2 Additions later and its still standing. We also edit Sears Kit House identification checklists and comment and books on Sears Homes by Rosemary Thornton. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright's Brief but Doomed Foray Into Kit Homes. Like most well built craftsman homes, everything just works. They put out a catalog offering dozens of styles of homes you could have delivered right to your future doorstep.. If you can find other details such as 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. In 2005, a high-end Sears home sold for $900,000. with the KETC reporter, walks past and identifies several Sears home models. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. 10+ American Foursquare Sears Kit House Plans [Part 1] by Jen July 27, 2022. Dimensions are also the same, and when we purchased it in 2018 from the grandson of the original owner/builder, he told us is a Sears house. 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. We do not accept money, services, or products in exchange for positive reviews or product placement. On 2022-03-07 Thank you. 1914. What almost no one thinks of is Don Corleones house from the first Godfather movie. While sold primarily to East Coast and Midwest states, Sears homes have been located as far south as Florida and as far west as California. Starting in 1916 [? On 2021-12-22 Bill and Diana Zoeller's dog Bear stands on the original flooring inside their Craftsman home. Americans anywhere could flip through the four-pound, 1,400-page . 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. Better yet, can you identify the model for the listings we couldnt quite get? On 2022-01-26 Some people like to mention the huge collection of Sears Modern Homes in Carlinville, Illinois, when they speak of Sears Houses in the St. Louis area, but, given that Carlinville is a 90-minute drive from St. Louis County, in a different state, I don't include them in my list. Cairo had access to five railroad lines, and the Illinois Central line abutted the Sears plant. 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. On 2022-09-16 . List of kit home catalogs available at National Trust Library: Log Cabins. Possibly built in 1923. The houses were sold out of the pages of the Sears Roebuck catalog, and the houses in St. Louis were shipped from Cairo, Illinois. 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. It comes with a 10-year-old garage, garden house in the backyard, an unfinished basement, and a floored attic. Located in NYS Adirondack region. Sears estimated that a plasterer would charge you $200, which included nailing up all those thin strips of lath and applying three coats of plaster (1916). 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! 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. And, like all of the companies, Sears offered homes of many sizes and styles. 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. Instead of hiring an architect and an army of carpenters, prospective homeowners could now simply place an order and get plans and building materials delivered right to their property. I work with a group that maintains the national database of Sears Modern Homes. Sears, Roebuck and Company, Chicago, Illinois. However, we do work with a select group of software companies and service providers that we feel provide real value for our readers. BOOKS ON SEARS AND OTHER KIT OR CATALOG HOUSES. Sears Modern Homes, Sears Roebuck, Sears Kit Homes, Sears Catalog, Home Plans, Vintage Homes, Bungalow Plans, Sears Honor Bilt, . The Madeira Historical Society has this Sears home kit catalog from 1932. 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. 3385); ($1,359 to $1,671) modular home company) - https://www.homesbykeystone.com/ Located in the desirable Converse Heights neighborhood, the home greets visitors with a large front porch. After which it was relocated to Aurora, IL. Sometimes, people will say. ALADDIN KIT HOUSES https://inspectapedia.com/Design/Aladdin_Kit_Houses.php 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. Sears opened Modern Homes sales centers in several cities, including two inMissouri - one in St. Louis and one in Kansas City. 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. 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. Thornton also suggests that inspectors check for identifying marks at plumbing access panels where you may find marks on wall studs in the bath wall cavity. two boxcars were needed to ship all of the parts to build a complete home) were brought by wagon to this site in the village of Wappingers Falls, NY. Are there old catalogs we can view to know whether this is a Sears Kit home? Benefiting from Hunter's work as well as our own search we list a number of kit or catalog home manufacturers here. by Inspectapedia Com Moderator. Robinson Company, Providence, Rhode Island. Sears, Roebuck and Company, Chicago, Illinois. If My House Is Not A Kit, Where Did It Come From? The original 1926 Sears & Roebuck label identifying the house at 115 Belleclaire Avenue in Longmeadow as a Sears kit house. When most people think of Sears catalog homes, they imagine Cape Cods or Craftsman style bungalows with columned porches. The Sears Modern Homes catalog from 1930. Yes Mary; was so identified and its history written in a Poughkeepsie Journal article in 1990. Sears promised that this sheet plaster was superior to lath and plaster for many reasons, including its fire resistant qualities. 415 Kenwood, LaPorte, IN. To learn more about what houses we have found, where to learn more about Sears houses, how to find our blogs, and how to contact us for interviews or presentations, please follow the links available at the top of the page: The National List Authenticating Information & Education. The Journal article (1/7/1990 F1-2), also identified other Sears Once again, Sears has made history. Capture from Google Streetview. NTL Stacks: NA8480.N6, Aladdin Houses. She says from 1908 to 1942, Sears sold more than 70,000 kits nationwide, and more than 3,000 in the Cincinnati area. Browse the list below to see if there are Modern Homes in your city or state, or to find someone who owns the same model as you. and this 1941 ALADDIN KIT HOME CATALOG (see for example the Brentwood, Brewser, Bristol, and Norfolk model Aladdin homes) in the Kit House Identification article above we cite Thornton's books describing Sears kit homes, but you may want to step through the definitive list of key Sears Kit Home identification points given in the article above right here; Sears Modern Homes were catalog and kit houses sold primarily through mail order by Sears, Roebuck and Co., an American retailer.. From 1908 to 1942, Sears sold more than 70,000 of these houses in North America, by the company's count. Stamps or marks will tell you which supplier supplied Sears with the millwork, Norwood Sash and Door of Ohio. 217 Dutchess Turnpike, in Poughkeepsie, NY, a (1917) 7-room cape which used a basement cistern for its water supply and a fieldstone fireplace. Thornton cites a Sears house which was completed around 1944. 1918. Please take a look there as that's more thorough than if I'm asked to make up that advice de-novo here. Asking: $484,500 Sears Modern Homes Model: The Glen Falls Year Built: 1928 Listing Agent: Markus Cross Listing Brokerage: Keller Williams Bluegrass. , that's just not really part of the equation. Most folks turned to their local lumberyard or a local contractor, who would have offered booklets of modest-to-elaborate house plans for American home buyers to choose from (we call these, simply. Located in Cairo Illinois, the largest of these mills covered nearly 40 acres, and the sheer variety of homes it shipped out was staggering. GUIDE TO KIT HOUSES AND HOMES Rosemary Thornton, a recognized expert on Sears kit homes, offers several tips to verify a homes Sears lineage. Your planned basement project may very well give you added clues to your home's identification. What seems likely here is that the original structure might have been modified after 1908 with heavily modified plans from a Sears Modern. Your email address will not be published. Many original featuresincluding built-in cabinets and hardwood floorshave been maintained and add heaps of character to the four-bedroom home. 35 Point St., New Hamburg, NY, a 936 sq.ft. match, interior hardware, and stencil marks make the identification of this home as a Sears catalog house quite clear. A review of some of our inspection photos came up Any suggestions on where to start looking? The best place to start would be see at $500. 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. Added to our resources on Sears Kit homes is a now-available archive from Sears itself: http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/byimage.htm It was also built in 1902, and Sears didnt start selling homes from their catalog until 1908. Unless you have developed a really good eye for recognizing the several-hundred models offered by Sears, for example, youd never know what house on a block with a kit house mixed in with other 1920s or 30s houses, was from a kit from Sears. As you've indicated, you already have some helpful information from your home. Sears kit houses were built from 1908-1942. , and the models offered by Sears followed the design trends of those decades. As you've indicated, you already have some helpful information from your home. 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. Number 32. Sure, the windows are modernized along with a few skylights and what looks like an addition with vaulted ceilings, but the facade has largely stayed true to its architectural vision. 920 North Madison Avenue, Anderson, Indiana Asking: $379,900 While the retailer is clinging to life amid a changing consumer landscape, many of the kit homes it designed and sold will stand long after the last Sears store closes. This house, #15 N. Remsen, in Wappingers Falls, NY, arrived by train. North American Construction Company, Bay City, Michigan. Any idea where I might find plans from before 1908? The renovation expanded the homes footprint to four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and more than 2,000 square feet. https://inspectapedia.com/Design/Aladdin-Kit-Homes-Catalog-1941.pdf. More than 100 years of history now available online.Sears has a rich, long history to tell dating back to 1886 when Richard Sears sold the first batch of watches. Because kit homes made wide use of already-popular house styles you cannot be sure of a kit status from the photo alone. a blog post about the Sears houses in Kirkwood, A few catalog covers (1918 through the 1920s) for. So look instead for those key ID points, hardware, stencil marks, etc. A highly modified Sunbeam model Sears Modern (we think) this house also had a tasteful, adult hip renovation that looks like a Southern Home spread brought to life. I believe it is a Sears crescent model, built in 1935. 613.3K . If the house at 35 Point St., New Hamburg, NY, was "shipped by Gordon Van Tine" It is more likely a Montgomery Ward "Wardway" structure, or perhaps one of the Van Tine company's own. 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. 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. The Aladdin Company, Bay City, Michigan. More difficult to find in some homes is the definitive stamp/stencil letter-number identification on framing lumber and trim, but it is often there for the diligent inspector, for example on. Sears is estimated to have sold about 70,000 of their home building kits from 1908-1940 and it's currently estimated that about 70% of the original Sears homes built from kits are still standing today. Thank you Rus, that's helpful detail. thank you kindly. Number 37. The house was financed through Sears which along with interior details helped authenticate that its from Sears. Even better, unlike the other homes weve seen so far, 1670 Whitcomb seems largely untouched from its original design. Asking: $2,395,000 Sears Modern Homes Model: Wabash Year Built: 1913 Listing Agent: Hartman Cole Real Estate Listing Brokerage: Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Venice, In the non-conformist boomer paradise of Venice, California, we stumbled across this jaw dropping and lovingly renovated Wabash model Sears Catalog home. Outdoors, a large deck in the backyard offers an ideal spot for warm-weather entertaining. 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. Love these homes. Sears reported that more than 70,000 of these homes were sold in North America between 1908 and 1940. In fact, the Chelsea (a 2,000-square-foot foursquare) came with 840 square yards of wooden lath. Here are five recent sales and listings of Sears homes around Chicagoland. Asking: $475,000 Sears Modern Homes Model: Vallonia (?) Sears Homes. 1925. @Roseanne R., it certainly could have, but also certainly not in all Sears Kit homes. 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. Between 1908 and 1940, more than 70,000 of these Sears Kit Homes were built across America. They are always welcome. Any ideas out there?? 1. AUTHOR:Eric Beechem (no email) provides examples of clues useful in identifying Sears Catalog Kit Homes. Enthusiasts call the Magnolia the "holy grail of kit houses." (Photo: Courtesy Andrew and Wendy Mutch) This past . The label includes the name of the recipient of the Sears kit house, the . Price: $489,000 Livability in Lexington: Built in 1928 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this four-bedroom home has been meticulously maintained over the years. Montgomery Ward sold Van Tine homes under their own name. Robinson's Kit Homes are often cited along with Sears and Wards, we're still looking for details - I'll post what I can find under Robinson's in the article above - give me an hour or so and don't forget to refresh your browser or clear your browser cache to see the updated page. Wondering what model this Sears Craftsman is. Offices Locations.jpg download. We pinpointed nine models from across the country that still stand tall as a testament to American ingenuity. 12 Shocking Real Estate Facts: FREE Social Media Posts [Download]. 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). Daniel Friedman has inspected and identified Sears catalog homes in the Hudson Valley of New York, and has included additional identification Sears Modern Homes typically arrived with a detailed instruction manual and two boxcars worth of building materials. Indoors, large windows welcome in natural light. Hipercor - hypermarkets; Spain. 61 proven lead gen ideas from coaches & top-producing agents. However the owners and listing realtor had been unable to identify the Sears catalog model. Measuring in at a roomy 3,500 square feet, the four-bedroom. 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. Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Here are those we know of from Lewis Homes, Gordon-Van Tine, Wardway (Montgomery Ward), and Aladdin: . Our client traced the sale and construction of the home to Please refrain from any comments or jokes about anything else. And which kit? I believe we own one of the original sears homes. NTL Stacks: NA8480.N61, Aladdin Houses. I always thought it was a Sears kit house, but the work Keystone sits in my memory, as well. In short, it's a house whose blueprints and building supplies were ordered from a specialty Sears catalog, and all of these supplies were shipped, by rail (primarily), to the homeowner (who either chose to build the house himself, or use a contractor to arrange the construction). Apartment in Munich, Upper Bavaria. Where was this manufacturer based out of? I did find some blue grease pencil numbers but they are hard to make out. 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 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. 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. I am about to sell and would love any help in finding out more to pass on to the next buyer. 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. Thank you again for the response, On 2022-03-06 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator. (order #51300) by George and Gorgianna Hasbrook in honor of their golden wedding anniversary. 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. 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 (. These "kits" came with almost everything that would be necessary to . I own a home in Prattville, AL that Ive been told by surrounding neighbors was purchased from Sears and Roebuck. Later volumes offered up to 370 designs. Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold about 100,000 kit houses from catalogs between 1908 and 1942. 1910. 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. For this week's listing of the week, we decided to find seven charming Sears Catalog homes you can actually buy today. For some of these items, there were options (type of wiring, heating, plumbing fixtures, for example, or upgrades for flooring and trim wood), and any masonry items were purchased through Sears, but obtained through a local supplier, rather than being shipped by Sears. Zillow says it was built in 1939 and the original square footage was 1,362 (before additions were made). Thanks. 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. Price: $649,900 Horse haven:This 1932 catalog home sits on nearly 7 acres of fenced horse property. Michael Tucker/Crossroads. An April 1955 photo of the Zoeller home shows the siding now painted white instead of the original wood color. Choosing the best hard money lenders for your investment projects can be tricky. The gorgeous 2-acre lot has plenty of room to expand. Most real estate company names are boring at best. Some Vintage Kit Homes Now Sell for Over $1 Million. It's also helpful that you clarified what a not-a-Sears-house could be. One of the most fascinating parts of the story, is that the framing lumber was (in most cases) pre-cut and labeled, allowing the homebuilder to follow an instruction booklet to help in the organized construction process. 5 stars for john, the appliance guy. 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. Why not sell houses in kit form through his already ubiquitous Sears & Roebuck catalog? 1 story, 2 br, chimney In middle. Also see this Sears Milford Kit home from the same 1933-1940 period: (Model No. Fiberboard could be used as a plaster base or painted, or simply left in its tan-brown color. ], Sears began offering Goodwall sheet plaster as a replacement for the more labor-intensive wood lath plaster systems used in older homes. From 1908 until 1940, Sears, Roebuck and Company, then headquartered on the West Side of Chicago, That last house in Boulder, Colorado is a perfect example of the 1920s version of the Sears Oakdale, not the Clyde. Sears Modern Homes 1930 pg14, Elmhurst.jpg download. I'm omitting the famous Wilton gingerbread house and Wilton gingerbread house kits sold by Sears as that's a food product not an actual house. 3. This home retains its beautiful o. 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. Could this be a Sears Elsemore home? Aladdin Homes. Post a photo of what you find. 1924 Bowers Beach, Delaware. Luckily, the owners also kept lots and lots of original goodies intact that are highly sought after (and highly expensive to build) by design conscious folks across the country. the dwindling "do it yourself" home market. Sears heavily promoted these large sales in their advertising materials. and of course The homes are located in Ortega, Murray Hill, and Fairfax Manor neighborhoods, and Jacksonville Historical Society historian-at-large Wayne Wood said Wednesday they represent an important part of American history. it has a small enclosed front porch. The best place to start would be see The American Foursquare house, defined by its distinctive cube shape and hip roof, was popular in the 1890-1930s, especially for its affordability. However other companies may have both purchased remaining Sears kit house stock or copied Sears designs and continued to sell kit homes