Uncovering the True Age of a Historic House

With decades of renovations under his toolbelt, Tom has a keen eye for architectural and structural details that most people wouldn't give a second glance. The first thing that tipped him off was a rounded, beaded edge on the long center support beam in the study (known as a summer beam). "It looked like one from the house I grew up in, which was built around 1750," he says.

Shown: Tom Silva points out the beaded edge on the long center support beam in the study's ceiling—one of the first signs that the house was not as old as claimed.