The label includes the name of the recipient of the Sears kit house, the . A Sears house is: 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), a house built after 1942 (or before 1908), the only brand of kit house that existed (other companies include Gordon-Van Tine, Aladdin Homes, Bennett Homes, Wardway homes, and others), The answer to this question can be found on. Between 1908 and 1940, Sears provided house kits. bungalow ordered in 1926 for $1000. The family has owned the Sears kit house ever since. Sears Homes. St. Louis is home to a small neighborhood of pre-fab kit homes made by the Gunnison homes company, in 1949. 20 items. Each house has a link that you can click on, that takes you to a resource to see the house (blog post, real estate listing, or Google map). which are definitely not Sears Catalog Houses are included in this list as a fun exercise for readers. Im looking for information pertaining to Robinsons Kits. A Sears Castleton model with 4 bedrooms, 1 bath, living room, dining room, kitchen and tiny den just past the vestibule entry. We have a Sears Craftsman home that was built in 1910-1912 and would love to identify the style off home. The list, below, gives you model names and addresses of 80 houses that we have located in the St. Louis area. Sears Goodwall was touted as more fire-resistant than alternative plant-based fiberboard sheathing products. It was said to be in the original Chicago worlds fair. The materials were reportedly shipped in via railroad as a package. However the owners and listing realtor had been unable to identify the Sears catalog model. Let us know in the comments! We recommend those books for any owner or serious investigator of Sears Catalog homes. Researching Historic Kit and Plan Book Homes, 2) Unless you can recognize the many models offered in the Sears Modern Homes catalogs, houses built from kits are indistinguishable from those built through the standard process using a construction company. NTL Stacks: NA8480.N61, Aladdin Homes. Sears Houses: This article series provides detailed photographic and historic clues to assist in If My House Is Not A Kit, Then Where Did It Come From?? But nestled in a golf course in Anderson, Indiana, we found this gorgeous and stately Sears catalog home that wouldnt look out of place in Greenwich, Connecticut or Westchester. Some of those houses are still around, and the custom houses shown in the photos from the Sears archives we have located. Well, what did you think of our picks of the best Sears Catalog Homes on the market? If My House Is Not A Kit, Where Did It Come From? We did not photograph the kitchen and bath as they had been remodeled leaving no obvious original materials. Tucker/Crossroads. The company promised a man of average abilities that he could finish the house within 90 days if he followed the 75-page instruction . NTL Stacks: NA8480.N6, Thanks to Ralph & Elizabeth Arlyck for information regarding Aladdin Kit homes - June 2010, Aladdin House Catalog, in reprint form, is available from Amazon.com, Aladdin Houses are cataloged by the Arts & Crafts Society at http://64.66.180.31/archive/aladdin.shtml, More information including a description of the Aladdin model. The big thinkers at Sears Roebuck took ready-to-build homes one step further. Sears Modern Homes were purchased primarily by customers in East Coast and Midwest states, but have been located as far south as Florida, as far west as . North American Construction Company, Bay City, Michigan. Located in the desirable Converse Heights neighborhood, the home greets visitors with a large front porch. the trains didn't stop at the homeowner's lot, and let them unload, there, just because their lot happened to have rail lines near it, or behind it. Presented at the Hudson Valley American Society of Home Inspectors HVASHI Annual Historic Homes Inspection-Seminar, Kingston, NY - 8/9. Sears Whitehall. We also had help - the home You might try some of those to see if they have an older historical connection to Keystone kit homes, though we emphasize that these are a bit of a long-shot. Thank You, Marsha Blankenship, Your email address will not be published. Between 1908 and 1940, more than 70,000 of these Sears Kit Homes were built across America. by Inspectapedia Com Moderator. With this new book, even the inexperienced can make "educated" conclusions about whether or not a home is one of the 75,000+ Sears catalog kit homes that were sold between 1908 and 1940. We also fell in love with the stone facade, leafy front yard, and awesome built-ins inside. In the 1930s, during the Depression, the housing market took a sharp downturn, and by 1940, Sears stopped selling kit homes, as many people had lost their jobs and defaulted on their loans. now, this woman was the head of facilities for the company and knew her stuff, but looking at the . detail which is still in place on a Sears house was unique to those homes and can help in their identification today, even though cit. In 1908, Sears issued its first specialty catalog for houses, Book of Modern Homes and Building Plans, featuring 44 house styles ranging in price from US $360-$2,890. Our national database of Sears houses in the U.S. has over 13,600 homes on it, and, after Ohio and Illinois, Pennsylvania is #3 in U.S. states with, at today's count, 1,963 Sears homes found. Number 26. Square Footage: 1,356. Could this be a Sears Elsemore home? 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. Framing is square-cut douglas-fir(Doug Fir) or southern yellow pine (SYP) (usually) free of knots and splits. a company which sold it as a kit house in the early 1940's. The house has been expanded and modified. Daniel Friedman has inspected and identified Sears catalog homes in the Hudson Valley of New York, and has included additional identification Other details can include finding specific stamps, lumber marks, or hardware in your particular house that confirm it as a particular company's kit home and also paging through the kit home catalogs we list to match that roof design and entry porch, for example. We've had less success finding details about other kit home companies selling in the United States and Canada, though Rebecca Hunter has compiled a list of a variety of kit house companies. Attractive top floor apartment in the best location This dreamlike top floor apartment is on the fourth floor of a house built in 1890. Price: $421,000 Waterfront wonder: Sitting just a few steps from the waters edge on Triangle Pond, this 898-square-foot cottage was delivered in 1954 and assembled on-site. Examples have also been found in Alaska. The clues you already have seem to indicate that it may very well be the Elsmore model - age, interior and exterior designs, and 'provenance' confirmation from previous owner. Sold under the Sears Modern Homes brand, the kits soon became a huge hit; selling thousands of homes all across the country in the companys 33-year history. it has a small enclosed front porch. On 2022-03-07 the author of books on identifying Sears houses, cited at REFERENCES below, and The construction company ordered standard-length lumber through the lumber yards, measured, cut, and constructed the house. Sears kit homes were shipped via boxcar and came with a 75-page instruction book. as we describe above on this page. But the observation of stencil marks on some framing visible in the interior of the home and research by the owners turned up the original plans for this Aladdin home. Homes has been a family owned & operated home center. a complete school or office building. Zillow says it was built in 1939 and the original square footage was 1,362 (before additions were made). Item #1 is a great reference catalog of home designs, It has always been used as a seasonal summer cottage and is uninsulated. The most complete answer to your question and advice on identifying kit hoes is found at KIT HOMES, Aladdin, Sears, Wards, Others. Galeries Lafayette - department store; France. Only seven Magnolias are known to exist, including one at 1500 James St., Syracuse. Thank you for the resources. Like most well built craftsman homes, everything just works. Download Our Free E-book. 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. Oddly, there is no sales blurb included in the Sears Modern Homes catalog for this one. So far we haven't found Sears identifying marks, but will be renovating the basement soon and will be able to look more closely. This home retains its beautiful o. Thornton rattles off some statistics about Sears Catalog homes and [Click to enlarge any image]. Not every house in a community of 1920s-era houses, is a Sears house, for example far, far from it, in fact, as only about 2% of houses built in the kit era, were built with kits from Sears. Any idea where I might find plans from before 1908? You will see that a stencil marking on lumber or sheathing or even specific bits of hardware can identify the home even if its general layout and plan are similar to those produced by more than one manufacturer. Thanks for your interest! These type of details in addition to what we've noted in our earlier response may help with identification. 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. Your email address will not be published. cited at "References" below. a blog post about the Sears houses in Kirkwood, A few catalog covers (1918 through the 1920s) for. Each of the links in this section shows a photo with additional details of the interior of a Sears Kit Home. Asking: $374,900 Sears Modern Homes Model: The Sunbeam Year Built: 1924 Listing Agent: Robin Donovan Listing Brokerage: Coldwell Banker West Shell Northern Kentucky. 1920. The Madeira Historical Society has this Sears home kit catalog from 1932. 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. They were hoping to meet the needs and desires of the same folks who were buying from the lumber companies. 562.0K . North Avenue, in Pleasant Valley, NY, a "gothic cottage" Crescent model built in 1932 for $1761. ADORABLE Sears-kit home! @Em H, There are towns all over America that have railroads running through them, but in which we don't find any Sears houses. sometimes we do find Sears houses in those towns, but also, absolutely, in other towns far away from the railroad line. Michael More than 70,000 Sears Modern Homes were sold between 1908 and 1940. Homes offers a wide variety of energy efficient homes ranging in size from 950 to over 2300 square feet with prices starting as low as fifty dollars per square foot depending on style & size. Above is the original catalog description of this home at 15 N. Remsen, Wappingers Falls, NY Three neighbors - three Sears catalog homes were built in a row by Wappingers grocer Adolph Von Vorstel on N. Remsen Ave. in Wappingers Falls. One of sears original models. @Amy, The 1913 volume featured 112 designs for homes for which homeowners could purchase a kit that was delivered with all the materials needed to construct the home. Wilton is thinking of designating houses from this era as worthy of preservation, so this is why I am trying to gather more information. Well, as fun as a puzzle can be under deadline I guess. Both sections span from 1886 to today. My home was built in 1915 , an addition was built on in the 1980s , but I believe the original home was from a kit. These easy-to-assemble, mail-order homes were shipped across the United States and Canada, according to the Sears archives. Here, then, is a list of all of the Sears Modern Homes kit houses that we have found, in the broad area of the city of St. Louis, and St. Louis County (and those two examples in St. Charles County). The article above gives both lists of Sears kit home identification points or details and also lists of plan books and catalogs that one can leaf through. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright's Brief but Doomed Foray Into Kit Homes. Sears heavily promoted these large sales in their advertising materials. Can you tell me if I am right ? . If you havent sold it yet, Id be happy to refer someone to you in your area. For example, Sears sold only, Rose and I have communicated recently about these houses, and she very graciously agreed to update her blog post to reflect that we now know that these are not actually Sears houses, as she is a strong believer in the importance of the accuracy of historic records (. Love these homes. 1931. Sears, Roebuck and Company, Chicago, Illinois. In 1940 the last "official" Sears kit house was sold and shipped to its owner. by Inspectapedia Com Moderator. On 2021-08-18 - Thornton, op. Our home in Orofino, idaho was built about 1913. On 2022-01-17 by Sears & Roebuck in 1908, and eventually Sears offered 370 different models of residential homes, ranging from small bungalows after 1940. This Sears Sunbeam is a lovely example and in original condition. ), This is a fantastic post! Also lovingly renovated with lots of lovely original details like picture frame mouldings and french doors, 5953 Jefferson in Burlington, Kentucky looks like the perfect place to while away a summer afternoon with a mint julep and a great book. @George, (See below for clarification on that concept. MASONRY BLOCKS WITH A DECORATED EXTERIOR FACE, CENTER BLOCK UNDER FRONT PORCH ROOF (Vallonia), HISTORIC AND ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY FOR THE TOWN OF WILTON, CONNECTICUT, SEARS KENMORE WATER HEATER AGE & MANUALS, SEARS ROEBUCK VINYL ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE RECOGNITION, ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING DAMAGE, DISASTER, REPAIRS, Amazon Books on Sears and other Kit or Catalog Houses, Gentle Beam Publications - http://www.gentlebeampublications.com/, HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION COURSES (Canada), HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION: HOME STUDY COURSES, Although its outside appearance that closely resembles the home show in this, A Sears Catalog home built decades ago may by now have been covered with, These homes may also have been expanded at the side and/or, Some interior details remain and are easy to find, including a wide, This particular Sears catalog house in New York also had an interesting, Insulation in Sears houses: Mineral wool also called, In some of these photos of framing lumber stamps you may also recognize, Stamps or stenciled markings on ends of floor joists, Manchester Road in Poughkeepsie, NY (Dietz, late 1920s) which includes markings 'Order Chgo Milwk Sup', and 'hall closet' on a hall closet door frame. I'll be interested if you find any indication of just how widely plaster-lath construction was used in kit homes; our rock-lath article cited above gives some history, though not specific to kit homes; we need authoritative sources on the extent to which rock-lath or sheet-plaster systems were in wide use in North America before the 1940s. True Bungalow Effect. I'm doubtful we can confirm the Sears kit origin from a photo alone; as you note there were Sears kits for popular home designs built stick by stick as well as copycat kits; You'd want to find stamps on lumber, hardware details or other details given above on this page. A nationally recognized founder, branding expert, and industry thought leader, Emile cut his teeth in real estate in 2007 crafting marketing strategies for the Chrysler and MetLife Buildings. Price: $649,900 Horse haven:This 1932 catalog home sits on nearly 7 acres of fenced horse property. In 2005, a high-end Sears home sold for $900,000. Let our vast experience and top picks guide your decision. Any ideas? Hmmmm you sure thats an Oakdale and not a Clyde? NTL Stacks: NA8480.N61, Aladdin Houses. ALADDIN KIT HOUSES https://inspectapedia.com/Design/Aladdin_Kit_Houses.php I would love some insight! Hello! Only the very wealthy would have hired their own architect to design their home. 1910. It has a sears name plate in basement. Historic house: Built in 1911, this Sears home sits on a large, corner lot in a historic district, surrounded by antebellum homes. Please do take a look. Want even more free resources? And, like all of the companies, Sears offered homes of many sizes and styles. We just bought a 1929 Vallonia and now Im obsessed! 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. It comes with a 10-year-old garage, garden house in the backyard, an unfinished basement, and a floored attic. It would be worthwhile to gain visual access to the next rafter or stud bay to the left of that shown in your photo where you may see a kit number or manufacturer's name. I am licensed in just Missouri and Kansas, however, I have a great network of agents with a few good ones in eastern Tennessee. As the need for suburban housing grew, construction of neighborhoods of modest homes was needed. For more information on who we are, and what we do, visit our website: This question was recently posed in a FaceBook group that focuses on St. Louis history. (order #51300) by George and Gorgianna Hasbrook in honor of their golden wedding anniversary. when i moved to MD and bought a house, my boss at the time gave me a going away/housewarming gift that consisted of a very fancy and comprehensive hammacher schlemmer tool kit, and a $100 GC to home depot. , that's just not really part of the equation. Sears kit homes contained 30,000 pieces, including 750 pounds of nails, 27 gallons of paint, and a 75-page instruction book. When most people think of Sears catalog homes, they imagine Cape Cods or Craftsman style bungalows with columned porches. Stamps or marks will tell you which supplier supplied Sears with the millwork, Norwood Sash and Door of Ohio. Most of the interior has been untouched other than the kitchen, which was remodeled by the previous owner (son of the builder) - the woodwork and detail is truly beautiful! Price: $629,000 Charming cottage:Sitting smack dab in the historic district of Pinehurst, this home was assembled from a Sears kit in 1929 on one of the largest lots in the area. Have you gotten your home sold yet? Kit and Plan Homes by Bungalow Man. Small Prefab Homes: 'The Best-Kept Secret in America'? homes have been much modified or expanded since their original construction. Sears, Roebuck and Company, Chicago, Illinois. I always thought it was a Sears kit house, but the work Keystone sits in my memory, as well. The cover house is the Sears Lewiston.Rachel Shoemaker Collection . Located in NYS Adirondack region. 13354A, 13354B); ($886 to $1,097) shown below. Would like to build one. Sears promised that this sheet plaster was superior to lath and plaster for many reasons, including its fire resistant qualities. Their best wall product was Goodwall Sheet Plaster, which was plaster encased in layers of heavy cardboard. Sears kit houses were built from 1908-1942. , and the models offered by Sears followed the design trends of those decades. Kit homes used drywall, asphalt shingles, and "balloon" style. Fiberboard could be used as a plaster base or painted, or simply left in its tan-brown color. Any suggestions on where to start looking? Becky Bracken covers celebrity and other notable real estate for Realtor.com. Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like. See full bio. 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. We know that there are two purported Sears kit homes on Route 302 in Bridgton, a Sears house in Saco, and there are likely more kit homes that have not yet been surveyed and identified in subdivisions from the 20s, 30s, and 40s in our communities. by Adrian McCullough, @Inspectapedia Com Moderator, 61 proven lead gen ideas from coaches & top-producing agents. Enthusiasts call the Magnolia the "holy grail of kit houses." (Photo: Courtesy Andrew and Wendy Mutch) This past . For most of its years in operation, the Sears Modern Homes department served its customers from three locations: In Cairo, Illinois, Sears had a 40-acre lumber and millwork plant. Stamps on millwork or labels from "Norwood Sash and Door" (maybe) indicate Sears suppliers. Edith, 74, told the newspaper: 1 story, 2 br, chimney In middle. Get actionable real estate strategy in your inbox. This photo is of an Aladdin kit home constructed in Tivoli, New York. We are proud to carry Dutch Housing manufactured & modular homes. Added to our resources on Sears Kit homes is a now-available archive from Sears itself: http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/byimage.htm organized to help as a field guide. - Stacey Vairo et als, HISTORIC AND ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY FOR THE TOWN OF WILTON, CONNECTICUT [PDF] (2018) Wilton Historical Society, http://wiltonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2018-Survey-Narrative.pdf also available at This is a great resource for people in the St. Louis area. If you look at an old Sears catalog, youll find that while kit houses did not include plaster (due to shipping weight), your 12,000-piece kit house did come with good quality lath. Most real estate company names are boring at best. The Ohio bungalow as it looks today. Beginning in 1929, and not by coincidence, the volume of Sears Catalog houses sold dropped dramatically. NTL Stacks: NA8480.N61, Aladdin Homes. I am about to sell and would love any help in finding out more to pass on to the next buyer. The sheets were made of pressed wood pulp and cost 46 cents per sheet. More than 30 readers responded, with stories about how much they loved their Sears homes. and in the enamel of bath tubs in a corner near floor level. Above is the original catalog 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. You're welcome to post your photos - one per comment - on that page or on any of the recommended article pages you'll find at the end of that page. would a S&R house have had bead board on all walls and ceilings?? I should have known. Better yet, can you identify the model for the listings we couldnt quite get? A consummate salesman, Ford even joked that the Model T was available in any color his customers wanted, as long as it was black. You will want to look for additional key details such as those given above on this page. Sears Catalog Homes (sold under the Sears Modern Homes name) were catalog and kit houses sold primarily through mail order by Sears, Roebuck, and Company, an American retailer. They reportedly sold around 70,000 houses, and an estimated 70 percent of them are still standing. She explains that often a specific A review of some of our inspection photos came up Between 1908 and 1940, Sears sold about 70,000 kit homes in 48 states through their mail-order Modern Homes program, with 370 designs that you might not readily recognize as a kit. In 1915 Sears kit homes included fiberboard panels used for ceilings and walls. Gunnison pre-fab kit homes. 35 Point St., New Hamburg, NY, a 936 sq.ft. 1. homes were sold and built before that year, but it is certainly the case that the sale of some models continued to 1940. The Aladdin Company, Bay City, Michigan. NTL Stacks: NA8480.N61, Aladdin Homes. No matter where the depot was, to which the kit was delivered, homeowners found a way to haul the materials to their lot. also see our Aladdin kit homes and catalogs found at

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