How old are these Houses

[ehkahk]

Hi all, i'm doing some research on a couple vanished villages close to me and i'm wondering if you could tell me how old these houses may be. I've become better with identifying brick homes, but not covered and or siding ones. I just don't know how old they are, if they are even as old as i hope.

First one caught my attention by that bumpout with the low roof at the front and the small window below the top right peak. The chimney on this one which is on the outside side of it, does not look old. If this house is old, are replacing whole chimneys common say back in the 50s?

Second one is located on a spot where an old house was (on 1875 map), however i can't tell if behind all of that white there is an old house in there or not. Interested in the middle roof peak though.

Thanks

Paul

 

[craigc90]

I am no expert but the top house looks 1890's and the bottom very well could be 1875 ish. If you could see the foundation it makes it easier to tell.

 

[RICKJJ59W]

Look for an old stone foundation, we have dug a row of 1850s row homes and by the out side you cant tell, they had the walk through passage ways between the houses and they are still the original clap board,and you can see the stone foundations, I call these house camouflaged, my guess on those house would be late 80s, the older the common home, the more square in shape it is, no frills, that's how it is around here any way, what we do to cut right to the chase, is look on the computer, I look in assessment records type in the street and the house number, it tells you the date built and a bunch of other stuff, how may rooms and what not, you may not have that and then again you may, check out your town or county website, that's all I got. Rick

 

[KentOhio]

They're both Gothic Revival style, most popular in the 1850s and 1860s. The top one could be 1865 to 1875, and the bottom one looks more like 1855.

 

[ehkahk]

Thank you guys for the input, this is good to know very good!

I can't see much of a foundation on either house and if there is it's probably masked in cement to hide the old stone. They seem to do that around here sometimes, even with houses completely made of stone.

I do have more houses i will take pics of when I get to them. But I have this picture here of a house in my town which has a plaque on it. It is from the 1860's, and it talks about the coffin-like windows and door frame. Also mentions the shape of that little upper window how the top is triangular. This house though has the chimney I am questioning also, as if it is a more recently chimney and not the original. I'll take a picture of some of these chimneys.

 

[KentOhio]

That's a pretty house. It's Gothic Revival too, and looks like a twin to the other house you have posted, but on this one the details are preserved. Someone really messed up the house in the second picture, with the vinyl siding and all the other modern stuff. You can see how they put a smaller front door in, leaving a bigger space between the windows on one side than on the other. The chimney on the last house is newer. Usually, no one dates a house by the chimney. You have to look at the shape of the house and the pitch of the roof, among other things.

 

[sunrunner]

i wood like to input about architecture.when looking for a bulding put up befor 1900, ther are to things to look at . one is the roof lin , and the foundtion.depending on the vanaculer stile meney old houses have closed eves, also end capes are close to the wall. as for the foundtion,it shued be ether brick or stone. now if your in the south eastthay are almost always ellavated on stone or brick pillers. oh, windos if origanel,shoud have 16 panes or 8 panes.

 

[JGUIS]

I learned my lesson on only looking at what the house is sitting on. The original house for a property here was getting remodeled, and I asked to dig. I dug a few holes on this lot, the newest being about 1915, the oldest about 1865-70. I think the rest are under a garage, but the house could go 1850s. When he had part of it ripped open, you could see that main supports were pegged hewn log. Same with part of the garage next to the alley. I found out researching after that house, that it was a common practice to put a tile block basement under your existing house in the early 1920s around here. Ask to look at the open framing under and over the house if you can, you should get a better idea. Also, look for nails. Pre 1900 has rectangle nails, pre 1880 should be square, and pre 1860ish should have pegs in the load carrying beams.