diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 9f9e3759..3fadbebf 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ HTTP:
 
 * Tidy up set payload in http-server-fast
 * Refine Body::size specification
+* Newly constructed responses have a 200 OK result
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/include/beast/http/message.hpp b/include/beast/http/message.hpp
index 7fcd5650..ec7692a7 100644
--- a/include/beast/http/message.hpp
+++ b/include/beast/http/message.hpp
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ namespace http {
     the default fields container, those declarations are in
     @ref fields.
 
+    Newly constructed header objects have version set to
+    HTTP/1.1. Newly constructed response objects also have
+    result code set to @ref status::ok.
+
     A `header` includes the start-line and header-fields.
 */
 #if BEAST_DOXYGEN
@@ -343,7 +347,7 @@ private:
     void
     swap(header<false, T>& m1, header<false, T>& m2);
 
-    status result_;
+    status result_ = status::ok;
 #endif
 };
 
@@ -371,6 +375,10 @@ using response_header = header<false, Fields>;
     The `Body` template argument type determines the model used
     to read or write the content body of the message.
 
+    Newly constructed messages objects have version set to
+    HTTP/1.1. Newly constructed response objects also have
+    result code set to @ref status::ok.
+
     @tparam isRequest `true` if this represents a request,
     or `false` if this represents a response. Some class data
     members are conditionally present depending on this value.