Surveying Interior Wood Casings to Distinguish Original from Alteration

There are several methods for distinguishing original construction inside your home from later alterations and additions. You can look for source documents, such as permits, photos, or drawings as evidence of your home in a previous condition. You can look at floor plans of typical homes of the time period and try to determine if your house's layout ever fit that arrangement or something similar, and interviewing former occupants may be the most helpful. Additionally, you can examine the existing physical details, such as interior wood trim. A stark, or even subtle, but noticable, divergence from the overall trim detail scheme in a house (or portions of a house) can hint of a detail or a wall that was constructed later than the original. Although distinctions can be discerned from any type of trim (such as baseboards, wainscoting, or crown moldings), this article will focus on looking at casings.

Why Casings and What Exactly Are They?

Interior casings are a type of wood trim that serve the primary purpose of finishing the gap between a wall's finish (i.e. drywall, plaster, or wood paneling) and a door or window's frame. Casings also are used to frame "cased openings"-- a wall opening with no door in it.

This image shows how the casing trim covers over the gap between the wall finish and the wood frame of the opening. Image via Fine Home Building.

The interior trim is an opportunity to inject character through either intricate or simple detail, and its use throughout history has served as a method of associating the interiors with an overall architectural style or movement. Casings can incorporate details to your heart's content, such as keystones, plinth blocks, corner blocks, entablatures, and are often formed with molding profiles of varying depth and detail.

Classical detailing in this cased opening. Photo credit: Mark Lohman, via This Old House.

Door casings with a fluted profile and rosette corner blocks. Photo credit: Shannon Malone via Houzz.

Now, why do I focus on casings? I contend that they simply are less likely to have been modified or added over the course of history in an older home than other types of interior trim. As opposed to baseboards and crown moldings, casings are generally at eye level and more easily in the field of vision, meaning it was near impossible for the builder of the original home to avoid giving significant thought to their appearance. Sure, they may have been painted over 10 times, but once in place there generally isn't much of a reason to change the casings out unless one goes out of their way to change the character of their home's interior. Baseboards, on the other hand, might hold more impetus for change if flooring is upgraded or changed. Crown moldings, wainscoting, and chair or picture rails generally are treatments provided on a per-room basis and could have been added at any time. The casings are elements most likely to have been given consistent thought upon original construction and to have stayed that way.

When examining the casing trim throughout a house, remember the word consistent, as this does not mean that all casings are treated equally by the builder. A higher level of detail and ornament may have been provided in more public rooms, with simple detailing in bedrooms or on the second level of the house. The same could be said for size-- larger rooms or openings might have consistently been given larger-scaled trim to remain in proportion. Again, we're looking for changes in consistency-- if you see a prominent room that has casings with a fancy frieze and entablature over top of most openings, but one wall has a door with corner blocks, someone may have added that wall at some point or punched a new door into an existing wall.

A Case In Point

Our 1920's bungalow has always been a modest home. It has never included incredibly rich architectural details, such as what you might find in a true craftsman home, but nonetheless it is not without its character. Most of the casings in my home are flat stock on the jambs (sides) but have a 6" tall entablature crowning the top of the opening. They look like this:

It is remarkably consistent, except where it isn't. Look at the picture below of what you see when you walk in through the front door of the house:

The opening to the right of the photo has just flat stock trim all the way around, with no additional detail whatsoever. It looks like this up-close:

Is this a less-important opening? No, not really-- it is a smaller opening, and it does lead into the "back-of-house" bedroom areas of the house, but most of the casings in those bedrooms have the more detailed entablature. The answer is that the opening with the flat trim was added several decades later, I believe in the 1950's or 60's. In the close-up view you can see two more openings beyond-- one with the more detailed trim (on the left) and one with the flat stock trim around the door (to the right). That opening with the detailed entablature was originally the entrance into the front bedroom from the hallway. Take a look from the bedroom side of these partitions:

Through the current bedroom door, you can see the casing of the original door opening just visible beyond. That entire bump-out in the entrance corner of the bedroom is a later addition, not original (you can see what I believe to be the original layout of the house here)-- the closet door to the right has our tell-tale entablature detail, but the current bedroom door opening has the flat stock. Again, look for breaks from the consistency in your house-- if the original builder had wished to make a distinction between less-important openings with the flat stock trim, that closet door would be more likely to lack the detail than the actual bedroom door.

Aside from the fact that I have documentation and other clues of previous alterations to the house, the flat wood casings are a dead giveaway throughout the house that they are not original. In truth, the casings with the added detail are so consistently similar to each other, and the flat trim is so consistently inconsistent with that overall theme, that I believe all of the flat trim was installed by the Cantlin family, who were the home's only owners from 1932 to 2001. I have full confidence that if it has flat trim, then either it's a wall that is not part of the house's original layout, or a new door or opening was made in an original wall. This is a theory that plays out when I compare the locations of various trim styles with the evolution of the floor plan of my house.

Here are some further examples throughout the house:

Casings in the original portion of the house all exhibit that entablature detail, unless the wall itself was later modified.

All of the casings within the 1940's addition are flat stock.

Even in the original bedrooms, we have entablatures at the window casings.

But no detail was added to the window and door casings in the 1940's addition.

Yet, one more trim style exists, and that is at both bathrooms. Here, we see standard-issue casing trim that you'll find at any big-box home improvement store. This was installed by the owners prior to me.

Entrance to the bathroom on the left, with a basic casing profile from the home improvement store.

This is not to downgrade its status-- on the contrary, the majority of the updates post-2001 work quite nicely for this modest home. It's what most people today would use. However, the difference from the other trim clearly marks its timeline in the house. On a side note, one question this leaves me with is whether the window in our second, more public, bathroom is in a window opening that was always there or whether the window opening was added (the window itself is a modern double-pane replacement).

If you'll notice, it has the same Home Depot window casing. Perhaps the original, more detailed (and entablatured) casing was ripped out, either when the original kitchen was converted to a bathroom in the 1950's or when new owners modernized within the last 15 years. The other possibility is that the casing trim never existed and that a new window was created during that bathroom conversion-- something to investigate further if I ever get to the point of replacing our exterior asbestos siding.

Hopefully now you are able to look for both the consistencies and differences in the trim of your house. Although the contrast between the two main trim styles in my house are more obvious, even a more thoughtful renovation job done in the past can show subtle inconsistencies that can clue you into non-original alterations. Put your mind into that of the original builder, and think about what he would have done...

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Physical Evidence: Ceramic Tiles Pop Up in the Bathroom, Revealing Old Vinyl Flooring

Slowly, over the last month, the grouted joints between the ceramic tiles in our main bathroom have begun to crack. This has occurred to a minor degree ever since we moved into the house nearly two years ago, but only recently began to become a real issue. The joint cracking was also more significant at the area right against the tub. I had already previously noticed that the perimeter of the ceramic tile floor (against the walls and against the tub) were hard grouted joints, rather than flexible sealant joints, leaving the flooring nowhere to expand and contract without cracking. I had been hoping that the problem was merely because of that sole issue.

Well, it wasn't. Finally, this week, two of the tiles against the tub came fully unbonded from the subfloor beneath. Once I was able to fully lift up these two tiles, the improper installation of this ceramic became evident:

Not good.

What you see here is old flooring, and at a small portion of this area you see wood subflooring, which is now wet on the top side (the underside has been and continues to appear sound from the basement). What you do NOT see is any type of backerboard or underlayment matting. In case you were wondering, that is NOT the way to install new ceramic tile over existing vinyl floor. Sigh. This relatively new ceramic tile is now useless-- it all needs to come out. I have already begun making calls to tile contractors to have them come out for estimates.

Well, Let's at Least Learn More History About This House

We might as well take a closer look then and understand the two layers of previous flooring I see here. I had to do this carefully, however. The reason that I'm not even considering replacing this tile myself, and providing another layer of concern, is that the dark-colored flooring you see has a very good chance of containing asbestos. Aside from removing the ceramic tiles for inspection, I have tried to not mess around with this and to keep it more or less as-is, due to the potential hazard.

First off, what do I know about the history of this bathroom? I know that this is the only bathroom of the two that is original to the 1920's house. The only other bathroom was converted from a kitchen in the 1960's. This original bathroom was part of the second living unit, used by family members of the Cantlins after the house was modified into a duplex. There used to be an exterior window at the tub area. After it was re-instated back to a single-family house by my house's previous owners after 2001, the window was infilled, the bathroom was remodelled, and a fiberglass shower surround was installed. The exact timeframe of the remodel is unknown. Judging by the floor tile installation, I'd guess that this was performed in preparation of placing the home on the market.

Anyway, the dark-colored tiles measure 9" x 9"-- a common dimension for vinyl-asbestos tiles produced prior to the 1970's. I'd guess that what I see here was originally installed in the 1950's or so, perhaps as the Cantlins began to convert the house to a duplex. It may even be older since there does not appear to be much of a pattern to it-- perhaps even the 1940's, when the Cantlins were building an addition onto the back of the house.

As for the lighter, beige-colored flooring, this appears to be from the 1970's or early 1980's. It has a decorative pattern and appears to have largely been removed with the exception of a few remnants at the tub.

Based on the small section and the partial fragments I am seeing, it could either have been a sheet or 12" x 12" tile. This could be more of a linoleum sheet product, but even in the 1970's-80's one cannot rule out vinyl-asbestos without having it lab-tested.

Next Steps

Asbestos-containing materials (ACM's) do not need to be a cause of panic by any means, if they are in good physical shape and are of the less friable varieties. In the case of vinyl-asbestos floor tiles, the percentage of asbestos in the tile's composition could be as little as below 5%. That said, these materials ABSOLUTELY must be treated with care, and consultation by professionals licensed to inspect for asbestos is always a good idea. In my case, you can see that at least one of the 9"x9" has broken once, meaning that at least a small, yet hopefully still safe, level of asbestos fibers may have been released.

My plan of attack is first to have a few professional TILE installers in to provide a consultation and recommendations. I want a company specializing in tile installation, not just a handyman that has the ability to throw down a few tiles. If the tile contractor I decide to hire is able to leave the old flooring in place to encapsulate it under a proper and professional installation, then all the better. If a proper substrate can not be provided over the old vinyl and it must come out, then I probably at least need to have the tiles tested and may need to have a licensed asbestos professional in sooner rather than later. Even if the tile setter is able to keep the old tile in place, at the very least I plan to have the air tested.

Even though this is an unwelcome monetary expense to deal with, it is always interesting to me to uncover old building materials. After all, I still consider these layers to be part of the history of the home.

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Finding Physical Evidence: Second Back Door

My modest little bungalow was built in at least two stages. The first, the main house as seen today from the street, was built in the 1920's, likely around 1922-1923. As I've featured in a few previous blog posts, the rear portion of the house, which currently contains our living room and the third bedroom, was built as an addition with at least part of it built in 1946. With a back door exiting the house onto the back wood deck, I've always assumed that this was the entrance to the house's second living unit back when it was a duplex-- a neighbor had confirmed that tenants entered the house from a rear door. The wood deck was built within the last 15 years by my house's previous owners. Since the house is raised a few feet from grade, it was never difficult for me to peek underneath the deck to see the small set of concrete steps leading to the back door, as well as a concrete patio at the bottom.

However, after speaking with a woman who lived in my house from 1958-1961, something seemed off about her description of the house's previous duplex layout. Having seen the current photos of the house which I had sent her, she had relayed to me that the addition of the deck onto the back of the house had made it look quite different from what she knew. Then, in running through the sequence of rooms which were part of the second unit, she described entrances into the house at both Catherine Cantlin's bedroom (my current living room) as well as into the kitchen of the second living unit. Glossing over this fact at first in my mind, it did not quite register-- during the conversation I simply listened as she ran through the layout, assuming that tenants or family member occupants had shared the front entrance door with Catherine.

But looking back at this conversation the next day, and revisiting the layout she described, the access to the second unit wasn't making sense in that arrangement. Then for some reason, it clicked in my mind and realized that what she was describing in that brief instant was a second back door to the house, one which gave direct access to the unit. Looking at a straight-on view of the rear addition, you can see the main A-framed gable roof portion of the old addition to the left, taking up about 2/3 of the back elevation. To the right is a former porch which was enclosed, with the current back door all the way to the right.

Look at the main structure on the left, and at the blank portion to the left of the windows-- this blank space throws off the symmetry of the gable elevation. In my wandering daydreams of future additions, I have often thought of making this whole rear addition one big "great room", and perhaps relocating the rear entrance to the location of that blank space. Now, it makes perfect sense why I might have thought to do so-- because it had already been that way!

Now, let's looking even more closely. The asbestos shingle siding at this area is not quite straight and true, as you can see some variation as if this portion of the wall is "bubbling" out a tiny bit. There are a few areas where courses of siding are not quite exactly aligned (look below the left edge of the window trim, and also right near the deck railing)-- evidence that a former opening had been covered over and new siding patched in.

Now, even closer. At the junction between the siding and the wood deck, you can see evidence of a wood door threshold I had never noticed before, just peeking out. It may be a bit difficult to tell in the photo, but it is about 3 feet long, the right size for a door, and is clearly different wood than that of the exterior deck:

And finally, let's take another peek underneath the deck at this area. I had done so previously, but only with a quick glance and never with a flashlight, as this corner of the house is blocked by a plastic toy/bike shed which we use and has been there since we moved in. Now, we look underneath the deck here and what do we see?

A second set of concrete steps, with presumably jack-hammered pieces of the old concrete patio piled on it! It is now clear that this was the back door referenced by my neighbor (he never had a reason to get more specific with me). This was the direct entrance into the second living unit in the house, entering directly into what was the unit's kitchen. In their remodel of the house and in the process of reclaiming it as a single-family house (which I still need to get an account of), the former owners of 2001-2014 appear to be the ones who have covered over this entrance, and eventually placed a new closet here on the interior side, turning it into the house's third bedroom.

This was quite an exciting discovery, fueled by my conversation with someone who lived in my house over 55 years ago!

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"Husealogy": Genealogy for the House

Thirty posts into this blog, there is one thing I hope is clear to all of my readers-- there is information out there to be found about every house, if one knows where to look. What I am doing here isn't proprietary, it isn't a secret; yet at the same time each house's history is unique. It is is NOT all out there in one spot, ready for you to simply ask for it. We are sleuthing here-- searching, uncovering, and discovering all of these little bits from various sources to create a history of this dwelling. For these reasons as well as due to the nature of their similar content and source types, the best parallel I can draw to another genre of research is to the field of genealogy-- the history of one's family. If I were to provide an etymological name for the study of one's house, I'd call it "husealogy", from the Old English word hus, meaning a residential dwelling.

Genealogy of the House- "Husealogy"

On the face of it, many of the similarities to genealogy are pretty simple. In the study of family history, the researcher is generally looking backwards in time to learn about his/her roots, about those ancestors that came before him and who in some small way, collectively make the researcher who he is today. It is a study in sociology and cultural history, which provides context and gives depth to the life of an ancestor beyond the simple Birth/Marriage/Death facts.

When researching the history of the house, I am looking for this exact context. Sure, I am looking for the date that the house was constructed, but I am really searching for much more. You have seen and will continue to see me delve into three primary components in my house history research: physical materials, people, and neighborhood. In my mind, a high quality house history examines not just the basic "Birth" date of a house and its additions (the physical), but also those people who have come and gone, as well as some history of its surroundings.

People

You have seen me discuss many of the past owners and occupants of my home. Now, while a genealogist discovers new people in their family tree, or pedigree, by rooting out the descendants (mother, father, grandparents, etc.) of a known person, a house historian will do this differently. Since previous owners of the same physical house are very often not related to those who owned it before them, new subject people are discovered by a process called "chaining the title" by going backwards through the deed history of the property. I have outlined this process previously and have also shown some of the results of my particular searches.

However, once you know some of the past persons involved, the husealogist will use many of the same record types as the genealogist to learn more about those people. Census records are a foundational building block with which to learn more about previous owners. Birth records, death records, photographs, wills and other probate records, gravestones, and phone directories are all out there, up for grabs, and are familiar genealogical tools. As a good genealogist will tell you, nearly any record type has the potential to be a source, if credible and relevant. Personal interviews, as in genealogy, are incredibly important (I can't wait to share an extremely important interview I conducted in a future post!). Gathering information about the people involved will give you a truer sense of the history of your house.

Physical Materials

This is where a husealogist is more like an archaeologist than a genealogist. In my "Finding Physical Evidence" series of posts, you have seen me look for hard clues within the actual fabric of my house. These are things like remnants from previous renovations, as well as original materials which may have since been hidden. Once you find them, then you must either draw upon your existing knowledge of different house components and building materials, or you must seek out additional knowledge on these topics. For instance, although I already had a general historic timeframe for the prevalence of asbestos-cement shingles, I had to do additional research to understand the history of the material more and to narrow down their possible installation time period.

The genealogist will, however, take notice that there also are historical documents upon which further evidence is built in this realm. I have drawn upon historical maps quite heavily to investigate the physical existence of the house and addition, and I have sought out other documents such as photographs, and old permits at my local municipality to understand even more about the evolution of the home's construction.

Neighborhood

Even a residential neighborhood can have it's own genealogy so to speak, as it has certainly evolved over time. In this sense, the house historian becomes a local historian of sorts. In my own neighborhood, I have yet to discover an account of the history of my specific subdivision other than that which I have written, although some other research by others is likely out there waiting for me. The history of the subdivision leads you further back to the history of early landowners in the area, which should lead you to your local historical society to learn more. This earlier land research inevitably brings your research into the realm of probate records, early property deeds, and perhaps even land grants- all familiar territory for seasoned genealogists.

Conclusion

Conducting house history research should be relatively familiar territory for family history researchers, and is certainly achievable for those just beginning. Finding your house's history makes you simultaneously a genealogist, local historian, and in some ways an architectural historian and archealogist. In total, a husealogist. The physical thing that is the house, of course, has its own evolution. The people are an ingrained part of the homes in which they live, and an understanding of them gives you a richer house history. Carrying it beyond the house to the community at large (as well as placing it in larger nationwide historical context, by the way) brings the history home. What really compels me about researching my house is that no one has done this exact research before-- I am the first one to compile it all into one comprehensive study. Each house's story is completely unique-- find yours!

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Finding Physical Evidence: Original German Siding

With a 90-year-old house, even without all the historical research I have conducted, it would be clear to most anyone that the house has undergone physical and aesthetic changes over such a time period. Owners renovating historic and century-plus old homes find evidence of former floor plan configurations, old hardwood floors, and other old or original building materials all the time. One might think that the most likely time to find such physical evidence is during a significant renovation project. While that may indeed be true, sometimes finding a major score of an original building material is as simple as poking your head into an access panel in the attic...

The Current Asbestos Siding

As I have mentioned several times, my house is clad in asbestos-cement shingle siding. The word "asbestos" is a dirty word these days, as it should be since it is a well-known carcinogen. However, prior to this knowledge and up to the 1970s, asbestos fibers were used extensively in the 20th century as a major component in all sorts of building materials, touted for increasing durability and fire-resistance. In this type of exterior siding, asbestos fibers are embedded into a tile of portland cement. Since asbestos house siding is a non-friable ACM (asbestos-containing material), there is no great rush for homeowners to go to the expense of ripping old asbestos siding off of their homes. Left in tact, there is generally no hazard. Earlier asbestos siding can date back as early as the 1920s, with the material becoming more prevalent in the 1930s and hugely popular in the 1950s.

Asbestos-cement siding on the side of my house. At this area, a window had been covered over. The owner at the time mixed the wavy bottom style in, which is a mismatch to the earlier flat bottom shingles. This newer wavy bottom shingle may also be a more modern fiber cement product without asbestos.

Asbestos siding is also today seen by many as an unattractive siding material. It most often came in white or shades of grey (especially prior to WWII), with either a straight or wavy bottom profile, and many times has a faux wood-grain pattern on it. If painted to create a cohesive color scheme with the trim and other materials, asbestos siding can look just fine and even quite nice. I happen to think that the previous owners of my home did an admirable job with the previously-white siding, painting it an olive green and accenting with magenta shutters and a storm door.

Yet, I know for sure that this not the original siding to the house. Although asbestos siding was available in the 1920's when the house was built, wood siding still prevailed during that time period. My siding has the faux wood-grain pattern, which was not available until the late 1930's. This siding no doubt came sometime later on many years after the home's construction.

The Original Siding: Wood "German" Siding

Knowing that there was a major addition to this house, occurring no later than 1946 with the enclosure of a rear porch, it hit me like a lightning bolt one day a few months after moving in. Why not check the attic, in the unoccupied portion where the addition is? I have a walk-up attic housed above the original portion of the house, and there is an opening at the top of the attic steps, providing access above the ceiling at the addition. If I poke my head through the access opening and look back at the outside face of this wall, I would be looking at what was original the rear exterior facade of the house.

Looking up the attic steps, the exterior wall to the right was originally the backside of the house. The access opening is to the right of the window, sort of visible, with a board over it.

I grabbed my utility worklight and headed upstairs immediately, and found it:

Original German wood siding, on what used to be part of the exposed exterior rear wall of the house.

This is what is commonly known as German siding (also known as "cove lap" or "Dutch lap" siding). Whereas wood clapboards and beveled siding are installed by overlapping the upper course over a lower course and nailing through one or both boards, creating an angle to shed water, German siding is a type of "drop siding", milled from wood in a profile that gets nailed flat onto the exterior sheathing. German siding has a coved profile that creates an attractive relief pattern and locks adjacent courses together. It was widely popular in the late 19th-century, especially in the Northeast.

Diagram of German lap siding, courtesy of www.dictionaryofconstruction.com

Image of a building with German lap siding, courtesy of www.cranesiding.net

So now this has me excited. I now know what originally clad the exterior of the house. Don't forget, also, that the 1946 building permit for the rear porch enclosure indicated that this portion of the house too had German siding:

Clip from the 1946 permit application to enclose the rear porch-- notice the words "german siding" at bottom right under the section calling for building materials used.

Originally after making this discovery, but before I received the permit document, I assumed that the replacement to asbestos siding occurred on or around the time that the addition was built. However, the permit proves that this portion of the addition was also clad in German siding in 1946, and makes it highly probable that the earlier German siding was still extant at that time. Now it is more likely assumed that the asbestos was put on in the 1960s, giving it some temporal distance between the Cantlins' spending money on more new German siding in 1946. Asbestos began to become more regulated by the EPA in the 1970s, although sale of this type of siding did continue into that decade.

So, Is There More Underneath the Asbestos-Cement?

Short answer, I don't know, and won't unless I begin to take some of the asbestos siding off (safely and with proper precautions!) along with the building felt directly underneath it. I can, however, posit that it is likely that there is old wood siding there. First, removing an existing siding is an additional expense and was (and still is) often skipped when re-cladding a house. The Cantlin family probably did not go to this expense. Further, when vinyl siding is added over top of an existing siding, the additional depth it creates begins to cause window trim to become recessed within the vinyl trim (yuck). The same thing does not happen with asbestos-cement shingles, since they are only about 1/8" thick. Notice on pictures of my house that the original wood window trim still has a bit of dimension to it between the siding and the front face of the trim.

Window trim is not recessed as it is in vinyl cover-ups.

Diagram from Asphalt and Asbestos-Cement Shingle Residing, by James McCawley, published 1940.

Look also at this installation diagram above for this type of asbestos-cement siding from 1940. The likely method of installation included placing a building felt over top of existing wood siding, then nailing in the asbestos siding directly over that. Although this same method could easily be done over sheathing after wood siding is removed, it is quite possible that the wood siding remains. In areas on my house where asbestos siding has been chipped, cracked, or broken in a few areas, I see either black building felt or another asbestos shingle (i.e. at the bottom course). In a few areas, such as when i try to peek underneath the bottom course or look at gaps in these same locations, I do see wood, but this could easily be sheathing or a wood nailer.

Possibly some more older wood siding, exposed beneath the bottom course of asbestos shingle.

I THINK all or most of the original wood German siding lurks under there, but I can't be sure. Yet.

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Finding Physical Evidence: The 1946 Addition

Locating the 1946 permit and the accompanying application for the enclosure of a rear porch on the house answered some questions, more specifically the question of when the rear "addition" was built (or part of it at least). However, the permit documents raised several questions as well. So, I physically went above, below, and outside this portion of the house in search of more insight. What follows in this post are some of the questions that remain about this porch enclosure addition to the house, as well as what I found as I investigated further.

When Was the Porch Built?

The 1946 permit was for a porch enclosure. So when was the porch itself originally built? The application mentions the use of floor joists in the construction, but does not say anything about a foundation, presumably because the foundation had already been built.

Clip from the 1946 permit application for a porch enclosure on the house, listing some of the materials used: "studs 2x4, joists 3 lb, german siding"

Was the Entire Rear Part of the House Built at One Time? Or Not?

Take a look at the current view of the house from the backyard. Architecturally, an A-framed gable structure is on the left, enclosing what is now the third bedroom plus half of the main living room. To the right, a flat roof structure enclosed along its entire length by windows (and one door) completes the rear elevation. Peeking out from behind these lower structures is the gable of the original house, just barely visible.

Is it possible, or even likely, that the rear of the house was built in multiple phases? The portion with the flat roof seems more porch-like to my eye, whereas the left-side gabled structure looks more like an actual addition to the house.

Let's Go Crawling...

Remember in the very beginning, when I shared a doorway in the basement leading to a crawlspace? Well let's head into that crawlspace!

Upon opening the door, one is greeted by a set of stone steps leading up to what once was exterior dirt. Straight ahead and to the left in the background of the photo you can see what appears to be a concrete block foundation wall at the perimeter. Immediately to the right is a block and brick masonry wall, likely retaining further dirt. Insulated copper water piping serving the home's radiators is also seen, as well as some cloth-sheathed non-metallic (NM) wiring, and some additional abandoned water piping serving the "Old Kitchen".

The masonry wall to the right of the stair stops shortly after you reach the top of the steps, but picks back up again along the same line with more concrete block. This discontinuous wall appears to be in line with a wood beam in the ceiling of our living room, which sits on post framing (or doubled-studs) at each end. Further, this happens to align with the juncture of the flat roof and the bottom of the gabled roof on the exterior. 

Peeking into the existing gap in the block wall (but not squirming my way through there on this jaunt), I could see yet another block wall (with a similar gap in it) which appears to support the wall between the living room and the bedroom. Thus, the thick wall on the main floor likely has some load-bearing capacity, as it lines up with the ridge beam (center beam) at the top of the gable roof.

Another semblance of a concrete block foundation wall in the background, underneath the wall between the living room and third bedroom

...and Climbing

Next, to the attic! Fortunately, it is easy to poke my head into the attic space above the addition, as an access opening exists near the top of the attic steps. Doing so, and looking straight ahead, we see the ridge beam supported by a series of posts, in line with the first floor wall below.

Looking to the left, we see the rafters for the flat roof framed into the rafters of the gabled roof. The pitched rafters rest on the beam at the living room ceiling, which we now know appears to be largely supported on a block foundation in the crawlspace.

Rafters for the flatter roof of the former porch are fastened into the pitched rafters of the gable roof.

Outdoor Examination

Let's take a closer look at that flat-roofed portion of the addition from the exterior again. As I pointed out earlier, this area has windows lining the entire perimeter with the exception of the door. The very corner of the house is pretty clearly a post supporting the roof, something reminiscent of enclosing an outdoor area, like a porch, rather than being built as an indoor space from the start.

Someday that aluminum soffit will wave bye-bye

A step backwards, showing the porch enclosed with windows along its entire length.

Examining the spot where the addition meets the original house, we can see how the more recent exterior wall of the porch enclosure rests on what was likely the line of the porch floor.

Although the rear wood deck was built after 2001, it is easy to see the concrete steps underneath it that led to the back door, serving as the main entry for the tenant during the time period that the back of the house was a rental unit.

"Conclusions"

Although I'd prefer more documentation or floor plans to back it up, I feel confident with the working theory that the 1946 rear porch enclosure only encompassed the small flat-roofed section of the house, about 100 square feet, and that the bulk of the rear addition came earlier. The continuous windows, the corner post, the walls inset from the original house and from the rest of the addition, and the plane of the floor surface seen from the outside all tell me that this was a porch that was enclosed. Another clue for me is the construction cost of this work in 1946, listed on the permit, amounting to $125 (roughly $1600 in current value). This does not, to me, seem to be a sufficient amount to enclose the entire 350 sf rear addition with exterior walls.

I believe the larger pitched-roof portion to be earlier, from sometime between 1936 and 1946. I use 1936 as the early end of that range because only the original house appears on a 1937 map (assuming that the map surveyor may have recorded the house a year before publishing). It is quite possible that the open porch and its foundation were built concurrently with the larger addition and its foundation. The flat roof of the porch may have been constructed with the 1946 porch enclosure, or may have been designed into the rear addition from the beginning, creating the attractive assymetrical roof line seen today.

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