What San Carlos is like to work in
The households here book differently from the rest of the Peninsula. White Oaks and Howard Park are full of families who bought a 1,200-square-foot 1930s house and spent a decade adding to the back of it, and they want a standing slot they never have to think about. A lot of them walk to Laurel Street on a Saturday and would rather the house be done by Friday afternoon.
Above Alameda de las Pulgas the arithmetic changes. Beverly Terrace and Devonshire Canyon put you on bigger lots with two- and three-story homes, wide decks and a lot of window glass facing the bay. Those visits run longer and need different equipment. Down on the flats near Clearfield Park there is more 1950s tract housing, single story and quick to work through, and a growing number of newer townhomes on the east side of the tracks.
Inside a typical San Carlos home
Two eras dominate. The flats hold 1920s and 1930s cottages and bungalows, mostly 1,100 to 1,700 square feet, many with original fir floors and a single bath that was retiled at some point. The hills hold 1,900 to 3,200 square foot houses from the 1960s onward, with tile entries, carpeted stairs and large sliding doors. Very little of San Carlos is condominium, so association rules and shared elevators rarely enter into scheduling.