Gunnison pre-fab kit homes. In 1915 Sears kit homes included fiberboard panels used for ceilings and walls. 1917. Realtors love to include Sears in their listing of old houses but many of those are incorrectly identified including the others that are on your list. The National Trust Library offers catalogs of Aladdin kit houses. They also sold an economy grade wallboard made of cardboard and asphalt, which sold for 42 cents per sheet. This was the norm in the era of kit houses kit houses were not the norm. @Roseanne R., it certainly could have, but also certainly not in all Sears Kit homes. As an amateur historian and NOCO Realtor, this list will be most helpful. Sears prefabricated almost all of these homes in giant mills situated across the country. provides examples of clues useful in identifying Sears Catalog Kit Homes. While I have expanded, edited, and illustrated this list based on our own field experience, and we have added photographs and other details, this material has its origin in Thornton's books Sears "Lynnhaven" in York County, Virginia 2 /22 This exceptionally well-preserved Lynnhaven in York County, Virginia, retains that model's interior layout, which includes a kitchen, breakfast. Kit homes used drywall, asphalt shingles, and "balloon" style. I believe we own one of the original sears homes. Rosemary Thornton, whose work is referenced in this document, is a leading expert on Sears catalog homes. by InspectApedia (mod). While Sears no longer has records of where each of the nearly 75,000. My home was built in 1915 , an addition was built on in the 1980s , but I believe the original home was from a kit. There we list the manufacturers of kit or catalog homes sold in the United States and provide links to additional references, kit home identification, kit or catalog home restoration and repairs, and kit home architectural and hardware details, markings, and stencils. The Sears Modern Homes catalog from 1930. The label includes the name of the recipient of the Sears kit house, the . Even better, unlike the other homes weve seen so far, 1670 Whitcomb seems largely untouched from its original design. https://inspectapedia.com/Design/Aladdin-Kit-Homes-Catalog-1941.pdf. tips and photos with this article. Another uber charming craftsmen with a tasteful renovation and original details, 1315 9th Street had us lingering on our open Zillow tabs for a few more minutes than a team under deadline should. with the KETC reporter, walks past and identifies several Sears home models. Sears reported that more than 70,000 of these homes were sold in North America between 1908 and 1940. As the need for suburban housing grew, construction of neighborhoods of modest homes was needed. Thornton is also These along with some houses I photographed I do have the original receipt, but it does not list the name of the company. The fact that there was a railroad in the town, or running behind a house, does not really make it any more likely to have Sears houses in the town. Number 44. A 1925 Colonial-style home in Washington, D.C., that sold last year for $1.06 million had humble beginnings. This home was built from a Sears & Roebuck kit delivered by rail & moved from the train depot to its current location in 1914. Get actionable real estate strategy in your inbox. @Gail Minthorn, 1915. The Fullerton Sears Kit House - Photos and examples [Click to enlarge any image] . How can you spot a Sears Catalog Home? Rosemary Thornton's two books What almost no one thinks of is Don Corleones house from the first Godfather movie. From 1908 until 1940, Sears, Roebuck and Company, then headquartered on the West Side of Chicago, was so identified and its history written in a Poughkeepsie Journal article in 1990. Thanks!! On 2022-01-23 I did find some blue grease pencil numbers but they are hard to make out. The list, below, gives you model names and addresses of 80 houses that we have located in the St. Louis area. Price: $239,000 Converse Heights: Built in 1925, this three-bedroom, Arts and Craftsstyle home shines. You will want to look for additional key details such as those given above on this page. Outdoors, a large deck in the backyard offers an ideal spot for warm-weather entertaining. 1 story, 2 br, chimney In middle. From 1908 until 1940, Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold over 70,000 kit houses through their Modern Homes and Honor Bilt catalogs. Included in the overall purchase, were all elements needed for the house, from lumber to roofing; wiring and plumbing; windows and door knobs, and hinges and nails and screws; staircases and all of their parts, pre-mitered; flooring, bath tubs and sinks and faucets; kitchen cabinets and ironing boards; window screens, window shades, and light fixtures. she offers a Sears house identification service. Your email address will not be published. the dwindling "do it yourself" home market. Thank you so much. Required fields are marked *. I'm in search of the floor plan that goes with this old house that we believe is an old Sears Kit house. cited at "References" below. It helps to narrow that search through Sears home catalogs if you can find the year that your home was constructed. SEARS KIT HOME IDENTIFICATION at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice. 1. Since 1971 Sears Mfg. In 1940 the last "official" Sears kit house was sold and shipped to its owner. NTL Stacks: NA8480.N61, Aladdin Homes. homes have been much modified or expanded since their original construction. The family has owned the Sears kit house ever since. @inspectapedia.com.moderator, On 2021-09-09 Those in bold are ones that I have written blog posts about, and the link takes you to the blog post: A few years ago, author Rosemary Thornton published, I can tell you, definitively, that the following five houses from that blog post, are not, in fact, Sears houses. we own a sears home..We are interested in saleing..it and land surrounding it its in the beautiful mountains of eastern Tennessee. On 2021-05-27 That was the way our American towns were built. homes were sold and built before that year, but it is certainly the case that the sale of some models continued to 1940. They are always welcome. I am licensed in just Missouri and Kansas, however, I have a great network of agents with a few good ones in eastern Tennessee. In Chicago, Richard Sears had an equally disruptive idea. Some Vintage Kit Homes Now Sell for Over $1 Million. Our client traced the sale and construction of the home to Number 37. Sears kit homes contained 30,000 pieces, including 750 pounds of nails, 27 gallons of paint, and a 75-page instruction book. The following excerpt is from Rosemary Thornton's book cited on this page: In 1915, Sears offered Wood Fiber Wall Board, an early sheetrock-type alternative to lath and plaster. Want even more free resources? Try looking through the Sears kit home ID tips and photos and catalogs given on this page above. The gorgeous 2-acre lot has plenty of room to expand. Here are some tips for how to make this career choice work for you. It was also built in 1902, and Sears didnt start selling homes from their catalog until 1908. All Locations for Home Improvement & Repair National team, Local service We serve all major metropolitan areas and more, with over 6,800 technicians in the field every day. @Karen Marsh, We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need. There are part number stenciled on the boards. Notes: this product was sold by Sears beginning in 1916. Sears kit homes were shipped via boxcar and came with a 75-page instruction book. In addition to trying the Sears Kit Home catalogs and identification resources we give here, you're welcome to post photos (one per comment - as many comments and thus photos as you need) of your home and to give what background you can about it (location, history etc) to see if other interested readers can offer suggestions. The article gives lists of Sears kit home identification points or details and also lists of plan books and catalogs that one can leaf through. That last house in Boulder, Colorado is a perfect example of the 1920s version of the Sears Oakdale, not the Clyde. NTL Stacks TH4819.P7M66 1924, Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the. 69 reviews of The Home Depot "4 stars for home depot. Here are two examples of plans-only books, available through lumber yards and construction companies: Nonetheless, We're Always Looking For More Sears Modern Homes Kit Houses! Illinois has the largest collection of Sears kit homes in the country after the state of Ohio. A Sears house is: not a steel panel house (those are usually Lustron houses), not every Craftsman, bungalow, or Dutch Colonial style house you come across (though Sears did offer many Craftsman, bungalow, English cottage, Dutch Colonial, and Colonial style houses as did every other house company), not a house built after 1942 (or before 1908), not the only brand of kit house that existed (other companies include Gordon-Van Tine, Aladdin Homes, Bennett Homes, Wardway homes, and others). For readers whose Sears Kit home used Sears Goodwall plasterboard as a plaster base (in stead of wood or wire lath) you might be able to find a "Goodwall Sheet Plaster" stamped on the wall-cavity side of the rock lath and you might notice that the rock-lath sections were usually 4' x 4' - unlike modern drywall and fiberboard products that were and are more-often 4' x 8' or longer. True Bungalow Effect. The Ohio bungalow as it looks today. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright's Brief but Doomed Foray Into Kit Homes. Examples have also been found in Alaska. An April 1955 photo of the Zoeller home shows the siding now painted white instead of the original wood color. And, boy, did that post get some answers 743 comments, last I saw (of course, probably 50 or more of those, are my comments, trying to clarify and correct some of the answers that were, So, I thought maybe it's time to do a definitive blog post about where, in fact, the, Sears Modern Homes kits were sold from 1908 through about 1942, There were other major kit-house companies, (only a "possible"very likely NOT Sears, but a "lookalike"--possibly an Aladdin), The Back Story Of Kit Houses vs Non-Kit Houses. 920 North Madison Avenue, Anderson, Indiana Asking: $379,900 "It's the most perfect Sears Magnolia . The cover house is the Sears Lewiston.Rachel Shoemaker Collection . @Judy Gehrlich, We did not examine the mechanicals closely in this house, as they were not provided by Sears and Roebuck and were obtained locally. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. Wagon loads of house materials were brought wagon-by-wagon in the proper order for construction while the boxcar sat on a siding. Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly. . ), This is a fantastic post! We settled on Vallonia, because of the awning, but the porch and columns are all wrong. Apologies for the delay. . When most people think of Sears catalog homes, they imagine Cape Cods or Craftsman style bungalows with columned porches. One of the surviving Sears kit homes stands along Oak Springs Road in Chartiers Township. ADORABLE Sears-kit home! Maybe evidence that our Sears model spotting skills are improving, or maybe because of the distinctive peaked entryway and side porch, we immediately pegged 319 Sycamore as a Glen Falls. This is a great resource for people in the St. Louis area. My neighbors grandfather helped build my home. New York ranks fourth on the list with 1,679. Whether their customers needed a simple cottage without a bathroom (an outhouse could be purchased separately), or wanted to submit their own multistory blueprints to Sears, there was a Modern Home for every location and budget. Sears kit houses were built from 1908-1942 (see this blog post for substantiation of the 1942 date, and this follow up article), and the models offered by Sears followed the design trends of those decades. Sears opened Modern Homes sales centers in several cities, including two inMissouri - one in St. Louis and one in Kansas City. At these sales centers,sales agents helped home buyers design just the home they wanted. The Homart kits that Sears sold, were available from about 1946-1952 (depending on your source). Measuring in at a roomy 3,500 square feet, the four-bedroom home is ready for its new owner to take it into its next century. Thank you Rus, that's helpful detail. Your planned basement project may very well give you added clues to your home's identification. Any help would be appreciated! NTL Stacks TH4819.P7H27 1918, Ready Built buildings. 2. Any idea where I might find plans from before 1908? Sears, Roebuck and Company, Chicago, Illinois. However the owners and listing realtor had been unable to identify the Sears catalog model. To fully appreciate the impact of the Sears kit homes, it's important to understand the reach of the company's famous catalog. Like many houses with a history of incomplete insulation and dormers with flashing failures at the dormer wall-to-roof juncture, there are often visible in the attic of both Sears Catalog and non-Sears homes of this design. They included location specifics and many photos. 1931. NTL FOLIO TH4819.P7S42 1936, One House or a Hundred. Between 1908 and 1940, Sears provided house kits. Homes Sears Homes Enthusiasts Following is a list of Sears Homes enthusiasts who have agreed to share their names with others who might be interested in contacting them by clicking on their name. Any ASHI, NAHI, or other serious home inspector who has been working in the Hudson Valley of New York or for that matter in many other U.S. cities and towns for a decade or more has probably inspected several Sears Catalog homes, even if s/he did not recognize it at the time. Sears Modern Homes typically arrived with a detailed instruction manual and two boxcars worth of building materials. Starting in 1916 [? A couple of years ago I became more interested in catalog and kit houses as Chicagoland is full of them, many coming from local companies like Sears, Montgomery Ward, and the Harris Brothers. I have been pouring over house plans and scouring the internet looking at catalogues and am coming up short. I can't figure out what model this home is. Sold under the Sears Modern Homes brand, the kits soon became a huge hit; selling thousands of homes all across the country in the company's 33-year history. Hello, Im looking for help identifying my home. Details on the first floor indicate original to 1925 as the deed says. More than 370 different home designs in a wide range of . We did not photograph the kitchen and bath as they had been remodeled leaving no obvious original materials. Benefiting from Hunter's work as well as our own search we list a number of kit or catalog home manufacturers here. 721 Illinois Street, Geneva, IL, 60134 Sold for $390,000. by Sears & Roebuck in 1908, and eventually Sears offered 370 different models of residential homes, ranging from small bungalows 3385); ($1,359 to $1,671) Framing is square-cut douglas-fir(Doug Fir) or southern yellow pine (SYP) (usually) free of knots and splits. Number18. 1914. The house has been expanded and modified. Any ideas? In some inspections you will find a few rafters or beams which show, Framing marks on other kit house brands and their framing lumber are discussed below at, Labels may be present on the back of millwork (baseboard, window, door trim, staircase) as Sears used a common supplier, "Sears, Roebuck and Company," or "925 Homan Ave. Chicago" may be present on shipping labels. I wonder what else is in those archives! ], Sears began offering Goodwall sheet plaster as a replacement for the more labor-intensive wood lath plaster systems used in older homes. Your #1 Source For Actionable Real Estate Advice. as we describe above on this page. R.R. Kirkwood homes that were originally thought to be Sears houses, but are not. In 2005, a high-end Sears home sold for $900,000. Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia, Questions & answers or comments about Sears kit homes: sources, history, identification, repair, inspection. In 1952, my grandfather put up a Cape Cod style kit house in Wilton, CTModel # NM2137-4. by Inspectapedia Com Moderator. See full bio. As I live in this part of St. Louis, I have been inside some of these houses, have spoken to owners of some of these houses, and have been able to notice details, from the exterior, that show elements on the house that are from other companies. They were shipped by rail, with pre-cut lumber stamped for assembly. Because the homes were so easy to tailor to their owners tastes, true Sears Modern Homes can be tricky to identify today. The best place to start would be see We have encountered such a home in northern Dutchess County in New York State, one which looks just like a Sears model but Zillow says it was built in 1939 and the original square footage was 1,362 (before additions were made). The construction company ordered standard-length lumber through the lumber yards, measured, cut, and constructed the house. Today, the only way to find these homes in literally one by one. The company promised a man of average abilities that he could finish the house within 90 days if he followed the 75-page instruction . Hmmmm you sure thats an Oakdale and not a Clyde? and in the enamel of bath tubs in a corner near floor level. Love these homes. Fully renovated in 2011, the home won the Moore Country Home Builders Associations Excellence Award for the Best Historic Renovation. - Keystone homes (50 y.o. I would love some insight! Continue reading at KIT HOMES, ALADDIN, SEARS, WARDS, OTHERS or select a topic from closely-related articles below, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.