterior work; new street-visible work is reviewed.
- Slab systemsAsk for a pressure test of any radiant heating system; Eichler Network’s experts say copper tubing can be repaired but steel generally can’t. At Balboa Highlands, ask how the in-slab ducts have performed.
- AsbestosOriginal Eichler floor tile and its mastic can contain asbestos; test before sanding, scraping or removing it.
- Roof, atrium and glassOrange’s 2018 draft standards called repair of the original sliding glass doors essential and discouraged enclosing atrium openings; check what has changed and whether it was approved.
- Heat and earthquakesSummers at Balboa Highlands reach the low 100s, and at least two Eichlers there had major damage, including cracked slabs, in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Ask about cooling and seismic retrofits.
The Los Angeles and Orange planning pages couldn’t be opened for this guide, so the rules come from LA Conservancy, Eichler Network and Preserve Orange County summaries; confirm them with each city before you buy or remodel.
sources
Where this comes from
Checked October 20, 2026.
- LA Conservancy: Balboa HighlandsDates, architects, models, rooflines, atriums, glass walls.www.laconservancy.org/locations/balboa-highlands
- LA Conservancy: Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ)HPOZ board, facade review, Mills Act.www.laconservancy.org/save-places/at-a-glance-policies-for-neighborhoods/historic-preservation-overlay-zone-hpoz/
- Eichler Network: Ready for a tax break?Balboa Highlands HPOZ 2010; Orange districts 2018.www.eichlernetwork.com/article/ready-tax-break
- Eichler Network: Orange’s Eichler tracts win protection (2018)Council vote and design standards.www.eichlernetwork.com/blog/dave-weinstein/oranges-eichler-tracts-win-protection
- Preserve Orange County: The Eichlers of Orange (2019)Orange and Southern California totals, Mills Act.www.preserveorangecounty.org/places/2019/5/21/the-eichlers-of-orange-fairhaven-fairmeadow-fairhills
- SAH Southern California Chapter: Eichler Homes, Thousand OaksThousand Oaks dates, count, architects, radiant heat.sahscc.org/eichler-homes-thousand-oaks/
- Eichler Network: Thousand Oaks Eichler neighborhoodThousand Oaks count, streets, no designation.www.eichlernetwork.com/article/thousand-oaks-eichler-neighborhood
- Eichler Network: Eichlers of Balboa HighlandsHeat, earthquake damage, in-slab ducts.www.eichlernetwork.com/article/eichlers-balboa-highlands-granada-hills?page=0%2C2
- Eichler Network: Had your radiant checkup?Copper vs. steel tubing.www.eichlernetwork.com/article/had-your-radiant-checkup
- Eichler Network: Asbestos, still a trying issueAsbestos in floor tile and mastic.www.eichlernetwork.com/article/asbestos-still-trying-issue
- National Park Service: National Register FAQNational Register listing places no restrictions on what a non-federal owner may do with their property.www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/faqs.htm
questions
Questions we hear
Where did Eichler build in Southern California?
In Balboa Highlands in Granada Hills (Los Angeles), in three City of Orange tracts (Fairhaven, Fairmeadow and Fairhills) and in one tract in Thousand Oaks in Ventura County.
Can an Orange Eichler get a second story?
Not on top of the existing house. Orange’s Eichler design standards bar that but allow two-story rear additions under strict conditions, with design review.
Are Southern California Eichlers eligible for the Mills Act?
Owners in the Balboa Highlands HPOZ and the Orange Eichler historic districts can apply for Mills Act tax relief. The Thousand Oaks tract has no historic designation.
more to learn
Keep going
- Jones & Emmons homesA. Quincy Jones’ Eichler work in the Bay Area.
- Claude Oakland homesThe architect behind many Eichler models.
- Anshen & Allen homesAnshen & Allen’s Eichler work in the Bay Area.
- Mid-century modern across the U.S.Every guide in the series, coast to coast.
- Mid-century modern homes in Silicon ValleyThe style at home: where it is, what to look for.
- Silicon Valley Eichler tractsEvery Silicon Valley Eichler tract we cover, with live listings.
- Builder FilesThe builders and architects behind Bay Area homes.
General information from the sources listed, checked October 20, 2026; not legal, preservation or construction advice. Confirm designation and permit rules with the local preservation office before you buy or remodel. The Boyenga Team represents buyers and sellers in Santa Clara County, bay-side San Mateo County and San Francisco.
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