X-100 Time Capsule Arrives! - Page 2

"It's such a special house. It's one of a kind," Palmer said excitedly last week. "Marty's done such a great job restoring it."

"It's going to be the ultimate example of what we wanted to accomplish in terms of sticking to the Eichler aesthetic," he bubbled.

When the tour lineup was finalized six months ago, Palmer told us then that the houses were chosen for their faithfulness to this aesthetic.

"In past years, we kind of focused on remodels, what people have done with their houses," he explained about the Highlands' three previous tours. The 11 homes on the 2017 tour include a rare two-story Eichler and two homes that have been on prior tours, including the pre-restoration X-100, which has not been shown publicly since 2009.

The major work completed on the X-100 in the past year includes: removing the garage door, thus restoring the original carport; removing metal covering over the original wood siding; adding custom gates that reflect the house's circular motifs; reinstalling an original decorative side-yard fence and landscape themes by Doug Baylis; restoring the swimming pool and backyard decking; replacing 13 spotlights on the roof; and adding new fencing, paint, landscaping, fireplace, furnishings, and other improvements.

"There were difficult challenges along the way," said Arbunich. "Like so many Eichler home-improvement projects, some phases of our work led to an unforeseen can of worms.

"In the end, we went way over budget, spending almost twice as much as our original plan," he admitted with just a touch of rue. "But, hey, we reached our goal—and besides, the X-100 deserves it!"

"It's a time capsule!" marvels Palmer.

So there you have it—a late-arriving time capsule lands smack in a tour devoted to the Eichler aesthetic. Sounds like a match made in mid-century modern heaven.

For tickets or more information about the 2017 San Mateo Highlands Eichler Home Tour, which benefits Highlands Elementary School, visit eichlerhometour.org.