The Style of Your Home
Before you begin actual research, you can use clues from the appearance and building materials of your home to determine an approximate age of the house. One of the first things you can determine about your home is the ‘style.' Different styles of homes were fashionable during different periods of time and by determining what the style is you can sometimes estimate the age of your house within 20 years.
You can view examples of the various architectural styles found in Aurora in our
photo gallery. Other historic styles found in Aurora include:
- Eastlake
- Gothic Revival
- Italian Renaissance Revival
- Modern
- Neoclassical
- Ranch
- Romanesque Revival
- Second Empire
Other Clues
After you've determined the style, try investigating around your home to find if any original conditions exist that could also help date your home. The foundation of your home if unaltered can be a fairly good determinant of age. Limestone block foundations are found on the earliest homes in Aurora and are often "parged" or covered with cement or another material.
Concrete block foundations were first used around the turn of the 20th century. Both plain and rusticated concrete blocks were used. Poured concrete foundations are often found on masonry structures and, since they lie below ground level are usually not visible from the exterior of building.
Original lighting, heating, cooling, and water systems as well as interior paint, wall coverings, and floor coverings can also offer clues to when the home was built.
Foundation Examples