Most South Bay houses stand on former orchard land. Until the 1960s the Santa Clara Valley was the world's largest fruit-producing and packing region, and post-war tracts, early Eichlers and later condominiums replaced the trees. Foothill towns climb toward the Santa Cruz Mountains, and sun and heat, not fog, age the exteriors. A local handyman calls or texts back.
Under city manager Dutch Hamann, from 1950 to 1969, San Jose grew by annexation from 17 to about 137 square miles, and its population rose from 95,000 to 446,000. That pace set the pattern for the valley: houses built quickly on flat, former farmland, followed by Joseph Eichler's modern subdivisions. The first Eichlers anywhere, at Sunnymount Gardens in Sunnyvale, went up in 1949 and 1950, and Monta Loma in Mountain View added 200 more in 1954.
The climate is the other difference from the coast. San Jose lies inland, walled on three sides by mountains and cut off from the Pacific, with an average of 298 days of sunshine and warm to hot, dry summers. Sun and heat are what age exterior paint, fences, decks and weatherstripping here. The housing has also turned toward the stacked: by 2006, sixty percent of the homes San Jose had built since 1980 were multifamily, so a growing share of requests come from condominiums and townhomes with their own rules.
The flat valley floor was prune orchards, canneries and fields before it was subdivided, and much of it is now post-war single-family housing on regular lots, many houses since remodeled or rebuilt. Because whole streets were built to a handful of plans, the same faults repeat from house to house: tired sliding doors, sagging fences between yards, aging bathroom fixtures and sun-faded trim. Flat lots, driveways and garage access make these some of the more straightforward homes in the region to work on.
Eichler's first tract of all was in Sunnyvale, and his subdivisions spread from there to Mountain View and San Jose. Their glass walls, exposed post-and-beam frames, flat or low-sloping roofs and radiant heating tubes in the concrete slab change routine work: there is little solid wall to hang shelves or a television on, fastening anything to the floor needs care, and original sliding doors and hardware are specific to the era. Many owners want repairs that keep the mid-century look intact, which shapes the choice of fixtures, trim and paint as much as the fix itself.
The valley's newer homes are more often stacked than detached. By 2006, over three-quarters of the housing San Jose had built since 2000 was multifamily, reflecting the city's smart-growth planning. Condominium and townhome complexes bring association rules on work hours, noise and anything exterior, shared walls that limit where to drill, and visitor parking that has to be sorted out in advance. Inside, the work is newer-construction work: drywall patches, light fixture and faucet swaps, cabinet hardware and furniture assembly.
On the valley's western edge, Saratoga and Los Gatos rise from old orchard ground into foothills of vineyards and redwoods, with larger lots and, in some hillside neighborhoods, one-acre minimums. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake was centered in these mountains, in the Forest of Nisene Marks in Santa Cruz County, and it destroyed or badly damaged a number of brick buildings in downtown Los Gatos. Sloped, wooded lots bring long driveways, decks, gates, drainage and leaf-filled gutters that the valley floor rarely sees.
A sentence and a photo or two is enough. It takes about a minute.
By call or text, to ask what the photos don't show and give you a price.
Agree a time and price with the handyman directly, or don't. Requesting costs nothing.
It changes what wears out and when to do the work. Long, dry, sunny summers crack caulking, fade and peel paint on south- and west-facing walls, dry out fence boards and harden weatherstripping. Paint and sealant can dry too fast to bond well on a hot wall, so exterior coating jobs go better in the morning or on milder days. Mention which side of the house the damage is on.
Say it is an Eichler and whether the radiant heat in the slab is still in use, since that affects anything fastened to the floor. Mention original sliding glass doors, the roof type, and any past remodel or replaced windows. Those details tell the handyman who calls whether the job is a quick adjustment or needs parts made for houses of that era.
Yes, for interior jobs such as drywall patches, fixture swaps, shelving and furniture assembly. Check your association's rules first on work hours, contractor parking and anything touching the exterior or common areas, which often needs approval. Include the complex's parking and entry arrangements in the request so the visit is not held up at the gate.
Pages cover San Jose and its Willow Glen and Rose Garden neighborhoods, plus Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Los Altos, Cupertino, Campbell, Los Gatos, Saratoga and Milpitas. Each describes the housing and conditions of that one place in more detail. For anywhere else in Santa Clara County, include the city and cross streets in the request.
One short request reaches handymen who work locally. You hear back by call or text.