I was wondering if anyone on here could help me find the origianly floor plans to the house I am helping renovate. Any help is greatly appreciated. House was built in 1900 and is in Fremont NE. Thanks for any help . Here is a picture of the house
Try local library or historical society, if your town has those. Sometimes, in small towns that haven't expanded much, the tax office/permitting office has ancient records in the basement or on microfilm. But for a 1900 house, the odds ain't good. House doesn't look like a custom design- drive around and look for houses that look like twins, or that maybe were twins before being remodeled. (Remember to include 'mirror image' twins.) If you see one, knock on the door and ask them. If you can track down the name of the builder, historical society may be able to come up with an old brochure or catalog. In that era, lots of houses were built from plan books that builders would buy, to save on design costs. Local library, or library at nearest school of architecture, may be able to help with that.
May be less work to just recreate the plans from field measurements. Unless there is an addition on back not shown in photo, everything looks to be the original footprint. Is there a basement (probably shallow, and originally dirt floored), or is it on piers? Likely balloon-framed, with full-size wood, and plaster and wood lathe on interior walls. If any original wiring remains (if that was not added 10-20 years later), likely K&T. 1900 house could easily have pipes for gas lights, if there was service in the neighborhood then. Floors are likely softwood plank under whatever was put down over the years, except for maybe the front sitting parlor, which could have hardwood. Don't forget to look for buried sliding doors in archways, walled-up connecting doors, and added more-modern walls, as people tried to modernize layout.
The place looks like it has possibilities, if you are into old houses. At least they didn't put alumium siding and vinyl windows on it. Roof is obviously recent, so hopefully they kept a good roof on it over the years, and the ridge looks pretty straight, which is a good sign. Definitely needs scraping and painting before winter, even if it is just a half-ass temporary job to stabilize things until you can do the outside trim and clapboard repair.
aem sends....
if anyone on here could help me find the origianly
nice looking home.
I take a contrary view to alumimum siding etc. Once you get older painting a home every 10 years or so will lose any attraction it ever had.
so if your rebuilding a museum with public funds go for it.
but a personal home low maintence can be very attractive:)
I think a house that old may have been changed. I agree with the suggestion to record existing conditions. That, of course, depends on finding a competent drafter or architect. T
(snip)
The aesthetics aside, a aluminum or vinyl job can make the place rot faster. On a roof with little or no overhang, if it isn't trimmed and flashed correctly at the top and corners, the wood underneath gets and stays wet for weeks at a time. Even on this 1960 cookie cutter, I need to strip off the coil stock wrap on the fascia board, because the idiots installed it in such a way that it gets wet in there and never drys.
With short walls like that, yeah, you can do a passable knockoff of claps with 4" vinyl. And they do make plastic panels to mimic the shingled part in the gables. But there is no good way to cover all that wood detail with coil stock. Maybe you can match it all in faux wood trim. Siding company usually just tears off all the fussy details, saws off the ears on the window sills, etc.
If 'low maint' is a requirements item for you, vintage houses are NOT the way to go. Even if you cover the entire outside with something that never needs paint, there will ALWAYS be something inside or underneath that needs attention.
aem sends...
certinally anyone can do a horrible job that leads to worse troubles and early failure. any sort of job...... plumbing, wiring, windows roofing anything...
but a quality good job is also possible that leads to long life with no maintence.
currently a cheapskate friends home is rotting away from lack of paint, its been over 20 years since it was last painted. he can afford it but doesnt want to part with the bucks, his is a vintage home over
100 years old.in his case a decent vinyl siding job would be a vast improvement.....
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