Who built my house?

[snwbnny]

I was just curious how to figure out the original builder of some of these older homes. Not specifically mine or anything - just in general. Is there any way to find out the builder of a particular house? And then compare to another house that looks similar to see if the same person/company built it? There may already be a thread on this - I just couldn't figure the right search terms to find it. Does the museum have any info like this? We've only been in once real quick cuz the kids weren't behaving themselves .

[Wildman]

There were a number of builders that had distinctive styles....Joe Meluso, Fred Thorngate, Eddie Schieder, the Anderson Brothers among others.  Without seeing your home it would be difficult to hazard a guess.

[Nolena]

I see several that look like mine all over town.

[lynnc]

That's because you are seeing double.

[clint]

If you own it, you can get the records from the county building dept. They should have plans and permits archived. That will tell you who the builder was. Maybe.

[snwbnny]

Thanks guys. I was curious in general. For example I notice quite a few houses with an A-frame type look just over the front door, but the rest of the house is a normal roof. Those are so similar I figured they'd have been the same builder. But maybe it is more telling of the architecture of the time period? And then there are the boxy older cabins that look like a rectangle with a gable roof. Those could have just been a cheaper way to build, or maybe a certain style of a particular builder? I figure the more generic styles were just more time period than builder specific. I was just curious one day driving through town . . . .

Now if we get this house we just offered on, then maybe I'll research it a bit, since I'll have specifics. . .

[clint]

You will find small A frame roofs over front doors are a common feature in most places where it snows.
They are all over Big Bear, Arrowhead, Crestline. Not a sign of any particular builder. And remember the style of a house is more a factor of the architect, than the builder. Many resort homes were built out of plan books and are very generic.

[BikingBrian]

I seem to see a lot of Melusos around town - but then again, maybe that's because my last place was a Meluso.

[snwbnny]

How can you tell they are Melusos? What features do they have that are distinctive?

Sorry, I have no idea why I even care  .

[MojaveSidecar]

Mine is a Meluso...