Home guides
Straight answers for Bay Area homes, one question at a time
Storm season, a shaking bookcase, a fence your neighbor won't pay for, a deposit your landlord wants to keep. Each guide takes one question a Bay Area homeowner or renter actually asks, answers it in full, and shows where a local pro helps and where you don't need one.
- El Niño winter 2026–27Get your San Francisco home ready for a super El Niño rainy seasonTo get a Bay Area home ready for El Niño, clear the gutters and downspouts, have the roof and flashing looked at, reseal windows and doors, make sure water drains away from the walls, clear the storm drain at your curb, check your flood risk and insurance, and book repairs in October or November, before the first big storm.16 min read
- Earthquake prep for renters and ownersEarthquake-proofing a San Francisco apartment or house, room by roomEarthquake-proofing an apartment or house mostly means stopping your own things from falling on you.14 min read
- Utilities, before the next quakeShutoffs and straps: gas, water and power in a San Francisco homeTo turn off the water main in most San Francisco homes, close the house valve in line with the sidewalk meter: turn a wheel clockwise until it stops, or a lever a quarter turn.14 min read
- Air District Rule 9-6, October 2026Replace the gas water heater now or wait? The Bay Area rule, date by dateUnder the Bay Area Air District's Rule 9-6, a household gas tank water heater built after January 1, 2027 can't be sold or installed here unless it emits zero NOx, which today means electric.14 min read
- California hiring law, plain EnglishHiring a handyman in California: the $1,000 line, the license check, the depositDo handymen need a license in California? Not for small jobs.14 min read
- Rodent-proofing, outside inRats in the walls, mice in the garage: find the way in and shut itRats and mice get into San Francisco houses through gaps you can find from outside: under garage and side doors, around pipes and cables, through torn vent screens and along the roofline.14 min read
- Drafts, sashes and door bottomsDrafty sash windows and doors: find the leaks, then fix them cheapest-firstTo stop drafts in an old San Francisco house, find each leak before buying anything: on a windy day, hold a lit incense stick along every sash, joint and trim edge and watch where the smoke bends, then try the paper test.13 min read
- Alarm rules, room by roomCalifornia smoke and CO alarm rules, and exactly where each one goesCalifornia requires smoke alarms listed by the State Fire Marshal in every home, and the building code places them in each bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level.13 min read
- Holiday lights, no holesHang holiday lights on gutters, stucco and Victorian trim without damageTo hang Christmas lights on gutters without damage, use plastic clips that hook the gutter's front lip, never nails, staples or cord laid in the trough.14 min read
- Damp, mold and condensationMold, damp and window condensation in San Francisco: causes, fixes and who paysMold in a San Francisco apartment nearly always traces back to one of four things: condensation on cold glass and outside walls, a bathroom that never dries out, a plumbing leak, or water getting in from outside.14 min read
- Leaks, hour by hourWater leak? The first 48 hours, before mold and insurance problems startAfter a water leak, stop the water at the nearest valve or the main, keep everyone away from wet electrical equipment, and photograph the damage before moving anything.13 min read
- Wood Burning Rule, as amended in 2025Fireplace season in the Bay Area: burn bans, chimney checks and cleaner heatWhile a Spare the Air Alert for fine particles is in effect, burning wood, pellets or fire logs is banned across the Bay Area, indoors and in outdoor fire pits, in any month, with only narrow exemptions.13 min read
- Selling a San Francisco homeSelling a San Francisco home in 2026: toilets, RECO, the 3R and the restBefore a San Francisco home changes hands, the city requires a water conservation inspection with a recorded certificate, an energy (RECO) inspection unless the building is exempt, and a 3R report for the buyer.13 min read
- San Francisco permits, job by jobWhat needs a permit in San Francisco, what doesn't, and who files itMost work on a San Francisco home needs a permit, and the exceptions are narrow: painting, floor coverings outside bathrooms, small plaster repairs, interior doors, a toilet or faucet swap that leaves the pipe alone, and a broken fixture, switch or outlet replaced on the same wiring.14 min read
- Dry rot and the pest reportDry rot in a San Francisco house, termites, and the Section 1 reportDry rot is decay by fungi that eat wood kept wet, usually at window sills, back stairs, deck framing and siding near the ground.14 min read
- Reading cracks in Bay Area housesWall and ceiling cracks: which are cosmetic, which need an engineerMost cracks in an older Bay Area house are in the plaster, not the structure: hairlines, thin diagonals from door and window corners, seams that open and close with the seasons.14 min read
- Aging in place, measuredAging in place in San Francisco: grab bars, stair rails and a safer bathMount horizontal grab bars 33 to 36 inches above the floor, measured to the top of the bar, 1 1/2 inches off the wall, into framing or blocking that can take 250 pounds.14 min read
- Old walls, the right fastenerHow to hang pictures, mirrors, shelves and TVs on plaster-and-lath wallsTo hang something on a plaster wall, choose the fastener by weight and by what it reaches.14 min read
- Fences, neighbors and Civil Code 841Who pays for a shared fence, and how tall it can be in San FranciscoCalifornia presumes neighbors benefit equally from the fence between their lots and split its reasonable cost equally, unless they agreed otherwise in writing (Civil Code 841).14 min read
- Renters moving outMoving out: what counts as wear and tear, and what to fix before you goIn California, a landlord can't charge your deposit for ordinary wear and tear: paint dulled by years of living, minor nicks in the walls, carpet worn down by walking.14 min read
How these guides are made
Every guide is written about the houses here: Victorians and Edwardians with plaster walls, Sunset row houses with the garage at the sidewalk, flats stacked three high, hillside lots, fog on one side of town and sun on the other.
Every rule, date and program in a guide comes from a public source we opened, and the sources are listed at the end of each one with the month we checked them. Agencies change their rules; when they do, the guide is updated and dated again.
There are no prices in these guides and nothing to buy. The Handyman SF connects homeowners and renters with local independent handymen and contractors. When a job in a guide turns into work for a pro, you can send a free request at the bottom of the page and the people who do that work in your area call or text you.
Tell us what needs doing
One short request reaches local handymen and contractors who take that kind of work. You hear back by call or text, and you choose who to hire.
Tell us what needs doing
Two short steps. A local pro who does this work calls or texts you back.
To send a request, call or text (415) 449-8213.
Free to request, and you agree the scope and price with the person you hire before work starts. In California, a job over $1,000 in labor and materials, or one that needs a building permit, must be done by a contractor licensed by the CSLB in the right class. Ask for the license number and check it at cslb.ca.gov.