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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

> This was the first of Wright's famed "Unsonian" designs, a dwelling "of 
> and for" the United States. Its in-floor heating, sandwich walls, carport, 
> and corner windows influenced residential architecture around America and 
> led the Royal Institute of British Architecture to declare it one of the 
> twenty most important buildings of the twentieth century.

It became a classic style. Joseph Eichler adapted it for his low-cost 
California subdivisions in the early forties. I remember selling the 
resales in the seventies for around twelve thousand dollars. Interesting 
side-note: Eichler became enamored of FLW's designs because he rented a 
Wright-designed house. Prior to that, Eichler has no interest in or 
knowledge of architecture. In this case, Wright was the innovator and the 
inspiration and Eichler became the instrument to make Wright's Usonian 
dream a reality. He built thousands of the design, first in Southern 
California and later in the Bay Area. Others copied the design to sell 
affordable homes to the returning G.I.s.

To reduce costs, Eichler later used wall furnaces rather than radiant 
heating. In those days, energy costs were modest. Today, some people 
consider an Eichler, or a "Like-ler" to be an historic collectible.

> This house was an architectural gem---with walls of French Doors to bring 
> outdoors inside---nothing is as cheap as outdoor space---it's free.

I embrace the design, but those French Doors should be made with 
energy-efficient glass and a wall of such is pricey. You could make your 
own, using single double-glazed lites, ideally filled with argon or 
whatever is best when you build. Buy the sealed glass, build the frames, 
install carefully. Only two need open, seal the rest as windows. Even the 
most energy-efficient windows leak lots of heat and coolth. Such a 
south-facing wall should be designed for optimal passive solar gain onto a 
dark masonry floor, or else the view becomes energy expensive. But I like 
views more than I dislike energy costs so I will do it no matter.