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Sketch of basic architectural house styles with common period dates Determine the Age of a Building

Age of building components, public records,
& visual clues
Home Page & Article Index

How to find the age of a building:

How old is my house?

This article series provides a photo guide to determining the age of a building by examination of the architectural style of construction or the building materials and components that were used in the structure.

Here we list some helpful clues to answer the question "how old is the house?" and we provide photographs of key visual clues useful for determining the age of a building.

The age of a building can be determined quite accurately by documentation, but when documents are not readily available, visual clues such as those available during a professional home inspection can still determine when a house was built by examining its components, building materials, even nails, fasteners, and types of saw cuts on lumber.

Our page top photo shows the 1840 Justin Morrill Smith Historic house in Vermont.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?

List of Visual & Documentary Clues to Building Age

Sketch of basic architectural house styles with common period datesHow to determine the age of a building - Building component age: construction materials, methods, including hardware, saw cuts, and other details can help determine when a building was constructed or when it was modified.

Visual & Other Clues Tell Us Building Age or the Age of its Components & Systems.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Visual clues pointed out by a home inspector or available to any careful building inspector can help indicate the age of a building.

Article series contents

Clues to building age include these examples which we expand and detail in text and articles below.

Keep in mind that even when we can identify specific types of building materials and building methods, precise dating of the time of construction of a building remains difficult: old building materials were often re-used, so beams, siding, and other components may appear in a building built later than when the materials were first made.

Also, in the U.S. various states had machines for making cut nails, screws, and sawmills at different times. For example, New York State was industrialized earlier than some western or southern states, so machine-made nails appear earlier in New York than elsewhere.

Photo Examples of Architecture & Style Providing Typical Dates of Construction

While building architectural styles such as "Victorian" continue to be built into the present, the combination of a recognizable architectural style with an inspection of the building materials which have been used provide considerable information about the age of a home as well as its history of changes and additions.

See ARCHITECTURE, STYLE, & BUILDING AGE for photographs of buildings in North America and Europe demonstrating various architectural styles and dates.

Guide to Using Building Records to Help Determine the Age of a Building

Suffolk Resloves House © Daniel Friedman

This article explains and list examples of source of public records that can help determine the age of a building.

Because the office where building records are held will vary by name and municipal authority, the exact name and location of building records in your community will vary from those examples shown here.

Sources of public records to assist in determining the age of a building

Some examples of conditions that confuse dating the age of a home include

Readers are welcome to Contact Us by email to suggest other locations of records that help document the age of a building and the date of its original construction.

Chimneys & Fireplaces as Indicators of Building Age

PHOTO of a single wythe unlined brick chimnney flue

Here is a photograph of an unlined single wythe brick chimney on an 1856 home in New York State.

The location, size, shape, building materials, and use of chimneys on buildings offer good details aiding in estimating the age of a building.

These details can also indicate where additional safety inspections or perhaps repairs or updating are needed for safe use of a chimney, fireplace, building heating system, or wood stove.

CHIMNEY MATERIALS vary among none (a hole in a roof), brick, stone, masonry block, metal flues, insulated metal chimney flues, and wood-framed metal flues on buildings.

Three different colonial era homes were common in America.

  1. Early homes of one room included a chimney at one end.
  2. Second were homes that had a chimney at either end, consisting of two rooms with (or without) an entry between them.
  3. The third group used a central chimney placed between the two rooms and provided a fireplace in each room. Earliest of these homes were only one-room deep; later they grew to two rooms deep. -- Isham.

Building Age from Dates on Chimney Components

Chimney cleanout from Richardson & Boynton Co., at 79 Raymond Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY, dated1888 (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.comLook for product names and / or dates cast into masonry or metal chimney components. Especially if the component is likely to be original to the building, the date and history of that part can set an "earliest likely" date for the home.

For example, the Richardson & Boynton Co. cast iron chimney cleanout door shown here was observed at a Vassar College home (79 Raymond Ave.) in Poughkeepsie, New York.

It isn't likely that this chimney cleanout door was manufactured before the year cast into its cover: 1888. Richardson & Boynton Co. was a manufacturer of heating equipment and hardware, particularly boilers, furnaces, and stoves.

The company was founded in Brooklyn New York in 1837 and was one of the largest employers in Red Hook Brooklin from about 1850 until the company moved to Dover, New Jersey in 1896. So we know this chimney cleanout was made in Brooklyn and found its way north to Poughkeepsie.

[Historical details of Richardson & Boynton Co. are at various sources including this website: http://maggieblanck.com/BrooklynRedHook/RichardsonBoynton.html - Ed.]

Research excerpt from the company's trade catalog:

"Perfect" hot water warm air heaters for hard and soft coal, wood, gas, and oil ; late 1800's and early 1900's cover design and typeset ; cooking and french ranges ; steam-vapor and hot water boilers ; "R&B" ; laundry water heaters and stoves ; air conditioning units ; warm air heating systems ; radiators ; "Blue Streak" ; "Blue Comet" ; "Newport Magazine Feed" ; sectional and hot blast smokeless boiler series ; vapor-vacuum-pressure heating systems ; "Baltimore" fire-place heaters ;

Details about this very chimney cleanout as well as about inspecting the condition of chimneys, flues, fireplaces, woodstoves are

at CHIMNEY CLEANOUT DOOR

and

at CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR

Doors & Door Hardware as Indicators of Building Age

Details about doors and examples of how they can help determine the age of a building are

at DOOR HARDWARE AGE

Electrical Components as Indicators of Building Age

PHOTO of an obsolete 30-Amp electrical meter and fuse panel ca 1935

Here is a photograph of an obsolete 30-Amp electrical meter and fuse panel, ca 1935.

While varying somewhat by area of the country in the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and other areas, there are recognizable generations of electrical wiring such as

KNOB & TUBE, greenfield, armored cable

or "BX WIRING" wiring using a metallic shield or "armored cable),

or "NM/ NMC WIRING, and other electrical wiring materials (copper, tinned copper, aluminum, copper-plated aluminum), and also, easily recognized generations of electrical meters and electrical service panels.

In a series of detailed articles listed

at ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS, AGE, TYPES we illustrate various of these materials and products and we provide information about their safety or about the need to inspect or perhaps replace or upgrade certain problem equipment.

Flooring Materials as Indicators of Building Age

Please see our full-text articles on types and eras of use of various building flooring materials found in the articles listed under:  

FLOORING MATERIALS, AGE, TYPES

Abbreviated comments on some flooring types are also found just below. In some cases, floor covering such as carpets and tiles have been in use for thousands of years.

If we comment on these materials it is to identify certain modern variations such as ceramic bath or wall tiles that are purchased pre-glued to a mesh backer to speed tile placement. But in general we focus on flooring materials that have special properties, ability to date the era of their use, or environmental concerns.

Various types of flooring and the inspection, diagnosis, and repair of flooring defects are discussed

at FLOOR TYPES & DEFECTS.

Types of building flooring that contain asbestos, a health and environmental concern, are discussed in detail at ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION.

List & History of Resilient Floor Coverings Used in buildings

Resilient floor coverings include organic flooring materials such as asphalt tile, cork tile, linoleum, rubber flooring, vinyl tile, vinyl sheet flooring.

See

Asphalt Tile Flooring as an Indicator of Building Age - 1920 - 1960 (est)

Black tile flooring, maybe not asphalt based

In 1920 asphalt roofing manufacturers, who had been using asphalt and fiber binders to make asphalt roofing shingles for some time, tried to develop a rigid product that could be a substitute for (more costly) slate roofing.

The material did not perform acceptably as a roof covering, but it led to the development of asphalt floor tiles.

Asphalt floor tiles are 9" square (or other sized) tiles which used asphalt as the main binding material. the original asphalt tiles were produced only in dark colors because asphalt was a main ingredient.

Rosato indicates that the first publicized asphalt tile installation was in 1920 in New York City's Western Union office.

The product was very successful and by 1936 over four million square yards of asphalt floor tiles were being sold annually. By 1940, 5% of floor coverings sold in the U.S. were asphalt tile. -- Rosato

If you encounter black or very dark asphalt floor tiles they are probably very high in asbestos fibers. We discuss floor tiles as an asbestos fiber source in buildings in more detail

at ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION.

Cork Flooring Tiles as an Indicator of Building Age -

Cork floor tiles were considered a warm, quiet, but less durable resilient floor covering than some of its competitors.

It was sold often for use in residential dens, family rooms, or other warm, low-traffic areas, and it may have been popular (research needed) for use in areas where workers had to spend long periods standing - where it would have competed with rubber floor coverings. In 1952 cork flooring sales made up 2% of total floor tile sales. -- Rosato p88.

See CORK FLOORING

Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tiles as an Indicator of Building Age - 1930 - 1976 (est)

Asbestos containing vinyl asbestos floor tiles

Vinyl floor tiles, including vinyl-asbestos floor tiles and homogenous vinyl floor tiles (non-asbestos product) are almost as old as asphalt floor tiles. By the early 1950's in the U.S. vinyl tile floor products were more popular than asphalt-based flooring. The reason is pretty obvious.

Asphalt-based flooring as it was originally produced used heavy asphalt products which meant that the floor tiles could be made in dark colors only.

Soon after asphalt-asbestos floor tiles were marketed manufacturers heard from their buyers that consumers wanted lighter floor tiles and tiles of varying color and pattern.

Organic resin vinyl increased in popularity for this reason, but slowly. By 1952, the production of vinyl plastic floor tile sales in the U.S. was about half the volume of asphalt floor tiles, selling 35 million square yards.

Microphotographs of vinyl-asbestos floor tiles can be seen at our article

at ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION. -- Rosato

Sheet Flooring Materials That Indicate Age of a Building

PHOTO of interior floor covering, pre-vinyl, probably linocrusta with burlap fabric backing, Justin Morrill House, Vermont, ca 1845 - 1900

Here is a photograph of an early (pre-vinyl) continuous floor covering, ca 1900, in an 1840 historic Vermont house.

Note the fabric backing of the flooring material. This article explains various common flooring materials (rough wood, finished wood, parquet, carpeting, linocrusta, sheet vinyl, and other items as they assist in determining The age of a building or other building.

See RESILIENT SHEET FLOORING ID GUIDE -

and see SHEET FLOORING INSPECT / TEST

Linoleum Sheet Flooring As an Indicator of Building Age - 1890 - 1960 (est)

According to Rosato, "The original resilient floor coverings were developed during the latter part of the Nineteenth Century by Frederick Walton. The original covering was linoleum for use as a floor decking on British naval ships."

The composition of the original products included asphaltic binders to which an asbestos filler was added by mixing on a rubber mill.

See LINOLEUM & SHEET FLOORING

List of Non-Resilient Floor Coverings Used in buildings

Non-resilient floor coverings used in buildings that can assist in determining the age of a structure include bamboo, brick, concrete, stone, and a wide variety of wood products.

See NON-RESILIENT FLOORING as well as the following:

Determining the Age of buildings Using Laminate Flooring Products

Buckled laminate flooring after flooding

Contemporary snap-together flooring products that resemble wood or other surfaces, but are made of plastic, and other pre-finished and ready-to-assemble wood flooring products are a much more modern product.

Sadly the laminate floor shown at left was ruined by a building flood. Pressure from expanding materials absorbed both the original free space around the floor perimeter and added enough force to buckle the flooring up at the center of the room.

Pergo™ laminate flooring, for example, was developed by Pergo AB, a Swedish company founded around 1890 as a vinegar manufacturer.

Product development for Pergo laminate flooring began in 1977 and was first brought to the market in 1984. Pergo laminate flooring was first sold in the U.S. in 1994.

See

Foundation Materials as Indicators of Building Age

Pre cast concrete foundation © Daniel Friedman

Foundation materials commonly used for buildings include:

PHOTO of a buckled stone foundation ca 1860, with evidence of building and structual modification.

In evaluating the probable age of a home when inspecting its foundation, we consider the foundation materials and style of workmanship.

A photograph of a buckling, damaged stone foundation on an 1864 structure in Rhinebeck, NY is shown at left.

A building's foundation materials and style of construction, stone, wood, brick, masonry block (at least two different generations), and poured concrete (various generations and methods including hand-built and by machine and pumper truck) can give considerable information about the foundation age.

On occasion we'll find a very old structure which has been moved and re-set on a new concrete or concrete block foundation, adding more historical information to the home.

All of the common building foundation materials, how they fail, how they are inspected, are discussed

at the FOUNDATION CRACK BIBLE

 

Reader Comment: rock-faced or patterned concrete block foundation age

Decorative stone-faced concrete block foundation age (C) InspectApedia.com XCThe foundation material below the house in the middle of the main structure is limestone with mortar. The outside is rock faced block with "rope(?) joints" (Photo shown here)

[Click to enlarge any image]

The main house is all on crawlspace, with only the kitchen having a root cellar below it. - by private email 2020/07/11

Moderator Comment: first use of decorative or faced concrete block foundations & walls in the U.S.

RE: " The outside is rock faced block with "rope(?) joints" (pic) "

Those look like form-cast concrete blocks - if so that's a later foundation material, possibly 1920s to 1960s.

I'd look for evidence the foundation was repaired, rebuilt, modified.

Reader Comment: Rock-faced block foundations dating in the 1880s?

In this region, there are numerous houses with rock faced block foundations known to have been built in the 1880s.

Just pulled a lock off of the basement door. Looked up the mark; Russell & Erwin. Dates to between 1846 & 1851. Looked like it has been there forever, having even dropped 3/4 of an inch from its keeper, just like the door it came off has!

Who knows when the core structure of this place was built!

Moderator reply:

Ransom decorative stone faced concrete block patent in 1889 (C) InspectApedia.com That's so helpful, thank you.

All of the formed faced or decorative-pattern concrete block homes I've inspected were newer.

But I'm puzzled about how the home foundations you cite could date between 1846 & 1851.

Perhaps citing some research we can understand the early history of use of concrete block foundations and decorative-stone-faced concrete blocks in North America and elsewhere.

[Click to enlarge any image]

The earliest patent I've found for finished stone faced concrete block is Ransome, Patent No. 405800, in 1889.

A second earliest patent I found for finished block faces was by Wight in 1906 though of course there would have been versions before his patent, and my search was not exhaustive.

From sources I've read, the first widespread-use of hollow-core concrete blocks date from about 1890. Ransome's decorative-faced concrete blocks date from 1889; in the U.S. - Harmon S. Palmer didn't patent his concrete block production machine design until 1900.

The product was a tremendous success, such that within 5 years of that patent there were many companies producing such blocks. Some of my early research in New York included talking with (now deceased) Henry G. Page (Poughkeepsie) who started a construction business after  WWI by making his own concrete blocks.

Henry's blocks were a topic of some discussion among inspectors because his hand-mixed portland cement was sometimes a bit light on the portland, and the blocks, after a few decades, were rather crumbly. Henry and other block manufacturers used a hand-casting machine - it was very labor intensive.

His blocks were set up on the family farm property on Rte. 55 - now a pit, partly dug by soil he used for his block-concrete mix.

Portland cement, critical in the fabrication of concrete blocks, dates from 1824 in England (Joseph Aspdin). So concrete blocks could pre-date the sources I've found to date.

Research on the History of Concrete Blocks & Finished-Face Concrete Block Walls & Foundations

[Below: Seaman's patent for concrete block forming molds]

Seamans-Patent-US720536 for concrete block formation cited & discussed at InspectApedia.com


Framing Materials as Indicators of Building Age

PHOTO of post and beam framing with joint number markings.

Here is a photograph of post and beam framing with joint number markings.

The observation of framing materials, framing markings, and framing styles provides considerable information about the probable age of a house.

We discuss framing materials and styles here as an aid to house age determination.

Also see our article

on SAW CUTS & TOOL MARKS

Log framing and both modern and antique log construction are discussed

at LOG HOME GUIDE

Antique and modern trusses are distinguished and modern laminated beams and I-truss beams and wood joists are discussed.

Framing Methods as Indicators of Building Age

Common wood structure framing methods include the techniques described below, arranged alphabetically, not by age.

For the full text articles on this topic please see

 FRAMING METHODS, AGE, TYPES

Below we provide abbreviated discussion taken from the full-text articles listed above.

Arkansas framing system: 2x6 wall studs are spaced 24' on center, a spacing that permitted installation of more wall insulation volume than provide by conventional 2x4 wall studs.

The Arkansas building framing method became popular in North America following the 1970's arab oil embargo and addressed concern for high energy costs.

Balloon Framing Construction Method Description

For full details see our full text article

at FRAMING METHODS, AGE, TYPES and BALLOON FRAMING

Tall wall studs run from the sill plate atop the foundation wall to the top plate below the building rafters. Wall studs and first floor joists rest on the building sill plates (flat wood members set atop the building foundation). The wall studs extend from the first floor sill to a height sufficient to frame both the first and second floor walls.

First floor joists and second floor joists are framed by nailing to these tall wall studs at the appropriate heights. Rafters attach to the top plate of the building walls. Ceiling joists for the top floor are nailed to the sides of the balloon-framed wall studs just as the floor joists were nailed below.

Glulam Beam Construction, Description, History

(In process, contributions invited). For full details see our full text article

at FRAMING METHODS, AGE, TYPES and Glulam Beams

Log Home Construction Methods Defined & Described

For full details see our full text article

at FRAMING METHODS, AGE, TYPES and Log Home Construction

(1640 - est U.S.): solid logs usually felled and prepared at or close to the building site, set on ground level, on flat stones on ground, or on a stone foundation, corners joined using various notch and overlap methods. See Log Home Guide.

Modular Construction Methods Defined & Described

Modular home during set process © Daniel Friedman

For full details see our full text article

at FRAMING METHODS, AGE, TYPES and Modular Construction

Modular construction (1910 - present) was first provided on a large scale with Sears Kit homes that were distributed from about 1910 to 194o0 -

see HOW to IDENTIFY SEARS & OTHER KIT HOMES

Some modern modular homes built in the U.S. during the 1950's post war building boom originally enjoyed a less than stellar reputation several decades ago, having the reputation of flimsy construction.

That is no longer the case. Since at least the 1980's a modular home is constructed in a factory of one or more sections which are carried to the building site on a trailer (photo above left) and lifted by a crane to be set upon a foundation which has been prepared ahead of time.

Modular homes can be quite large, involving four or quite a few more individual sections which are lifted and "set" into place at the site (photo at left)

Some manufacturers provide custom architectural services and can deliver unique, but factory-built homes in sections.

Nails, Screws & Similar Hardware as Indicators of Building Age

Details about nails and similar hardware and examples of how they can help determine the age of a building are

at NAILS & HARDWARE, Age, Types

OSB - Oriented Strand Board Used in Building Construction, History, Description, Identification

For full details see our full text article

at FRAMING METHODS, AGE, TYPES and OSB

Panelized Building Construction Defined & Described

For full details see our full text article

at FRAMING METHODS, AGE, TYPES

and PANELIZED CONSTRUCTION

Panelized construction: floor and wall panels constructed in a factory are delivered to and assembled at the building site.

Panels may be conventionally-framed stud walls in modular sections or structural panels may be constructed of a sandwich of OSB (oriented strand board), plywood, or wafer board on either side of solid foam board insulation.

Panelized construction makes use of wall, floor, ceiling or roof "panels" which have been framed off-site and brought to the site by truck. Panels are lifted into place by crane and fastened together on a foundation, and possibly a framed-in floor which have been prepared before the panels arrive.

Some framing panels make use of special materials, such as plywood and foam roof panels for insulated cathedral ceilings.

(In process, contributions invited).

Plank House or Box Construction Method Defined & Described

For full details see our full text article

at FRAMING METHODS, AGE, TYPES

and PLANK HOUSES

1880 - 1920 estimated, with some plank house construction continuing up to possibly 1950. Plank houses were constructed entirely of sawn planks and without the use of larger dimensioned 2x lumber.

Some of the plank houses we've inspected were made from scraps or salvaged lumber such as a home in Dutchess County New York that was constructed from packing crate wood. Larger collections of plank houses were built as company housing in the mining or railroad industries.

(In process, contributions invited).

Platform Framing Construction Method Defined & Described


For full details see our full text article

at FRAMING METHODS, AGE, TYPES

and PLATFORM FRAMING

The platform frame construction method, also called western construction is the most-common residential wood structure framing method in North America. A floor is constructed atop of the building foundation, forming the first "platform", using the platform as a working surface.

Plywood Used in Building Construction, History, Description, Identification

For full details see our full text article

at FRAMING METHODS, AGE, TYPES

and PLYWOOD.

Also see FIRE RETARDANT PLYWOOD.

Plywood (1905 - present as a construction material in North America) is sheet material made of thin veneers of wood that are laid with wood grains in alternating direction, glued, heated, and pressed together. Interior plywood is generally glued with urea formaldehyde based glues; exterior plywood and marine plywood use phenolic formaldehyde glues and are water resistant.

The cross-grain construction combined with glue produces a strong, uniform material that is used for both enclosure and for structural stiffness in frame construction of building walls and roofs.

The properties of plywood, including its tolerance to weather exposure (marine plywood) depend on the glues and finishes used. Both softwood and hardwoods are used in plywoods, and fine wood veneer finishes are also available (for furniture use).

Also see Oriented-strand board subflooring, wall sheathing, roof sheathing -

at OSB SHEATHING

Post & Beam Construction Method Defined & Described

Post and beam construction, brick infill © Daniel Friedman

Photo above: half timbered home in Norway, photographed by the author in 2008.

For full details see our full text article

at FRAMING METHODS, AGE, TYPES

and POST & BEAM CONSTRUCTION

Post and beam construction (1700 - est. in North America): (timber framing) uses horizontal and vertical timbers that are connected (joined) using mortise and tenon joints pinned with wood pegs (treenails).

Timber frame construction initially used hand hewn beams, later manually or mechanically sawn beams cut by a pit saw.; Later timber frame beams were sawn in mills using circular saws.

Timber framing using post and beam construction with mortise and tenon joint connections was used in Europe for at least 500 years before it was first employed in North America.

By 1650 a typical timber frame building used multiple bents and girt beams, may have been more than one story tall, and included an exterior made of horsehair-reinforced cement stuccoed over hand-split lath. Our photo (above) shows an 18th century Norwegian timber frame building using brick infill and stucco to complete the wall enclosure.

Welded Wire Sandwich Framing Panelized Construction

Welded-wire sandwich framing panels: polystyrene or polyurethane foam core insulation is surrounded by a welded-wire space frame.\

For full details see our full text article

at FRAMING METHODS, AGE, TYPES and Welded Wire Sandwich Framing

Wood Framing Spacing & Framing Member Actual Dimensions can indicate building age

For full details see our full text article

at FRAMING AGE, SIZE, SPACING, TYPES

Heating Equipment as Indicators of Building Age

Indoor heating methods by historic periods or years:

See AGE of HEATERS, BOILERS, FURNACES - describing the determination of age & properties of heating equipment, boilers, furnaces by decoding data tags. Where there are special safety or maintenance concerns for certain systems we cite those as well.

PHOTO of an Octopus heating furnace, originally coal fired, converted to natural gas fuel.

Above we show a photograph of an "octopus heating furnace", originally coal fired, usually by now (if still in use) converted to natural gas fuel.

These octopus furnaces, also called "gravity heating systems" provided heat by natural convection, hot air rising into the building from the top of the furnace where it was delivered to the building first floor through a wood or iron grate, or perhaps delivered through metal ducts.

The original installation usually supplied heat to a home through a central grate in the first floor of the building from where warm air might rise to upper floors.

Later versions or modified original systems added ducts to individual rooms, sometimes still only on the first floor of the building. These furnaces are the ancestor of modern forced hot air heating systems.

This article series describes the properties, installation, troubleshooting & repair of all types of heating systems and heating system fuel types (coal, oil, gas, wood, solar, electricity) as an aid in determining the age of a home or other building.

Also see WATER HEATER AGE & MANUALS

Insulation Materials as Indicators of Building Age

PHOTO of brick wall lining used as insulation and wind-block

Insulation materials used in buildings includes:

Mineral wool insulation in an attic

Photo above: rock wool, or "mineral wool" in an older New York home. Note the vertical saw kerf marks (from a pit saw) on the roof sheathing boards - a clue to the age of this building.

See INSULATION IDENTIFICATION GUIDE for a catalog of building insulation materials and how to identify them.

At INSULATION MATERIAL IDENTIFICATION GUIDE we discuss various types of insulation materials (none, air gaps) and for example:

See INSULATION MATERIAL IDENTIFICATION GUIDE for a catalog of building insulation materials and how to identify them.

Our photo at left shows a pre-1900 brick wall lining used as insulation and as a wind or draft block. Brick nogging can determine the probable age for the home.

Houses built between 1810 and 1900, or perhaps earlier may have brick-lined walls. I have found brick nogging in the walls of a 1790 Poughkeepsie NY home.

Bricks lining the walls of a home is an indicator of when it was built.

See BRICK LINED WALLS for a detailed, illustrated article about the use, detection, and inspection of brick lined walls in older homes were we describe and explain the reasons for and concerns with brick wall lining or "insulation" sometimes called nogging.

Nails and Hardware as Indicators of Building Age

Hand wrought iron spike pre-1830 © Daniel Friedman

A close observation of the type of fasteners used in a building is one of the most popular means of estimating its age.

Hand wrought nails, machine cut nails, modern round "wire" nails and other details offer considerable information about the time of original construction of a building as well as of the time of modifications to the structure.

Other framing material & hardware details can assist in determining building age. An examination of nails and fasteners and other building hardware is a complimentary effort useful in determining the age of a building and its components.

Nails, Screws & Similar Hardware as Indicators of Building Age

Details about nails and similar hardware and examples of how they can help determine the age of a building are

at NAILS & HARDWARE, AGE, TYPES

Also see SAW & AXE CUTS, TOOL MARKS, AGE for additional building age clues likely to be available when examining building framing materials.

Window Latches, Fasteners, Tracks, Window Weights, and Window Components as Indicators of Building Age

Window latch © Daniel Friedman

The window latch shown in our photo (above left) dates from the 1840 Justin Morrill Smith Historic house in Vermont.

Details & photo examples of window hardware and age determination details are also found

at WINDOW HARDWARE AGE

Door Hardware: latches, knobs, hinges, construction details as an indicator of building age

Antique door hardware, Suffolk Resolves House 1774 latch © Daniel Friedman

Above is door hardware from the Suffolk Reserves house dating from 1774.

Notice in both the door hardware photo above and that shown below that unlike contemporary passage door locksets, the knob setback distance from the door edge is considerably greater.

The photos shows the door lock hardware and the folding-down interior turn knob and key opening. On the other side of this door was a small keyhole and a white ceramic door knob.

Details about door hardware age and photo examples of door knobs, latches, hinges, and other details are

at DOOR HARDWARE AGE.

Plaster & Drywall & Other Interior Wall Coverings as Indicators of Building Age

Please see DRYWALL, FIBERBOARD, PLASTER INTERIORS where we describe and discuss the identification and history of older interior building surface materials such plaster and lath, Beaverboard, and Drywall - materials that were used to form the (usually) non-structural surface of building interior ceilings and walls.

Readers should see SHEATHING HOMASOTE & OTHER BOARD for a discussion of exterior wall sheathing fiberboard products such as Homasote® and Celotex® insulating roof, wall, and foundation board products.

A quick review and description of these materials is provided just below.

History of Plaster, Plasterboard, Drywall, Wood Lath, Metal Lath

PHOTO of hand split lath and plaster ca 1800

Photograph of hand-split wood lath and plaster wall, from the wall-cavity side. Ca 1800.

There are several generations of plaster and lath, plaster board, and drywall which have been used in buildings.

We name and illustrate these and discuss their periods of use below as an aid in finding out how old a building is and tracing its history. Examples:

History of the Use of Wood and other Wall Paneling in North America

Wooden wall paneling - tongue and groove pine and other woods

in process

Wall paneling in 4' x 8' sheets

in process

Early colonial paneling is described by Isham.

History of Beaver Board & Upson Board Wall Coverings in North America

Details about Beaver-board and Upson Board, a wood fiber product used as an inexpensive interior wall covering and draft blocker from about 1903 are provided

at

Our photographs (below) show this product from it's back or wall cavity side.

Beaverboard wall covering © Daniel Friedman

On the exposed side this wood fiberboard product was usually painted and its joints covered with wood lath or other trim. In some applications it was covered with wallpaper. In some homes it was later covered with drywall to provide a more fire-resistant surface.

Beaverboard wall covering © Daniel Friedman

BEAVERBOARD takes its name from the Beaver N.Y. and the Beaver Board Companies that produced this product until that firm was purchased by Certain Teed Prod cuts in 1928. Beaver Board was produced by the Beaver Wood Fibre Company Limited, in Thorold, Ontario.

Beaver board's competition was from Upson Processed board (John Upson, Upson Company, Lockport, NY) which was produced beginning in 1910. As late as the 1950's Upson Board was used in prefabricated houses and exterior building sheathing and in recreational vehicles.

Upson purchased the Beaver Board plant from CertainTeed in 1955. Upson began its decline in the 1970's and closed in 1984, opening later that year as Niagara Fiberboard.

 

Guide to Plumbing Materials & Fixtures as Indicators of Building Age

PHOTO of gas light fixture which we discovered still was fed by an active gas line in an 1860 New York Home

Please see AGE of PLUMBING MATERIALS & FIXTURES for our detailed article on determining the age and life expectancy of plumbing components.

Photograph of an active gaslight found in a 1900 home in New York.

Often old gas lines have been disconnected entirely and sometimes they have been re-used to route electrical wiring to new light fixtures or to gaslight fixtures which have been converted to electric.

Don't assume that an old gas fixture or valve on a wall or found in a fireplace are inactive. We turned-on and lit this fixture which gave a bright surprise to everyone.

Watch out for "live gas" connections to supposedly abandoned gas piping and don't trust "... yeah that was disconnected years ago" unless you can see both ends of a section of abandoned gas piping in a building.

Also see AGE of HEATERS, BOILERS, FURNACES

Also see WATER HEATER AGE & MANUALS

Chart of Dates When Different Types of Plumbing Were Used in Homes

Chart showing when different types of piping were used in homes (C) CarsonDunlop

Plumbing fixtures and piping materials offer considerable age in dating a building, including easy clues such as the presence of a date of manufacture stamped into many toilet tanks to the periods of use of types of water supply piping (lead, galvanized steel, black iron pipe, copper, plastic piping) and building drain piping (lead, cast iron, copper, plastic, clay).

Often on older buildings multiple types of piping will be present as repairs and changes have been made in the building plumbing system.

Chart of plumbing types and years of use courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home inspection, education, & report writing tool company [ carsondunlop.com ].

Please see AGE of PLUMBING MATERIALS & FIXTURES for our detailed article on determining the age and life expectancy of plumbing components.

Roofing Materials as Indicators of Building Age

History and Dates of Use of Various Roofing Materials

This ROOFING MATERIALS, AGE, TYPES article explains the eras of use of different types of roofing materials as an aid to understanding the history and age of buildings.

If you are trying to determine the age and condition of a particular roof covering, find our article series for your particular roof covering material by using the on-page search function or start

at ROOFING - home

PHOTO of wood shingle roof, Key West Florida, adjacent to Hemingway's house

The wood shingle roof shown in the photo above is on a building in Key West, Florida, adjacent to the Hemingway house, viewed from the Key West tower.

Notice the absence of lichens on the wood shingles in the roof area below the metal-flashed rooftop tower?

Wood shingle roofing has been in use for hundreds of years in the U.S. and Europe.

But an inspection of interior and exterior roofing details can indicate the probable age of a wood roof (which can last up to 40 years) as well as the roofing history of the building, the number and types of roofing layers, and related house-age-determination details.

Cement Board & Fiber Cement Building Products

Asbestos-Cement Board & Fiberboard Products

Exterior Siding & Roofing Using Asbestos Cement included asbestos cement shingles, asbestos cement siding, corrugated asbestos-cement roofing.

See ASBESTOS CEMENT ROOFING MATERIALS

and ASBESTOS CEMENT & FIBER CEMENT SIDING

Other fiber cement materials used in construction included

Also see ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS and

see SIDING MATERIALS, AGE, TYPES

Modern Cement Board & Fiber Cement Products

Cement board is a non-structural building sheathing material which in its contemporary form is made from Portland cement covered with a reinforced fiberglass mesh fabric. Cement board is used as a tile backer or a backer board for stucco applications on buildings.

Current producers include Custom Building Products (WonderBoard™) and US Gypsum (Durock™).

Panels made of a mixture of cement and wood fibers are produced for building siding by James Hardi (Hardi-panel and Cemplank™), and CertainTeed (Weatherboard™).

See details of modern (non-asbestos) fiber cement roofing and siding at

at FIBER CEMENT ROOFING - home

and

at FIBER CEMENT SIDING - home

(Contributions invited - CONTACT us)

Saw Cuts, Tool Marks as Indicators of Building Age

Hand hewn beam © Daniel Friedman

Photo: adze marks on a beam in a barn in RedHook New York, photographed by the author.

Generations of types of saws used in cutting beams, and similar details are readily available on many buildings and offer both clues to building age and wonderful aesthetic detail.

Details at SAW & AXE CUTS, TOOL MARKS, AGE show clues such as hand hewn adze marks or even the type of saw cut marks on framing lumber, in rough chronological order.

There we illustrate different types of saw and tool cut marks in wood: adze cuts, hand sawn pit saw marks, mechanically-operated pit saw marks, circular saw marks, and unmarked, planed modern dimensional lumber.

An excerpt from that article is our photo above and this explanation:

An understanding of how hand-hewn beams were cut, for example, can permit the careful observer to not only recognize the type and age of building framing, but even to understand just where the worker was standing when a blow from a tool was delivered to a building framing member.

Adze cuts to hew a rectangular beam out of a round log were made in two steps: an adze, a hoe-like cutting tool with wooden offset handle was used to make a series of cuts along the round up-facing surface of a log.

Kit Homes can Give Building Age

Sears & Other Kit Houses as Indicators of Building Age

For details, photographs, books, and references on how to identify Sears Kit Homes

see SEARS KIT HOMES: How to identify Sears catalog kit houses photos and tips for identifying these interesting homes.

See details at

PHOTO of stencil numbers on wood framing indicating a Sears Kit House

For information about the age, history, and use of pre-cut lumber in wood-frame construction,

see PRE-CUT LUMBER CONSTRUCTION & LEAVITTOWN

A photograph of stencil numbers on wood framing shown here confirms that this building was a Sears Kit House whose model and probable age we can determine.

Other kit homes were sold by Montgomery Ward and by a few other manufacturers including copies of some of the popular Sears and Roebuck houses that continued to be sold after Sears had discontinued their production.

This article series describes & explains types of kit homes including kit houses and log home kits which, in the latter instance continue to be improved and sold.

Siding Materials as Indicators of Building Age

Please see our detailed article on types of siding and how siding materials are inspected, installed, diagnosed, repaired,

at SIDING & SHEATHING IDENTIFICATION - Photo Guide

PHOTO of asphalt siding on the Coolidge Hotel, White River Junction Vermont

Asphalt siding such as that shown in the photo of an extension on the rear of the Coolidge Hotel in White River Junction, Vermont, was the "aluminum siding" of the 1930's and 1940's in the United States.

That is, it was a popular "no maintenance" siding material sold often as a cover-up product for older siding in poor condition. (Aluminum siding and then vinyl siding were sold both for that purpose and also as exterior wall cladding for new construction as well).

See SIDING ASPHALT SHINGLE or SHEET.

Asphalt siding material was made in two common versions, one much like asphalt roof shingles and the other (as in this photo) was comprised of an asphalt coating laminated to hardboard siding material.

Commonly made to look like brick, it also appears in faux-stone versions (not to be mistaken for "perma stone" which has been sold since the 1960's as an exterior wall covering.

It would be rare to find asphalt-based exterior siding material as original wall cladding on a building; usually it was applied over wood clapboards which in turn were badly in need of paint or repair.

See PERMA-STONE EXTERIORS

History and Dates of Use of Various Building Exterior Siding Materials

Details of how this material deteriorates and examples of its variations are discussed below along with other exterior siding materials and their common dates of use.

Windows & Doors & Interior Hardware as Indicators of Building Age

PHOTO of an 1840 window latch on a historic Vermont Home

Please see our windows and doors articles

at WINDOWS & DOORS, Age, Types and also

see WINDOW HARDWARE AGE

At left is a photograph of an 1840 window latch on a historic landmark property, the Justin Smith Morrill Homestead in Strafford, Vermont.

This articles cited above explain how we can use details about the construction and materials of use in windows and doors as clues to building age, including window style, size, placement, construction, and hardware, as well as door style and hardware.

For example, in addition to antique window hardware, take a look at the window glass type, window dimensions (and regularity of dimensions of similar windows in the same building), and the construction of window sashes with or without through-cut muntins.

Notice too how the window is held in an open position: by a removable peg, by sash weights, by window springs, or in the case of renovated antique windows where sash weights were eliminated, the presence of compression tracks that hold window sashes in place.

Building Age Determination Research & References

...


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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2023-03-07 by Kristine

Was wondering if you could possibly tell the age of the brick from this photo? Trying to pinpoint when building was built.

Norfold, Virginia brick building age (C) InspectApedia.com Kristine

On 2023-03-07 by InspectApedia Publisher - use contextual clues and product information to date structure

@Kristine,

A couple of things tell us that that is a modern brick wall - probably post 1940 - the use of a cut expansion joint (incompletely-sealed) and the look of the bricks themselves.

But to get an idea of when the building was built, as we noted by private email to you and again here, you really want to read the suggestions on the page above. Collecting information from a range of clues and sources is far more accurate than looking at brick alone.

For example, from just your photo we have not a shred of other information about your building - not even its country and city of location, nor if the brick wall is part of the building's original construction.

To determine the age of the building whose wall is in your photo one needs to look at more.

On 2023-03-08 by Kristine

Norfold, Virginia brick building age (C) InspectApedia.com Kristine

@InspectApedia Publisher, thank you for your response. I appreciate your feedback. I have been so eager to get more information that I posted in haste. If I may provide some more information here.

It is located in Norfolk, Virginia. There is great misconception about when this large building was actually constructed. But I do believe all the exterior is the original construction. It is very hard for me to read through the information provided on other clues help find age of building.

But I will continue to learn the various articles. I am adding another picture of the floor in one of the rooms. Thoughts?

On 2023-03-08 by InspectApedia Editor - public documents such as tax records and the building's property deed will give history and age information

@Kristine,

Norfold, Virginia brick building age (C) InspectApedia.com Kristine

We understand that there is a lot to look at when guessing the age of a building; the building age clues given above on this page are divided into categories by topic or building feature. Often you can choose just a few of those such as hardware at windows, flooring, framing, or an electrical panel and examine those.

While the brick in your photo is modern, the building or some of it could be much older. The oldest component you can find usually sets a floor under the probable building age.

There may also be public documents such as tax records and of course the building's property deed that give history and age information.

We're here to be as helpful as we can, Kristine, but showing us just one or two photos is like showing me the photo of the tire valve on an automobile tire and asking me to tell you the brand, model, and age of the car. You really need to look at a bit more.

So far I've seen modern brick exterior, concrete block wall (modern as well, probably post 1940), floor tile that looks like 1960s vinyl-asbestos, ceramic tile "kickboard" that's not easily dated, a drain access cover that may carry a brand or logo that you could research, and that's it.

The brick and block walls are modern.

If you can find building framing materials the appearance of those may help confirm the building's era.

But you're going to have to do more looking and more reading, or perhaps to hire an experienced home inspector who can do it for you, on-site. Else we're inspecting your building through the too-tiny eye of the needle of photos that you select.

On 2023-03-09 by Kristine

@InspectApedia Editor , I so appreciate your response.

This is a building/school and is so massive that I do not know where to start. There are missing documents with the city. It's a bit mysterious and the claim of it being built 1967 does not add up with other historical facts. I'm in the process of researching as much as I can and your information is helpful.

On 2023-03-11 by InspectApedia Editor - the oldest components allow a guess at the earliest date of construction

@Kristine,

I trust you understand that when you show us a few photos of a few components of a massive building we are flying totally blind in guessing its age or epoch of original construction. You need to inspect the entire building, identifying the comparative age of various sections by variations in building materials, plans, or documents.

In a complete building survey, you'd use the articles in the series that we provide, describing many age-related building components, to identify the oldest components you can find; those allow a guess at the earliest date of construction and thus the building's oldest section age.

On 2021-10-19 by Mary Joslin

Your article is wonderful. I came upon it this morning and have been reading it throughout the day. I'm trying to more specifically pinpoint my home's age and your articles within have been great. Thank you.

On 2021-10-20 by inspectapedia.com.moderator

@Mary Joslin,

Thank you so much for your generous comment.

We have worked hard for a long time on this material to make it trusted and useful, so we are always very grateful when a reader finds it so.

On 2021-03-25 by Buddy

How can I tell if a wood frame house is a balloon frame or braced frame construction by looking at the exterior of the house only?

On 2021-03-25 by danjoefriedman (mod) - How can I identify balloon framing

@Buddy, that's an interesting question about identifying balloon framing, thank you. Frankly I don't think it's possible to tell with confidence by inspecting the outside of a wood framed building where there was balloon frame to platform framed. There may be subtle differences such as the locations of nail patterns in siding but I don't consider that reliable.

If you look at our drawings of platform Framing and balloon framing you will see that they are strictly an internal structure to the wall and then when the building has finished its overall dimensions will be about the same.

I would add however that there may be other ways that you can discover balloon framing if the building has an accessible attic and let Paisley basement or crawl space. For example from an attic it may be possible to drop a plumb-line from the attic down words to encounter or not the intermediate floor platform.

Unfortunately what will make this schema not work reliable is that properly framed, balloon framing will have fire blocking in the walls between studs.

On 2021-03-21 by Mll49ers@yahoo.com

My house was built in 1916, in California. I purchased it in 2013 and the people who lived there before me remolded the house a couple of times, removing alot of the old characters from the home. I am attempting to replace some things. I need to know what kind of interior doors would have been original to my home. Were they 3 panel, 4 panel or 5 panel doors? I have one door in the basement and it is a 3 panel door. I know that 5 panel doors were mostly in the late 1900. Thanks for your help.

On 2021-03-22 by danjoefriedman (mod) - the history of paneled doors in the U.S.

@Mll49ers@yahoo.com, thanks that's an interesting question on the history of paneled doors in the U.S.

Keep in mind that any historical document may not reflect the door design or usage in your particular state; often products moved in adoption from East to West across north America.

But there is a nice source for you that you can download here

POINT OF ENTRY: AN OVERVIEW OF HISTORIC DOORS [PDF]

Excerpt:
Is it possible to specify an historically accurate door design for a particular building or period of architecture? Looking at door construction through history can shed some light on this question, although much depends upon the degree of authenticity required in a project. Research can help identify an appropriate style of door even if the original design may never be fully known.

Reprinted from “Traditional Building”, September/October 1999 and found at this source: https://historicdoors.com/pdf/hsd_point_of_entry.pdf
AUTHOR’S BIBLIOGRAPHY: Restoration and Preservation, Restoration and Preservation by Carl F. Schmidt,

Carl F. Schmidt, 1976. The Dating of Old Houses, The Dating of Old Houses by Henry C. Mercer,

Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, PA, 1976. Historic American Historic American

Building Survey (HABS) Building Survey (HABS), Building Survey (HABS) Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Steven D. Hendricks is the owner of Historic Doors by Hendricks, Kempton, PA. Established in 1981, Historic Doors specializes in producing appropriate doors for all types of buildings. They have published “Historic American Doors,” a compilation of door and entryway drawings from the Historic American Building Survey. The book is available for purchase by calling (610) 756-6187 or by e-mail at historic@ot.com.

On 2021-01-01 by 424moore@gmail

I have an old two story brick house. In the basement about 3 brick down from the floor joist im between the brick is a layer of plate glass in the joint mortar goes all the way around the house . why was glass used I think the house was built around 1860's

On 2021-01-01 by danjoefriedman (mod) - mason included the glass in a brick wall as a damp proofing course

42

Most likely the mason included the glass as a damp proofing course - to prevent what the Brits call "rising damp" - moisture wicking up through the masonry foundation and into the wood sills where it causes rot or invites insect attack.

I would be grateful to see some sharp photos -you can post one per comment and as many comments as you like.

Thanks;

Happy New Year

How do I verify the age of my "new" home?

I am attempting to verify the age of my new home. I was told it is circa 1830.

Determine age of this ca 1830 home (C) InspectApedia LH

Here are some photos of construction and hardware (attached). L.H. 7/9/2014

Determine age of this ca 1830 home (C) InspectApedia LH

Reply:

Determine age of this ca 1830 home (C) InspectApedia LH

The photos you show of a door hinge and interior door lock hardware are consistent with a home of that age or perhaps a bit more recent - depending on where it is located.

Determine age of this ca 1830 home (C) InspectApedia LH

This is a very simple door hinge that I have seen on homes of the age you speculate.

... Determine age of this ca 1830 home (C) InspectApedia LH

The sawn-lath strips and what look like wideboard pine flooring that place the home certainly well before 1900.

Determine age of this ca 1830 home (C) InspectApedia LH

Had the lath strips been split but not sawn I'd have figured the home was older still.

Determine age of this ca 1830 home (C) InspectApedia LH

The exterior window hinge (belowe) looks like a casement window that is probably considerably newer than the home as does the bathroom wall tile.

Determine age of this ca 1830 home (C) InspectApedia LH

The bath sink is younger than 1830 and in fact it's likely that when the home was built it did not have indoor plumbing.

Determine age of this ca 1830 home (C) InspectApedia LH

It's tough to pin down the age of a home precisely with just photos and without location and other details, since those materials you show were used over many years and as their inception varies by where geographically the building is located.

In addition to having a general idea of the age of the home, I'd look for inscribed dates on building materials and for documentation both in the home itself and in local records such as tax files and building or town deeds.


...

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