How to Find Blueprints for My House
Blueprints are an essential item to have if you are interested in renovating or restoring your house. If your house is less than 50 years old, you may have a good chance of finding the original blueprints. Finding blueprints for houses built more than 50 years ago will be more difficult. Detailed blueprints were more rare in the early part of the 20th century. However, you may be able to find out details about your house through a little historical research. This sort of information is very helpful if you are interested in preserving the historical integrity of your house. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Visit the local municipal offices in your city or town hall. Each city has its own laws and regulations regarding building and house construction. Most cities and towns require a building permit before new construction can begin. Building permits often require builders to file floor plans and diagrams.
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Contact your real estate agent. The real estate office may have access to facts about your home. The most important information to find out is the architecture firm and builders responsible for your house.
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Visit your neighbors. It is not an accident that many houses in a neighborhood are similar to one another. It is quite common for builders to build several houses in the same neighborhood. Your neighbor may have details about the construction and layout of their house that has much in common with your own home.
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Research city archives and old historical records. If your house is more than 100 years old, finding detailed blueprints is probably impossible. In the early 1900s, detailed plans were rare; however, historical research may turn up important information about your house. City archives may contain insurance maps, building plans and details about construction materials used in specific neighborhoods. You may also be lucky enough to come across photographs of your house.
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Hire an expert. If you are unsuccessful in locating the original blueprint, the other option is to have an expert reconstruct a blueprint for your house. This usually requires hiring an experienced architect.
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