Tracing the History of Your House
A house is a building that houses people. It can be a single family dwelling or a multi-family building that houses many different families. It may be a small one-room dwelling or a large mansion with multiple rooms and a long hallway.
Houses can be a source of cultural pride or they may indicate economic prosperity and social status. For example, a vast and elaborate house may indicate the wealth of its owners or the prominence of their family whereas a low-profile house built of recycled materials might indicate support for energy conservation.
The origin of the term house is not entirely known, although it appears to have been a form of shelter from the earliest times. Archaeological evidence suggests that humankind started constructing shelters for themselves as early as the fifth millennium BC.
Modern houses are primarily constructed from wood, though some use other materials as well. In areas of aridity, adobe or rammed-earth construction is often used instead of wood. Brick and quarried stone are also traditional materials for house foundations and walls.
Some new houses are designed to be as energy efficient as possible and a number of alternative construction techniques have been developed, including passive solar design, autonomous buildings, zero-energy homes, superinsulated houses and houses that meet the Passivhaus standard.
To find out the history of your house, it’s best to start by examining its footprint and its silhouette, as well as the style of windows and doors. You can also check its official records, which will tell you when it was built and if there were any changes.
Tracing the history of an old house can be a difficult, but fascinating, journey. It requires the skill of an architectural historian, oral historian, research librarian and genealogist.
You can trace the history of your house by searching the archival records in the borough or county where it is located, as well as the local historical societies and museums. These archives often contain local maps, electoral registers and family and estate papers.
A few of the most popular archival sources are listed below.
Cyndi’s List is an index of genealogical databases on the Internet and its House and Building Histories contains a wide range of options for researching your house’s history.
The National Archives’ Library has a variety of publications on house history available to purchase in its bookshop.
It is important to make your home description as appealing as possible to attract potential buyers. This will help you sell your house quickly and at the right price for your situation.
For a house description to be successful, you need to use the words that paint a picture of your home in the buyer’s mind. For instance, if the property is on farmland, you can describe it as a “quaint ranch house” or “a charming hamlet.”
This will attract buyers who are looking for a rural setting in a country location. They will be able to imagine themselves living in this house and enjoying the scenery it has to offer.
