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Saturday July Homes history important to residents By RICHARD L CARRICO In wanting to know more about your bouse you have talked to a few neighbors and done a bit of initial spadework but somehow the past has been elusive What can you do next Unfortunately many homeowners become convinced that such research requires either a thorough knowledge of historical methods or the money to hire someone with such a background This need not be the case You can uncover your homes heritage Discovering your houses past re quires different approaches ding on whether you live in a large metropolitan area or a small town While a major city may have more overall resources a small town is most likely to have more old time residents who know first hand about your home But let s begin with the basics that will apply to either Hon If you are purchasing a home the first place to start is with the previous owner and a title search In today s real estate transactions we often do not meet the owner because we deal with an agent At some point in the negotiations tell the broker quite emphatically that you are seriously interested in the history of the house and would like to talk to the owner If you have already purchased your home and cannot contact the previous owner shift into the realm of documents Begin with title formation Usually you will be pro vided with minima information unless you ask for a complete title search You can either pay a title com pany to run a complete chain of ownership which lists every previous owner of the house mm its date of construction or you can do the title search yourself at the try recorder s office Weigh the value of your time against the title search fee It may be as low as and well worth paying if you are a busy person To do your own search you will need a legal description which is on your deed and a little palm Tl county recorder or whoever keeps the deed books In your area can show you how to backtrack from the date of your purchase Essentially you will be seeking Homes should be weatherproofed Don t count on storym Monday storms can hit any day of the week often with such seventy and suddenness it easy to be caught off guard Ask any Edmonton native who lived through the tornado of 1988 I was completely unexpected says Jarvis a claims adjuster with Wellington Insurance Company s Edmonton office In a matter of minutes homes were destroyed and buildings levelled Enka indicates that while Wellington did everything possible to help peo pie put their homes back together some things can never be replaced There s often so little that can be done after the fact to eliminate the hassles and heartbreak she admits That s why it so important to do what you can to prepare in advance Rain storms electrical storms hurricanes and tornadoes all tjpes of Storms can be unpredictable and dangerous and are more common than you think As many as tornadoes hit Ontario in a season Yet all it takes is common sense to minimize the potential for injury and property damage says She notes that often the most important factor is simply being aware of signs of an approaching storm and staying tuned into weather reports This gives you time to make preparations closing the chimney flue stowing garden furniture docking the boat and getting things off the floor of your basement in case of flooding or sewer back up says Adequate property maintenance before and after a storm is another im portant consideration according to Enka Installing trimming tree branches around house and garage maintaining roofs and eaves and ensur proper drainage away from the foundation of your home can minimize damage And if a storm does cause damage to property indicates it s the owner responsibility to ensure that the impact of the damage is minimized This means boarding up open areas a hole in the roof broken windows to discourage looting and prevent further damage from the elements she says adding these measures are expected from insurance companies settling storm related claims This month s Canadian Consumer The Radio Edition devotes one of its daily broadcasts to storms with safety tips provided by the Canada Safety Council and sponsored by Wellington Insurance It reminds Canadians caught out in electrical storms to stay away from trees and hilltops and not to play golf If you re in a boat get to shore If that not possible he flat in the boat or wearing life jackets slip overboard and he low a few yard from the boat until the storm passes If you re at the cottage or at home the Canada Safety Council recom mends you stay indoors and don t handle electrical appliances Better yet if you can do without electricity for a short time open the main switch on your service panel More information on safety weathering storms is available from Well ington Insurance brokers or yor provincial safety council CHECKLIST FOR STORM PROOFING Install Lightning rods especially if your home is on a hill top or ding trees are the same height or lower than the building Trim tree branches around your home In high winds they can interfere with electrical power lines or fall and damage your roof Leaves can clog eaves troughs preventing proper drainage Maintain roofs and eaves troughs to ensure rapid and smooth run off of water away from your home Keep them clear and make sure they are large enough to handle the job Basement watch keep an eye on your basement during and following a storm Home insurance usually covers storm sewer back up but not flooding of leaking Extend rainwater drain pipes away from foundation ensure the ground slopes away from the walls of the building and as a last resort invest In a sump pump the previous owners names and following them back transaction by transaction In the process you may find liens court decisions divorce cases and other unexpected historical information Incidentally most records clerks are far more helpful and understanding if you make it clear that you are doing research to learn more about your house rather than as documentation for a real estate deal With a list of previous owners in your hands you can begin to open up doors to the past Move an to the public library and consult city and country directories under the previous owners names The tones can provide you with the marital status children and whether or not the owner of record actually lived in the home or rented it out To aid in later research all information including your sources on one side of index cards not ran era of p You will want to make a card for each previous owner and add new cards as more information comes in When in doubt about photocopying a document or other item do it You will save yourself time and energy later Also note dead ends or negative information so that you won t duplicate effort Now that you know who owned the home find out more about them They are the human side of your home s past Many cities and coun ties have local histories and biographies that focus on communi leaders Consult these to see if your owners are listed You may be surprised to discover a portrait of an owner or a mention of your home The value of knowing who owned your home is twofold you can rought out an idea of the home s cupants and you may be able to find descendants who lived in the house or remember it These reminiscences are particularly im if you want to know about alterations or how the house looked at a given point in time When asking if someone has photos of the house don t take no for an answer Often your home will show up in the background of a forgotten outdoors scene or as a backdrop for a holiday group photo Newspaper articles may also pro vide a wealth of information Many large city newspapers are indexed making your work easier In the case of an indexed newspaper look especially for obituaries of past owners descendants are often listed Also look under the owner s name the architect name if you know it your neighborhood or area and under houses For newspapers that have not been indexed use the dates gleaned from your title search information and focus on them Most papers rand endof theyear or New Year sec tions touting new homes and neighborhood improvements In many cases early newspaper articles carried architectural sket ches or photos of homes under con struction and often provided lengthy descnptions of the home Scanning the newspapers around the construc tion date should be fruitful With a list of previous owners and a little bit of information about their lives your next stop should be the local historical society Throw yourself on their mercy they can be very helpful In addition to perhaps having information on your home architect or past owners their files they may have early photos and drawings Historical societies often know the persons to contact for further formation such as long time residents who may remember your home or history students doing research on your neighborhood One word of warning do not believe everything an old timer or local tells you Human memory is selective at best and mistaken at worst Always double check Your hours of research and reading have provided data for at least a thumbnail historical sketch of your home As with all research there will always be other avenues to take more leads to follow and to be found Each is different and every home has its own unique story as you will discover If you contracted the building of your home yourself by all means start your sketch today Put More Muscle in your advertising CALL US TODAY 877 2201 30 HunterPouglas Celebrity OFF Mir Custom Mini Blinds and Pleated Shades Installed at NO EXTRA COST OSBORNE DECOR LTD 509 STREET ONTARIO HOME OF THE WEEK BOB MORROW S0N CARPENTRY LTD KITCHENS BATHROOMS Decks Ceramics Additions Doors and Windows CUSTOM CARPENTRY Lie No ARMSTRONG AVE GEORGETOWN 17G Bus Res 877 KINGSWAY I CONTRACTING Commercial Industrial Residential New Construction Additions Renovations Country Lot Available CALL 8785222 For Early Spring Booking REHOVATIQNS FROM ROOF TO 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