Does anyone know what kind of materials were commonly used on victorian houses built in the 1800's?

Question

Does anyone know what kind of materials were commonly used on victorian houses built in the 1800's?

Answer 1

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Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

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hey don't knock them they may not have been very energy efficient but there are still a fair amount of them around they were brick walls and timber floor and roofing with slate tiles lathe and plaster ceilings and sometimes inner walls lime plaster an the walls and ceilings with horse hair mixed in with it to give it strength quarry tiles were often used on the floors downstairs

Answer 5

Cheap wood exteriors. Inside, simple wood or possibly plaster walls.

Answer 6

Cast and wrought iron. Natural woods usually carved and darkly stained. A popular look to the exterior of homes was to add wooden "ginger bread" trappings. These were just extra decoration.



Bricks were usually locally made and reflected the color of the surrounding clay in the area. This is why Milwaukee was called the "Cream City." The term had little to do with cows, but more to do with the white/cream colored clay that turned out similar colored bricks.



Sometimes entire buildings were made of wrought iron. I believe there is one in NYC and Milwaukee.



Naturally, these were local materials. For all the wealthy people, marble and granite, not to mention exotic woods were imported at great expense.

Answer 7

same materials they use now.. bricks have been made the same way for hundreds of years....

preferred lumber for houses has always been pine, however in the past a 2x 4 was rough-cut, so it actually was 2 x 4..

sometimes they used local woods if they were cheaper, and easier to get....

Answer 8

You got it. Wood, bricks, nails, etc

Answer 9

masonry and beautiful, colorful paints.

Answer 10

Victorian architecture spanned almost 70 years (1837-1901) and consisted of many style types including:

Arts and Crafts

Gothic Revival

Italianate

Jacobethan

Neoclassic

Neo-Greek

Queen Anne

Renaissance Revival

Romanesque Revival

Second Empire

Stick-Eastlake



A large portion of these styles utilised brick and mortar or stone techniques, although many of the later styles used timbered or sawn wood as materials for homes.





Roofing materials would have consisted of multiple layers of coal tar over tongue and groove planking and a fine gravel surfacing. The coal tar was self healing in the summer months. Lifespan 30-50 years.



For larger, grander homes, slate roofing would have been an option, albeit an expensive one. Lifespan 100+ years



Exterior material could have consisted of wood clapboarding over frame construction with finely sawn detailing and the use of granite or other stone blocking. Pine was popular for framing although I have seen some oak framing.



Finer homes could be stone clad with ashlar or dressed stone over masonry or post and beam construction. Brick was definitely an option and could be dressed with plaster or a form of stucco. Wrought metals and exotic stone detailing would be added.



In the early 1800's hand blown glass would have been the norm for most windows that had glass.



By the late 1800's floated glass or plate glass had replaced the hand blown panes and allowed for larger windows. The lower cost of the new glass also meant more people could build houses with glassed windows and have more of them.



Interior Materials: sawn paneling, carved or turned hard and soft woods for detailing would have been common.

Plaster over lathe for painted walls and ceilings. Wooden coffering for wall and ceiling work. Decorative stone work in marble, granite, sandstone, alabaster, and several other types would have been available, although you can find porcelain railings sometimes. Flooring would usually be of wooden planks or, possiblly, marble, terrazzo, or some other tile system. As for the woods; walnut, oak, mahogany, teak, cherry, ebony, poplar, maple, elm, would be popular.



And the wallpaper, you can't forget the brightly colored wallpapers made of damascene silk, moire silk, linen, paper, and felt; with lots of intricate design.



Insulation did not really exist and was more a product of wall thickness and material density.



The houses of the Victorian era would have used lots of natural products and the Victorian Eastlake style, (properly High Victorian style),could be exceptionally detailed and brightly colored (although Charles Eastlake, the man for whom the style is named, would probably not like it).



Generally,homes were constructed with great attention to quality craftsmanship and artistic form. Houses today are built of engineered materials, which, in some cases, are safer but defintely lack the fine crafting and sturdiness of the older homes.



Of couse, a 3000 sq. ft., 4-bed, 2-bath with kitchen, DR, and LR, and a 2-car garage, built in the style of an Eastlake Victorian cottage today could cost well over 1.5 million dollars (over $500 per square foot). Whereas, a normal 3000 sq. ft. home of the same type in Ohio today would be around $165,000- $200,000 ($45-70 dollars per square foot).



I hope this helped.