How can I find the blue prints to a house I'm buying?

Question

I'm about to buy an old house and want to find the name of the builder and a set of the issued for construction blueprints.

Answer 1

America - don't know.

England - we don't have blueprints, just regular architects drawings, if any drawings remain a good solicitor should find them in minutes or point you in the right direction.  I once owned property built in 1640 and a sheaf of paperwork soon came to light not just drawings but a copy of agreements where the house tennants agreed to pay six pence per year to use an adjacent water pump. (6 d = 2 1/2 p.)

Floors were stone slabs, toilets were at the end of a yard and were the bucket type... not very comfortable even when new.  The toilet buckets were emptied late at night by horse and cart, naughty children were threatened by, "The Ten o'clock Horses are coming, they'll get you."  

There you are, not only a short answer but a history lesson thrown in.

Answer 2

You can't until you find the builder or the architect. They are copyrighted, and belong to the architect.

Answer 3

blueprints probably not, but there may be a record of the permits in the records dept of the courthouse