Bob Simons thought renovating a 65-year-old outdated home in Orange that was too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter would be enjoyable.
After all, he is an architect.
“I thought it would be fun to see what I could do with it,” said the co-owner of SVA Architects of Santa Ana.
But it’s not just any home—it’s an Eichler. California homebuilder Joseph Eichler became recognized after World War II for bringing the flair of custom residences to tract homes. The houses typically featured floor-to-ceiling glass walls, open floorplans, low sloping A-framed roofs and Spartan facades with clean geometric lines.
Simons bought the house from its original owners, tore it down to the studs and reconfigured the house.
“There were some design issues that we corrected,” he said. “It didn’t have a lot of care and love. We brought it up to 21st-century systems.”
The renovation took about 18 months. It has very little pavement and plants were chosen so as not to consume much water.
It won the Gold Nugget Grand Award for Best Renovated or Restored Single House category at the 2017 Pacific Coast Builders Conference.
By eliminating the walls that cordoned off the kitchen, a large activity zone was created to combine living, dining, kitchen and family rooms into a seamless space wrapping around the internal courtyard, thus maximizing the indoor-outdoor connection, the award said.
“This renovated home bridges the character of midcentury design with 21st century living to create this stunning midcentury modern home,” the judges wrote in their review.
Simons said the house has transformed the Orange neighborhood as he sees neighbors incorporating “bits and pieces” of the changes he implemented.
Simons, who lives in Upland, doesn’t live full time in the house, preferring to let his children enjoy it. For him, the renovation was the joy.
“My hobby is my work.”
