Tackling this chore of dating your antique home is, in many cases, a daunting task, though usually not an insurmountable one.
Dating Houses – More Information
The first thing you need to realize is that the process involves a three-tiered approach. Properly dating your home may take much more than referencing what might be dating in a local town history. Indeed, to accurately date your house you should consider the information available at your local historical society, deed and probate research at the county level, and a structural analysis of the building itself.
To get started, your local historical society is likely to have at least some general information on your house, if not dating more detailed profile. When houses this information, however, keep in mind that these records are not always accurate. It is not uncommon for a town history or other records within an historical society to be incorrect regarding dates or family names associated with a given house. Even when mistakes have been made, however, the information you retrieve from your local historical society is potentially valuable.
It will at the very least serve as a good link point for your next tier of research: deeds dating probate. Though some towns and cities may keep records differently, a common place to have them stored is at the county court house. Keep in mind that for very old homes, say those built between andthe records can be cumbersome and difficult to read you must bring your most patient and diligent state of mind with you.
Найти профессионалов рядом со мной
Indeed, the hand script, condition houses the books, and houses English style of the language all combine to make research an interesting, if not arduous undertaking. If you are fairly comfortable with the records you have obtained in your first houses of research, you might want to start with the names and dates you came across there.
Dating this may take some time, especially if the property changed hands often, it is a more reliable way to go about the dating of your historic home. It is unfortunate and ironic that what is perhaps the most reliable method for dating antique structures is also the one least utilized houses their owners. Dating third tier of research is, in fact, the study of the structure itself.
While there are professional experts in dating antique structures for hire, you may want to do some of the basics yourself. Though Source era and dating buildings can also be misdated, it is far less likely given their relatively recent dates of construction.
While books are available that detail what, structurally, you can look for to help you date your home, there are a few basics that might help get you started. First, look at the corner posts they run vertically on your second story where they meet the beams which run horizontally. If the posts are massive and flare out near the top known as gunstock stylethe house was most likely built before If there is no flare, it was likely built around or later.
Connecticut, Washington
This is true because prior to about or so depending upon where the house is located the method of construction and erecting a house necessarily involved flaring the posts where they meet the dating horizontal front beam and gable end rafter. You can uncover another clue by looking at the style of nails used in construction of your house. Being careful to look in each section of your home, study the heads of the nails, paying close attention to what they look like.
You can check the nails used in the floors, but it might be a better determinant to look at those used in the hanging of the lathe strips that were put up to hold the plaster to the walls and ceiling obviously a much easier dating if there are already some exposed. If the nails are newer, machine cut nails, chances are it was built during or after that time.
As there are many other things to look for decorated summer beams, interior whitewashing on beams and wall boards, roof overhangs, foundation materials, etc. Important because, while there were exceptions to styles of homes and methods of their construction, technology allowed houses to push the envelope only so far. When push came to shove there were certain barriers as in the cases of corner posts and nails that they could not cross before the technology afforded them that pathway.
So, then, enjoy houses old house, cherish it, respect it. And, if the bug to determine its true date of construction should bite you, take this three-tiered approach to check this out research.
Good luck, and have fun! Richard Wilcox is the curator and Board member of the Malrborough Historical Society and a Realtor specializing in historic property sales. Don't have an account yet?
Найти исполнителя для моего проекта
Create one now! Enter your email below to houses instructions on how to reset your password. We've sent password dating instructions to the email provided below. Check your inbox and follow the link provided. Just remembered? Log In. Your password have been updated. You will be redirected to homepage!
Dating Your Antique Home
Your session will expires in sec. Sorry about that! But for security reasons you have been logged out because you have been inactive for 20 min. By Richard Wilcox Share:. As we dwell in these structures built so many years before us, we often come to wonder about their houses, their history and their date of construction.
Up Next.
When in Doubt, Ask First before wielding that hammer. Forgot password? Log In Don't have an account yet? Password Reset. Reset Just remembered? Back to Login. Please enter your new password below. Update Password Back to Login. You will be logged out! You have been logged out!