Lucas Valley Marin Eichlers

About Lucas Valley

Upper Lucas Valley was the final phase of Eichler’s Marin building. He built 435 homes there from 1963 to 1967 to designs by Jones & Emmons and Claude Oakland; other builders added 103 more, and the Lucas Valley Homeowners Association now covers 538 homes.

The tract is known for gable models with two peaked roofs framing an atrium, alongside flat-roofed models. Eichler buried the power and phone lines and left out streetlights, and the streets are named for California mountains.

Marin County made Lucas Valley a special zoning district in 1998 to protect its architecture. Residents backed a 1973 bond to buy about 286 acres of hillside open space, and the tract borders the 1,300-acre Lucas Valley Preserve.

built

1963–1967

Eichlers

435 Eichlers among 538 homes in the Lucas Valley Homeowners Association, per its history

architect

Jones & Emmons and Claude Oakland

builder

Eichler Homes

city

San Rafael, unincorporated Marin County (Lucas Valley)

Streets

Idylberry Road runs through both Upper and Lower Lucas Valley.

Sources: Lucas Valley Homeowners Association history and site; Eichler Network, “The Eichlers of Lucas Valley” (about 2006) and “How Architecture Review Works in Marin” (2016); Marin County Code 22.30.040 via a third-party copy.

Eichler sales on these streets

Loading recent Eichler sales…

Closed sales reported to the MLS whose listings mention Eichler, on this tract’s streets. Homes that sold privately, or whose listings don’t say Eichler, won’t appear.

Buying or selling a Lucas Valley Eichler

• Radiant heatMost Eichlers were built with hot-water radiant heat in the slab. Ask whether the original system still runs, has been repaired or was replaced, and get a radiant-heat specialist to look before you remove contingencies.
• The roofThe low-slope roofs and their insulation are a common upgrade. Ask for the roof’s age, material and any permits.
• Glass and wallsOriginal single-pane glass and thin wall panels are typical. Many owners have upgraded; ask what was done and whether it was permitted.
• Marin County rulesMost new construction needs county design review, while roof, window, siding and door replacement, painting, skylights and flush solar panels are exempt. Detached accessory structures on Eichler lots are limited to 100 square feet, and floor area to 30 percent of the lot. The code text we read is a third-party copy, so confirm with the county.
• Read the CC&Rs and guidelinesOwners are bound by recorded CC&Rs, the committee’s guidelines and the bylaws, and the association has circulated a draft revision of its design guidelines; ask for the current version.
• Exterior colorsThe committee follows a set paint palette, garage doors match the house color, and very white roofs are discouraged.

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