Search by address and building phase
Start with the documents you received with the home and ask about records of extensions or earlier openings. Municipal or regional archives may have separate files for different permits or alterations.
Check what you find
An archive file can contain proposals, revisions and drawings of several properties. Identify the address, floor and date. Compare the information with the present home and highlight differences or uncertainty.
Do not replace gaps with guesses
Tell the engineer which records are unavailable. The assessment may require a site visit or further investigation to establish the structure. A neighbour’s drawing or a sales plan is useful context but does not prove hidden details.
Keep new information together
Record the outcome of the investigation with the subsequent calculations and drawings. The time and cost of obtaining a reliable starting point belong in the project scope, rather than remaining an unpriced assumption.
Continue reading
Editorial team: Draagmuur-Concurrent · Updated .