Every home has a history and knowing that history can provide useful information for anyone restoring or remodeling their home. Research might uncover useful tidbits related to earlier changes or even photographs or original drawings showing long-lost features. Resist the urge to plunge ahead quickly making changes and instead start with home research.
People do find amazing things as a result of research. I had a client once who tracked down the descendants of their home’s original owner who still had the original drawings. With these drawings they were able to save the cost of documenting their home before we began our design work. Of course not everyone will be so lucky to uncover original drawings. However sometimes even newspaper articles can provide a clue to a missing feature that can influence present day changes.
I think there is value in research even if you don’t turn up anything substantial of practical value. Research is a mystery or puzzle to be solved that strengthens my awareness and appreciation of the home. Research also requires that you slow down instead of rushing off making quick changes to a home that may destroy character. It is the start of a thoughtful approach that is likely to provide the best result. I love history and I love doing research.
Get started with what you know, which may only consist of the address. With the address it’s possible to access information that will provide information on your home, as well as the individuals associated with it. By also researching individuals associated with your home such as previous owners as well as the architect and contractor, you might also turn up valuable information about the home. Certainly finding an architect’s or builder’s records could lead to drawings or photographs but researching previous owners can lead to information that is just as valuable. It’s very common to find family photos with useful background information as well as newspaper articles or other records with information.
A Sanborn fire insurance map can provide valuable information about changes to your home.
Starting first with your home’s address you can find useful information using the following sources:
- building permits
- property abstract
- plat maps
- fire insurance maps
- atlases and city directories
- tax records
- newspapers
Sometimes these sources will provide specific information about the structure or property. These sources can also help you identify the names of the various individuals associated with your home. Research these individuals further by using the following sources:
- newspapers
- court records
- city directories
- vital records
Consider every piece of information that you turn up as a clue that’s an important part of the overall puzzle. Even information that might seem unimportant at first may lead you down a new path that could provide critical information.
Joseph Metzler has a wealth of experience on remodels and restorations along with holding seats on local historic preservation boards. For more useful information about renovations from Joe, take a look at some of his prior posts! You can also browse more of Joe's projects on his profile page. You can see more of his commentary where this post originally appeared in ConvenientOldHouse.com.