Talbot Avenue sits in Berkeley’s Westbrae neighborhood, where the streets are flat, the lots are deep, and neighbors still stop to talk on the sidewalk. For nearly ten years, this 1937 split-level has been home to the same family, a place where children took their first steps, friends gathered for dinner, and everyday routines became the memories that make a house difficult to leave.

Set back from the street behind a landscaped front garden, the home feels private and welcoming. Inside, much of its original character remains, complemented by a substantial program of improvements completed over the owners’ tenure. Original hardwood floors have been refinished, walls repaired and replastered, and the interior freshly painted. New light fixtures have been installed throughout, along with a new back door and upstairs closet door.

The eat-in kitchen pairs vintage character with practical updates. A classic Wedgewood stove remains at its center, joined by new quartz countertops, faucet, garbage disposal, satin nickel cabinet hardware, and engineered hardwood flooring. The cabinetry and shelving were reconfigured in 2021, and the kitchen also includes a Bosch dishwasher and updated refrigerator. Just off the kitchen, the separate laundry room has new engineered hardwood flooring over a rebuilt subfloor and an LG washer and dryer. The bathroom has been refreshed with a new vanity, faucet, mirror, lighting, and exhaust fan. Two bedrooms and an attached one-car garage complete the 851-square-foot main house.

At the rear of the property, a detached office and studio creates a valuable extension of the home. Built out in 2021 as finished, usable space with new windows, doors, and a skylight, it offers a dedicated place to work, make art, exercise, or simply get some separation from the activity of the main house.

Some of the most important improvements are the ones that are least visible. In 2026, the original knob-and-tube wiring was fully decommissioned and replaced, along with a new 220-volt circuit and updated lighting. A new electric heat pump provides both heating and air conditioning, replacing the former gas furnace, while new attic insulation improves the home’s thermal performance. A new water heater was installed in 2023, and the garage door was replaced in 2019.

Outside, the house has been power washed and freshly painted in three colors, with new gutters added to improve drainage. The generous, fully fenced backyard was regraded with new stonework in 2023, and the landscaping has been refreshed front and back. Fencing has also been replaced along the rear and south property lines, creating a private outdoor setting with room to garden, gather, play, or simply enjoy one of the attributes that makes Westbrae homes so appealing: usable outdoor space.

And then there is the neighborhood. The sellers describe the ease of walking out the door for coffee, stopping at Berkeley Natural Grocery, heading to Solano Avenue for dinner or a bookstore, or reaching BART on foot for trips around the Bay Area. Whole Foods and neighborhood restaurants are nearby, and the community chicken co-op down the street provides a particularly Berkeley reminder that this is still a neighborhood where people know one another.

Over the course of their ownership, the sellers have invested more than $130,000 in the property, including approximately $90,000 in the 2026 pre-sale renovation. The result is not an attempt to make a 1937 house feel brand new. Instead, the work preserves what gives the home its character while addressing many of the systems, surfaces, and practical improvements that matter for its next chapter.

Home Energy Score of 8 and BESO compliance pending.

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