BRE FB71 PDF

Preface

There are some 22.4 million homes in England, housing 52 million people. They range from the smallest studio flat to the largest palace, and vary in age from medieval castles built of local stone to new homes designed to the most exacting sustainability standards. Numerous books have been written on English housing – particularly on buildings of architectural interest. This guide is unique in that it provides detailed information on typical designs and features of houses built at different periods, using statistics from the 2010 English Housing Survey.

Experienced surveyors and housing professionals will have developed an intuitive feel for when a house was constructed and the date of any modifications that have been undertaken – particularly in their own local area, where they are familiar with local materials and designs. As such, this book is intended for less experienced professionals, students of housing or individuals with a personal interest, to be taken onto the streets and used as a reference book.

The book has been structured into four main sections. The first section defines what is meant by age – setting out different age bands from pre-1850 to the present day, and what is meant by type – such as detached, terraced and so on. The second section considers the factors of size, tenure, construction type, condition and location in identifying when a house was built. The third section provides the reader with tips on how to estimate the age of a house by looking at different aspects such as construction materials and individual elements, street patterns and plot sizes, and by finding out about the history of the area. The final section comprises an illustrated guide to different periods in housing, from pre-1850 to the present day.