Who Built My House? How to Find Out in Silicon Valley

Knowing who built a house tells you a lot: the original floor plans, the materials, what the neighbors’ remodels looked like, even how buyers will search for it. In Silicon Valley, a few public records usually answer the question. Here’s where the Property Nerds look, in order.

1. The tract number in your property records

Most homes built from the 1940s on sit in a recorded subdivision, called a tract. The tract number and the map book and page where it was recorded appear in the property’s legal description, on the grant deed and in the preliminary title report. Write it down; everything else hangs on it.

2. The recorded tract map

The county keeps the recorded map for every tract. The map names the subdivision and the people or company that recorded it, which is often the builder or its development company. Santa Clara County publishes an index of recorded maps on its open-data portal, and many entries name the owner who filed the map. In San Mateo County and San Francisco, ask the county surveyor or recorder’s office for the map by tract number.

3. The original building permit

Cities keep permit records for each address. The original permit for a 1950s or 1960s house often lists the builder and sometimes the architect, along with the date. Many cities let you search permits online; older records may need a records request.

4. Listing descriptions

When a house sells, the listing often names the builder: “a Mackay home,” “a classic Eichler,” “built by Doelger.” Our Builder Files pages search years of sold listings for each builder’s name, so you can see which streets turn up again and again.

5. Architecture archives and city surveys

For architect-designed tracts, the UC Berkeley Environmental Design Archives and the Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD) hold records for many Bay Area firms. Several cities have published historic surveys or design guidelines that name tracts, builders and architects, such as Palo Alto’s 2018 Eichler Neighborhood Design Guidelines.

6. Clues on the house itself

Builders repeated what worked. Post-and-beam framing and an atrium point toward Eichler; a low ranch with a patio-facing plan may be a Cliff May design; a Sunset District row house may be a Doelger, and a storybook front there may be a Rousseau. Our home styles field guide shows what to look for, and each builder file lists how to spot that builder’s homes. Think it might be an Eichler? Check the street in our Silicon Valley Eichler tract index, and read how to tell Eichlers from their look-alikes.

Want us to look it up?

We pull tract maps and permit histories for clients as part of pricing a home or preparing an offer. Call the Boyenga Team at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.