A character survey records the building from overall form to interior relationships. It helps separate what is observed from what is merely possible.
A safe planning sequence
- Record the silhouette, roof form, relationship to the street, entry position and pattern of openings from safe ground.
- Describe visible material, trim, window groups and porch proportions without scraping or probing.
- Walk the principal rooms and note aligned doors, circulation, repeated details, stairs, fireplaces and built-ins.
- Create an evidence ledger with three headings: documented, observed and possible.
- Compare the ledger with municipal preservation records and reliable archives; retain contradictory clues.
- Write a design sentence about what should remain legible instead of starting with a shopping list.
Common errors
- Treating a style label as permission to add ornament
- Importing details from another region
- Assuming every later alteration lacks value
- Using an AI period room as historical evidence
Stop and call a professional
- Bring in an architectural historian or preservation architect when dates conflict, significant material may be removed or a missing feature would be reconstructed without reliable documentation.
Where AI helps—and where it does not
AI can organize observations and propose research questions. It cannot establish a construction date or authenticate a style from a photograph.
Official guidance
- NPS Preservation Brief 17: Architectural Character (opens in a new tab)
- NPS Preservation Brief 18: Historic Interiors (opens in a new tab)
- EPA: Lead-safe renovations for DIYers (opens in a new tab)
- EPA: Asbestos and home remodeling (opens in a new tab)
- City of Chicago: Building permits (opens in a new tab)
- City of Chicago: Work that does not require a permit (opens in a new tab)
This guide is general planning information. Building conditions and local requirements vary; confirm the project-specific permit and trade requirements before work begins.