Small-house repairs and storage for Albany's bungalows
About 1,500 Albany houses, nearly 40 percent of the city's single-family homes, were built by Charles Manning MacGregor in the 1920s and 1930s: two- and three-bedroom bungalows and Period Revival houses of 1,000 to 1,500 square feet on lots as narrow as 25 feet. Space is tight, so storage, original features and careful repairs lead the list.
Albany's neighborhoods and the bay beyond. Photo: Das osmnezz, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
ZIP codes
94706
When the homes were built
1900-1940
Main streets
Solano Avenue, San Pablo Avenue, Pierce Street, Kains Avenue
Landmarks
Albany Hill, Albany Bulb, Peterson House (1124 Talbot Avenue)
A MacGregor bungalow of 1,000 to 1,500 square feet has little closet space by modern standards. The answers are carpentry: shelves built into the alcoves beside a fireplace, closet systems that double the hanging space, storage under a window seat, and repairs to the original built-ins so their drawers and doors work again. Built-ins that match the house's archways and trim tend to look original rather than added. More about carpentry, shelves and trim
A TV above a tiled fireplace
Many MacGregor houses have a tiled fireplace in the living room, which makes the wall above it the obvious place for a TV. Mounting there means finding solid framing around the chimney area and drilling plaster cleanly, and never drilling through original decorative tile that cannot be replaced. A handyman can mount above the mantel on the framing, run cables with minimal damage to the plaster and patch any test holes. More about tv mounting
Plaster cracks around archways
The arched openings between rooms in Albany's 1920s and 1930s houses are one of the MacGregor features and a weak point in the plaster, which tends to crack along the curve and where it meets the straight wall. Patching an arch means following its curve exactly, so a flat drywall-style patch will show. A handyman can clean out the crack, reinforce it with mesh tape where needed, fill in thin coats and sand to the original curve before painting. More about drywall and plaster repair
Resealing big picture windows
Large picture windows were one of the Mediterranean touches MacGregor put on otherwise modest houses, and after ninety years their glazing putty, frame joints and exterior caulk can let in drafts and rain. Resealing the glass, filling gaps between frame and wall, and repainting bare wood keeps the window instead of replacing a feature that defines the front of the house. It is also the quickest way to take the chill off a room that faces the bay fog. More about weatherstripping, caulking and sealing
How the houses here are built
Modest bungalows and Period Revival houses on a rectilinear street grid, many of them MacGregor homes, with dense condominium buildings on the west side of Albany Hill along Pierce Street and University Village family housing in the south.
MacGregor houses combined affordable construction and durable materials with Mediterranean features such as large picture windows, archways, tiled fireplaces and built-ins. Most lots were platted at 25, 38 or 50 feet wide and 100 feet deep, so side access is narrow and many later additions went up a story rather than out.
Bay fog often settles over Albany's flat grid, low enough that the top of Albany Hill can stand clear above it.
Good to know before a job in Albany
Narrow lots and no driveway
Albany's original subdivisions produced many lots of 2,500, 3,800 and 5,000 square feet, with a mean of about 4,036 square feet, and more than a third are smaller than today's 3,750-square-foot minimum. Before 1959 the city required no on-site parking for homes, so an older house may have no driveway at all. A work vehicle will usually park on the street, and materials may have to come in through a narrow side yard or the front door.
Albany's oldest houses
Assessor records show 32 structures that predate Albany's 1908 incorporation, the oldest at 1063 Curtis Street from 1895 and the next at 1119 Kains Avenue from 1899. They are scattered rather than grouped on one street. The only building in the city on the National Register of Historic Places is the Peterson House at 1124 Talbot Avenue, built in 1906 and noted for post-and-beam construction that was unusual for its time.
Condos on Albany Hill
The west side of Albany Hill, along Pierce Street, holds about 820 condominiums on 14 acres, one of the highest housing densities in the Bay Area outside the major cities. Work in those buildings runs through association rules on hours, elevators and parking, and anything touching exterior walls or windows usually needs association approval. Tell the handyman the building name, unit and elevator arrangements before the visit so tools and materials can come up in one trip.
How a request works
Describe the job
A sentence and a photo or two is enough. It takes about a minute.
A local handyman gets in touch
By call or text, to ask what the photos don't show and give you a price.
You decide
Agree a time and price with the handyman directly, or don't. Requesting costs nothing.
Questions from Albany homeowners
How do I know if my Albany house is a MacGregor?
Charles Manning MacGregor built an estimated 1,500 Albany homes in the 1920s and 1930s. Typical signs are a two- or three-bedroom house of 1,000 to 1,500 square feet with Mediterranean details: picture windows, arched openings, a tiled fireplace and built-ins. The Albany Historical Society, which calls him the 'Builder of Albany', is a good place to confirm.
We have no driveway. Where does a handyman park?
On the street, which is common in Albany: houses built before 1959 were not required to have on-site parking. If street parking on your block is tight at certain hours, say so when booking, and mention whether materials can come through a side yard.
Can a TV go above our original tiled fireplace without damaging the tile?
Usually, yes. The mount is fixed into framing in the wall above the mantel, not into the tile surround. Drilling is kept to plaster and wood, and cables are routed to avoid cutting into the fireplace. Point out any cracked tiles before work begins so they are not disturbed further.
We live in one of the Pierce Street condos on Albany Hill. Can a handyman work there?
Yes, inside your association's rules. Check allowed work hours, elevator reservations and parking before booking, and get approval for anything that touches exterior walls, windows or balconies. Everyday repairs inside the unit, such as doors, fixtures, patching and caulking, are routine.
Checked against these public sources in September 2026. Rules change: confirm anything permit-related with the city or town of Albany before work starts.
