By Mikhail Strelkin, Owner, QualiBuild LLC. California General Contractor, CSLB Lic. #1142411. Updated September 2026.
Eichler homes and Sunnyvale go together. The City's own Eichler Design Guidelines describe these homes as "having their birth in the City of Sunnyvale" and put the numbers on record: Eichler built around 11,000 production homes in California, with more than 1,000 of them in Sunnyvale between 1949 and 1972. The Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum identifies Sunnyvale Manor I, near East Maude and North Bay View, as his first tract, and counts about 1,100 Eichlers in sixteen tracts across the city today.
If you own one, a kitchen remodel is not a standard kitchen project with mid-century cabinets. The house is built differently, and the kitchen is where that difference costs the most when it is ignored.
Quick answer: five things should be resolved before demolition, not after: the radiant heating system in the concrete slab, the route for new electrical circuits in a house with no attic and no crawl space, the kitchen ventilation and any roof penetration it needs, the post-and-beam structure, and any window change that may need Planning approval. The electrical panel is checked as part of the electrical review. Settle those first, and the rest of the project becomes predictable.
This guide is written for Sunnyvale. Palo Alto, Mountain View, and other cities have their own Eichler rules and permit paths.
Why an Eichler Kitchen Is Different
Sunnyvale's Eichler Design Guidelines list the features that define the style, and each one matters in the kitchen: slab-on-grade construction, radiant floor heating, post-and-beam framing, flat or low-pitched roofs, exposed beams, tongue-and-groove roof decking, large areas of glass, and a strong horizontal design. The City also notes that "wall and roof insulation was often minimal."
Together those features remove the two spaces a contractor normally relies on: the attic above the kitchen and the crawl space below it. Plumbing, wiring, ventilation, lighting, and structural work all have to be planned around that.
Original layouts varied by model, but many were compact galley kitchens with a peninsula open to the multipurpose or dining area, a built-in range and oven, and, depending on the year, steel or sliding-door wood cabinets with laminate counters. Some models had a low, pivoting breakfast table at the end of the cooktop peninsula. Efficient for its time, and usually one of the first things owners want to rethink.
Under the Floor: Protect the Radiant Heat
Radiant floor heating is one of the Eichler characteristics the City identifies, and its guidelines note that systems installed "when copper piping was not available" often deteriorated. According to the Eichler Network, the publication that has covered these homes for decades, virtually all Eichlers were built with copper or steel tubing coiled through the slab, and a 3,000-square-foot home can hold as much as 3,000 feet of it.
Copper or steel changes the plan. A magnet at the manifold is a quick first check (if it sticks, the system is steel), but material and condition should be confirmed by a radiant specialist, not assumed. Copper leaks are readily repairable. Steel corrodes, and the specialists quoted by the Eichler Network are blunt: on a steel system, "the first leaks may signal the end of the system's useful life."
Leaks are invisible. Water from a leaking pipe in the slab usually goes down into the ground, not up through the floor, and the system is designed to add water automatically to hold pressure. An owner may not know a leak is present. Some find out during a remodel.
What this means for the kitchen:
- Keeping the sink and the major plumbing close to where they are keeps the slab closed. Moving a sink or adding an island with a drain can require opening the slab around the radiant lines. On a copper system a radiant specialist can cut, reroute, and braze the lines. On a steel system, opening the slab is the moment to decide whether to keep, repair, or replace the heating.
- Nothing gets drilled into the floor without a map. Anchors for an island base, a post, or a cabinet run can hit a pipe. When a project may cut or drill the slab, our approach is to have the system pressure-tested, the radiant lines located and marked by an appropriate method (thermal imaging when conditions allow), and the system tested again when the work is done. We involve a radiant specialist before and during any work that could affect the system.
- If the system is failing, a remodel can be a practical time to address it, especially when flooring or parts of the slab are already being opened. The City's guidelines list plastic-tubing radiant heating and ductless mini-split heat pumps among the alternatives to a conventional ducted system. The Eichler Network has documented the replacement routes owners actually use: re-grooving the concrete slab and laying new PEX tubing in the grooves, which is disruptive enough that families typically move out for the duration, or panel systems with the tubing preset, screwed down on top of the original slab. Each changes floor height, door thresholds, and cost differently. We lay them out before you choose.
- Flooring matters over radiant heat. Tile and stone transfer the heat well. Wood flooring can also work, but the specific product and installation must be approved for radiant heat by the manufacturer. Thick carpet and pad reduce heat transfer.
Above the Ceiling: New Circuits With No Attic
Sunnyvale's kitchen handout (revised March 2026, based on the 2025 California codes) requires at least two 20-amp circuits for the backsplash receptacles and an individual circuit for a cord-and-plug range hood. Separate circuits may be required for the dishwasher, disposal, and built-in microwave depending on the equipment. An electric range needs a 40- or 50-amp circuit, and a gas range still needs a 240-volt circuit and reserved breaker space. For comparison, the Eichler Network notes that an original Eichler kitchen had a single small-appliance circuit.
In an ordinary house, new circuits go through the attic or the crawl space. An Eichler has neither. Almost all of the original wiring from the panel ran in thin-wall metal conduit beneath the slab, and after sixty years that conduit is often corroded; sometimes it can still take new wire, more often it cannot.
Eichler electricians describe the field solutions that remain. None of them is prescribed by the City, and the right one depends on the individual house:
- Over the roof. Conduit runs from the panel up and across the roof and drops through the deck into the kitchen. The penetrations are flashed by a roofer. Inside, the drop can come down an existing post and be boxed in to match it.
- Along the outside of the slab. Conduit runs around the exterior at the base of the wall. Less work, less attractive.
- With a new roof. If a re-roof is anywhere in your plans, this is the moment. New conduit is laid on top of the tongue-and-groove decking under the new roofing, which is how Eichler ran the original ceiling lights. No visible conduit, no patches.
Where the kitchen is a free-standing block in the middle of the house, one electrician's solution is a drop through a metal pipe sized and painted to match the plumbing vent.
This is why the electrical layout is designed together with the kitchen, not after the cabinets are ordered.
Lighting Without a Ceiling Cavity
The tongue-and-groove ceiling is the roof deck. There is no cavity for standard recessed cans and no place for an electrician to "just move a wire."
That does not mean a dark kitchen. Surface-mounted and track fixtures, low-voltage rail systems that lie flat on the decking, pendants over the peninsula, wall sconces that bounce light off the ceiling, and a soffit along one wall with recessed lights inside it and the wiring run down through the wall all work in an Eichler, and there are excellent modern options for each. A planned re-roof is also the chance to add concealed lines above the decking.
Sunnyvale adds two current rules to plan from the start: kitchen lighting needs readily accessible wall-mounted dimming controls, and under-cabinet lighting must be on its own switch.
Our preference is to work with the exposed ceiling rather than fight it.
The Range Hood and the Roof
A vented hood needs a code-compliant duct to the exterior. In many Eichler layouts a roof termination is the practical route, because there is no attic to run a duct through, but it is not the only one: a kitchen on an exterior wall can sometimes vent through the wall. The duct path depends on the kitchen location, the appliance, the roof assembly, and existing conditions.
When the duct penetrates the roof, the termination, curb, and flashing have to be compatible with the existing roofing assembly, and the tongue-and-groove ceiling offers no cavity to hide the connection. We establish that detail with the roofer before cabinets and appliances are finalized, and treat the penetration as part of the roof, not a last-minute hole. If the roof is due for replacement, hood, conduit, and roof are planned as one job.
Does Every Eichler Need a New Electrical Panel?
No. This is where remodeling advice often gets too aggressive.
Sunnyvale does not say an older kitchen requires a 200-amp service. Its handout says the existing panel "may need to be upgraded, or a sub-panel added," if the required circuits cannot be accommodated. That is a question about capacity, breaker space, and condition, not about the age of the house.
The context is real, though. According to the Eichler Network, original Eichler panels were typically 60 to 100 amps, and when they are replaced the new panel is usually 125 to 200 amps, which sometimes means a larger closet.
So we open the panel at the first visit: capacity, available breaker space, equipment condition, and the planned appliance loads. That answer belongs in the scope before construction begins, not in a change order halfway through.
Posts, Beams, and Walls
Post-and-beam construction is why Eichlers feel so open, and it tempts people to assume every interior wall is non-structural. Do not assume it during demolition.
In an Eichler the roof is carried by beams and posts, so many interior walls carry no roof load, and opening the kitchen to the living space often works well. But the posts do carry the roof, and some sit inside walls. Sunnyvale's kitchen permit requires a floor plan that shows existing and proposed walls and states whether any load-bearing wall will be removed or relocated. Before opening a kitchen, we identify what is a post, what is a beam, and what is only a partition. Sometimes a wall really is just a wall. Sometimes it is holding up the roof. Know which one you have before the saw comes out.
Windows Need Planning Approval Before the Design Is Final
Sunnyvale publishes a separate handout for Eichler window replacement because of the homes' unusual construction. A like-for-like replacement is a building permit with energy-efficiency and tempered-glass requirements. Changing a window's size or location requires Planning approval, and the handout tells applicants to contact Planning before submitting the building permit. The kitchen handout says the same: discuss Eichler window requirements with City staff.
Some Sunnyvale Eichlers also sit inside a Heritage Resource District. The City's guidelines say those homes are "evaluated more closely," and a material exterior change can require a Resource Alteration Permit approved by the Heritage Preservation Commission; the Director of Community Development makes the final call on whether one is needed. We verify the property's status before touching a window or anything else on the exterior.
That matters in kitchens because enlarging the window behind the sink or replacing a wall section with more glass turns an interior design decision into a Planning review. We check it before the cabinets are designed around the new opening.
What Usually Changes the Budget
In an Eichler, some of the biggest budget surprises come from the slab, the electrical system, the roof, and the structure rather than from the visible finishes. These are the items to settle early:
- Moving plumbing far from its original location, which brings slab work and radiant coordination.
- New circuits that need an unconventional route, and a panel or subpanel if capacity runs out.
- A relocated hood that means roof work.
- Removing a wall that turns out to carry a beam, which brings structural engineering.
- A window change that adds Planning review.
- Older finishes that need evaluation before demolition.
A layout that respects the existing infrastructure can cost materially less than one that relocates every appliance and utility. That is why we understand the house before we finalize the layout.
What We Keep, and What We Modernize
Sunnyvale's Eichler Design Guidelines apply to exteriors visible from the street and neighbors and "do not apply to interior improvements." Inside, the kitchen is yours. What follows is not a City rule; it is our approach when a homeowner wants the house to stay an Eichler.
We keep the exposed beams and the tongue-and-groove ceiling (never drywalled over, never boxed in), the visible rhythm of the posts, the glass, the horizontal lines of the rooms, the connection between the kitchen and the multipurpose room, and the original wood paneling where it is still in usable condition.
We modernize everything else: storage, counters in quartz or porcelain, induction cooking, appliances, lighting, the electrical system, and the insulation in the walls we open.
What makes an Eichler remodel look wrong is not that it became modern. It is that it stopped looking like an Eichler. Flat or simple cabinet fronts, restrained detailing, continuous horizontal lines, and materials that work with the existing wood and glass fit the house; crown molding and ornate cabinetry do not. The goal is not to recreate a 1958 kitchen. It is a kitchen that belongs in the house.
Homes Built Before 1978
Every Sunnyvale Eichler predates 1978. Homes from that era may have lead paint, and we plan demolition with that in mind. Original floor tile, adhesives, and some other materials from the period can contain asbestos. We don't do asbestos testing or removal. Testing is done by a certified asbestos consultant and removal by a licensed asbestos abatement contractor before our work continues.
How We Plan an Eichler Kitchen Remodel
- Inspect before designing. Radiant system, electrical panel, roof type and age, existing plumbing, hood location, posts and beams, windows, Heritage Resource status, and the current layout.
- Protect the slab. Decide whether any cutting or drilling is needed at all. If it is, locate and mark the radiant lines and involve a radiant specialist before the slab is touched.
- Design electrical and ventilation with the kitchen. Circuits, loads, wiring route, panel decision, hood route, and any roof work agreed before cabinets are ordered, with the roofer in the conversation.
- Prepare the permit drawings. Existing and proposed walls, adjoining rooms, windows, and structural changes, as Sunnyvale requires.
- Photograph all four walls of the original kitchen before construction. The City asks for the photos at the first inspection.
- Rough inspections before anything is covered. Sunnyvale requires the rough electrical inspection after the boxes are installed and before devices are connected, plus the plumbing, mechanical, and structural inspections the project needs, then the final.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I move the sink in an Eichler kitchen?
Usually, yes. But the plumbing runs in or under the slab alongside the heating pipes, so the new route has to be evaluated before assuming the sink can go anywhere. The farther it moves, the more slab work it brings.
Can I add a kitchen island?
Yes. The questions are what the island needs and how it gets there without damaging the radiant system. Under Sunnyvale's current electrical requirements you are not required to install a receptacle in an island, but if you skip it, provisions for a future one still have to be built in. In an Eichler that future route still has to be planned around the slab and the exposed roof construction; depending on the layout, common solutions approach the island from above or through the floor. An island with a sink is a different project from an island for storage and seating.
Do I have to replace the radiant heat when I remodel?
No. A tight system in good condition can stay. A remodel is the right time to test it and, if it is failing, a practical time to repair or replace it, especially when flooring or parts of the slab are being opened anyway.
Can an Eichler kitchen have recessed lights?
Not in the original tongue-and-groove ceiling; there is nothing to recess into. Recessed lights work inside a soffit along a wall. Everywhere else the answer is surface-mounted, track, rail, or pendant fixtures.
Can I make the kitchen window bigger?
Possibly, but changing an Eichler window's size or location requires Planning approval in Sunnyvale, and homes in a Heritage Resource District are reviewed more closely. We check with the City before the layout is final.
Does an Eichler kitchen remodel need a permit in Sunnyvale?
Yes. Sunnyvale requires a permit for kitchen remodels; the only exceptions are countertop-only replacement or cabinet refacing, both without electrical work. Our guide to kitchen and bathroom permits in Sunnyvale walks through the whole process.
Planning an Eichler Kitchen Remodel in Sunnyvale?
An Eichler deserves more investigation before demolition than a standard house, and that is how we price it. Tell us the tract, the year, whether the heat still runs, and what you want the kitchen to do. We look at the slab, the panel, the roof, and the structure before finalizing the plan, and give you a real price for the house that is actually there. See our kitchen remodeling page, or request a free estimate.
Sources (accessed September 5, 2026): City of Sunnyvale, Eichler Design Guidelines (adopted July 28, 2009, including section 3.6 and Appendix B, Heritage Resource Districts), Eichler Window Replacement (Rev. 12/2025), and Residential Kitchen Remodel (Rev. 3/2026), all linked from the City's Single-Family and Duplex Residential page; Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum, Eichler Homes in Sunnyvale; Eichler Network, Kitchen Liberation, Eichler Radiant Heating, For the Love of Radiant, Leak Detection Experts, Eichler Electrical, and Eichler Lighting; Atomic Ranch, Cookin' Up Plans for an Eichler Kitchen.