One of many Sears houses built in 1912 by a realty company. We recommend those books for any owner or serious investigator of Sears Catalog homes. If you read about a product or service on this website, its because we genuinely think its great. by Inspectapedia Com Moderator. Customers were given everything needed for basic assemblyincluding the nailsdelivered by rail, and most folks with adequate carpentry expertise could put up their new house in just a few days. 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. Built in 1930, and the grandson of the original owner/builder told us it was a Sears house. It comes with a 10-year-old garage, garden house in the backyard, an unfinished basement, and a floored attic. So far we haven't found Sears identifying marks, but will be renovating the basement soon and will be able to look more closely. Scroll down to the section with that title, to learn more about plans-only companies. I discovered that the Sears Modern Homes program sold 447 ready-to-build, customizable house varieties via catalog to buyers between the years of 1908 and 1940. The National Trust Library offers catalogs of Aladdin kit houses. Corona is derived from the Latin word for crown. Hello, I know my friend's house was built from a kit but I'm trying to determine from which company the kit house was built by. On 2022-03-07 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). Here are some tips for how to make this career choice work for you. Sears recommended that wood molding be installed over the joints for superior results. Ssrah. I would love some insight! I should have known. @Dee, I believe it is a Sears crescent model, built in 1935. NTL Stacks TH4819.P7R42 1915, Robinson's Money-Saving Mill-Made Cut-To-Fit Houses. The problem starts out front, where the place is just oozing Sears Modern Homes, but the sheer size of the place and unorthodox design left us a bit puzzled as to what exactly we were looking at. 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). In . There is no list of homes sold by Sears, as all of their records were discarded. I always thought it was a Sears kit house, but the work Keystone sits in my memory, as well. 73 m 1 2. While it's absolutely true that Sears Modern Homes house kits were shipped by train, in several box-car loads, by rail, I think that the whole concept of the railroad being part of the story, has been greatly misunderstood. The original 1926 Sears & Roebuck label identifying the house at 115 Belleclaire Avenue in Longmeadow as a Sears kit house. And which kit? 415 Kenwood, LaPorte, IN. Are you able to tell me the model name is of the kit? She explains that often a specific I purchased a home in Keokuk County, Iowa one year ago . 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. Any ideas out there?? The house has been expanded and modified. 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. a company which sold it as a kit house in the early 1940's. My home was built in 1915 , an addition was built on in the 1980s , but I believe the original home was from a kit. 1924. I am about to sell and would love any help in finding out more to pass on to the next buyer. the dwindling "do it yourself" home market. On 2022-01-26 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. But we can't rule out traditional plaster lath. Asking: $379,900 Sears Roebuck Model: Elmhurst Year Built: 1932 Listing Agent: Julie Armington Listing Brokerage: F.C. Your #1 Source For Actionable Real Estate Advice. Number 32. For this weeks listing of the week, we decided to find seven charming Sears Catalog homes you can actually buy today. . The Close has a policy of fierce editorial independence. There are part number stenciled on the boards. New York ranks fourth on the list with 1,679. Please use the add image button to post a photo or two of the home - one per comment. ALADDIN KIT HOUSES https://inspectapedia.com/Design/Aladdin_Kit_Houses.php We describe and provide photographs of Sears Catalog homes, using examples of these homes located in the Hudson Valley of New York. - Keystone homes (50 y.o. Learn all about these mail-ordered, catalog homes as we explore their unique history i. 1924 Bowers Beach, Delaware. 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. and of course - source: https://searshomes.org/index.php/2014/02/14/its-a-mystery/. I love the video from Chicago. C.H. [Click to enlarge any image]. In Detroit, The Ford Model T, the first car built using Henry Fords revolutionary assembly line, sputtered into life and changed the world. Our home in Orofino, idaho was built about 1913. 10+ American Foursquare Sears Kit House Plans [Part 1] by Jen July 27, 2022. 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. Rosemary Thornton They reportedly sold around 70,000 houses, and an estimated 70 percent of them are still standing. Sears Modern Homes typically arrived with a detailed instruction manual and two boxcars worth of building materials. 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. Other kit homes, not Sears, include Montgomery Ward Kit homes and Aladdin Kit homes. Starting in 1916 [? @Amy, 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. If My House Is Not A Kit, Then Where Did It Come From?? by Inspectapedia Com Moderator. 1915. We did not photograph the kitchen and bath as they had been remodeled leaving no obvious original materials. Using the Sears numbering system, the contents of the railroad boxcars (typically On 2021-05-27 We do not accept money, services, or products in exchange for positive reviews or product placement. Between 1908 and 1940, Sears provided house kits. The book details the 60 most popular designs (of the 375 designs Sears produced) with original catalog drawings and contemporary pictures. Located in NYS Adirondack region. In addition to the four-bedroom home, the purchase price includes a workshop, a covered, outdoor entertaining area, an 1894 restored barn with attached two-car garage, a clubhouse, and a horse barn. Price: $374,900 Burlington beauty:According to the listing, this catalog home is the Vallonig model. They are always welcome. In 1952, my grandfather put up a Cape Cod style kit house in Wilton, CTModel # NM2137-4. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. 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. As you've indicated, you already have some helpful information from your home. 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 . NTL Stacks TH4819.P7C22 1914, Wardway Homes, Montgomery Ward, Chicago, Illinois. However the combination of catalog 1918. Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response. In the early 20th century, Sears sold up to 75,000 mail-order homes (per NPR).In 1888, the Chicago-based company launched their first catalog.According to The Craftsman Blog, a variety of goods could be bought and delivered to the customer's front door.In 1908, however, the company decided to push the envelope; Sears was now going to sell and deliver houses via their Sears Modern Homes Catalog. For nearly 100 years the home has been meticulously cared for and features hardwood flooring, enclosed front porch, and renovated kitchen. 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. homes were sold and built before that year, but it is certainly the case that the sale of some models continued to 1940. Price: $179,900 Historic house:Built in 1911, this Sears home sits on a large, corner lot in a historic district, surrounded by antebellum homes. 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. Since its original construction, especially viewed from the exterior, it would be tough to identify this as a kit home much less as an Aladdin kit home. 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. Above is the original catalog Number18. No matter where the depot was, to which the kit was delivered, homeowners found a way to haul the materials to their lot. 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. which are definitely not Sears Catalog Houses are included in this list as a fun exercise for readers. We also fell in love with the stone facade, leafy front yard, and awesome built-ins inside. Also see this Sears Milford Kit home from the same 1933-1940 period: (Model No. 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. For this week's listing of the week, we decided to find seven charming Sears Catalog homes you can actually buy today. Any idea where I might find plans from before 1908? The elegant archways and what looks like the coziest home office south of the Mason Dixon gave us an excuse to linger and wonder if running the site from Lexington, Kentucky would make sense, Asking: $1,150,000 Sears Modern Homes Model: Oakdale Year Built: 1923 Listing Agent: John McElveen Listing Brokerage: RE/MAX of Boulder. by Inspectapedia Com Moderator. 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. Presented at the Hudson Valley American Society of Home Inspectors HVASHI Annual Historic Homes Inspection-Seminar, Kingston, NY - Wilton is thinking of designating houses from this era as worthy of preservation, so this is why I am trying to gather more information. Robinson Company, Providence, Rhode Island. Sears Goodwall was touted as more fire-resistant than alternative plant-based fiberboard sheathing products. Wagon loads of house materials were brought wagon-by-wagon in the proper order for construction while the boxcar sat on a siding. Excerpting from this new website: The best place to start would be see On 2021-09-09 2. Sears Roebuck company began selling buildings or components of buildings in 1895. NTL Stacks: NA8480.N6, Aladdin Houses. Any help is appreciated! Please call or text 815-603-7338. as we describe above on this page. I wonder what else is in those archives! The Journal article (1/7/1990 F1-2), also identified other Sears I'm trying to find the plans for a Sears house that we're buying, but it was built in 1906. 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. So look instead for those key ID points, hardware, stencil marks, etc. Description. In 1908, when Sears began selling homes by mail, one-fifth of the country subscribed, according to a 99 Percent Invisible podcast about the program. 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. North Avenue, in Pleasant Valley, NY, a "gothic cottage" Crescent model built in 1932 for $1761. From 1908 until 1940, Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold over 70,000 kit houses through their Modern Homes and Honor Bilt catalogs. It has a sears name plate in basement. Each of the links in this section shows a photo with additional details of the interior of a Sears Kit Home. Thank you so much. 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. The Aladdin Company, Bay City, Michigan. 3385); ($1,359 to $1,671) On 2021-08-18 69 reviews of The Home Depot "4 stars for home depot. NTL Stacks TH4819.P7H27 1918, Ready Built buildings. Capture from Google Streetview. 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). This home was built from a Sears & Roebuck kit delivered by rail & moved from the train depot to its current location in 1914. Their best wall product was Goodwall Sheet Plaster, which was plaster encased in layers of heavy cardboard. AUTHOR:Eric Beechem (no email) Please take a look there as that's more thorough than if I'm asked to make up that advice de-novo here. It has always been used as a seasonal summer cottage and is uninsulated. Over in Sears & Roebucks home state of Illinois, we found this gorgeous Crescent model Sears catalog home up for sale at a tantalizing price. List of kit home catalogs available at National Trust Library: Log Cabins. by danjoefriedman (mod). Sears Whitehall. What almost no one thinks of is Don Corleones house from the first Godfather movie. They included location specifics and many photos. Gunnison pre-fab kit homes. Once again, Sears has made history. A 1925 Colonial-style home in Washington, D.C., that sold last year for $1.06 million had humble beginnings. Harris Brothers Company, Chicago, Illinois. Period. Details on the first floor indicate original to 1925 as the deed says. 1910. I can't figure out what model this home is. Thank you again for the response, On 2022-03-06 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator. It was a Sears, Roebuck and Co. kit home, the Martha Washington, advertised in. What is a Sears kit house? On 2021-05-13 Thank You, Marsha Blankenship, Your email address will not be published. Thank you so much! a complete school or office building. They put out a catalog offering dozens of styles of homes you could have delivered right to your future doorstep.. Thornton rattles off some statistics about Sears Catalog homes and They also sold an economy grade wallboard made of cardboard and asphalt, which sold for 42 cents per sheet. 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. Love these homes. The most complete answer to your question and advice on identifying kit hoes is found at KIT HOMES, Aladdin, Sears, Wards, Others. The rest are not Sears houses although that house identified as a Glen Falls is close but not a match. The best starting place is to read through the article above on this page. sears osborn, sears wilmore, sears jewel, sears jewell, sears hillsboro, sears houses in Pennsylvania, Sears houses in Pittsburgh, national database of sears houses, sears houses in the u.s., sears house seeker, 5242 towers terrace, 1213 fairmont avenue, 118 poplar street, sears modern homes, sears home construction division, sears house catalogs, antiquehome.org, kit houses, mail order houses . cit. @inspectapedia.com.moderator, The big thinkers at Sears Roebuck took ready-to-build homes one step further. Though we don't search for them as diligently as we do Sears Modern Homes kit houses, we have found some kits from other kit-house companies of the same era, in the St. Louis area. More than 30 readers responded, with stories about how much they loved their Sears homes. Please do take a look. When most people think of Sears catalog homes, they imagine Cape Cods or Craftsman style bungalows with columned porches. organized to help as a field guide. Yes Mary; Located in Cairo Illinois, the largest of these mills covered nearly 40 acres, and the sheer variety of homes it shipped out was staggering. Galeries Lafayette - department store; France. homes have been much modified or expanded since their original construction. Price: $239,000 Converse Heights: Built in 1925, this three-bedroom, Arts and Craftsstyle home shines. 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. 7 Tips for Building Your Sphere of Influence in Real Estate (+ Script), 31 Clever Real Estate Marketing Ideas for 2023, 33 Underrated Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas for 2023, Real Geeks Review: An In-depth Look at Features & Pricing, Want More Leads? Sears has opened the doors to its vast archival collection and invited the public to peek inside. The Aladdin Company, Bay City, Michigan. You will want to look for additional key details such as those given above on this page. This home retains its beautiful o. Have you gotten your home sold yet? The first complete Sears Kit homes, that is, residences, were marketed 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 (. on what time and labor the buyer had available to build their house. Sometimes, people will say. Like most well built craftsman homes, everything just works. However, we've boiled Sears history down to a short narrative and event timeline for you: Sears narrative history tells the story of the founding of Sears and the Sears chronology is an up-to-date primer of Sears milestones and events. The renovation expanded the homes footprint to four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and more than 2,000 square feet. From 1908 until 1940, Sears, Roebuck and Company, then headquartered on the West Side of Chicago, (kit cost) to larger homes costing $5000. WHEN AND WHERE WERE SEARS CATALOG HOUSES BUILT? A local example of this is LaPorte, Indiana, where Sears sold 50 houses in one subdivision. 1. The house was financed through Sears which along with interior details helped authenticate that its from Sears. Well, what did you think of our picks of the best Sears Catalog Homes on the market? They were hoping to meet the needs and desires of the same folks who were buying from the lumber companies. i found this stamped on the inside of sheathing n a basement of a home I suspect is a kit house. We recommend all three of these publications. Keep it classy, please. Some of the earliest kit houses had few markings or stencils but you still may be able to recognize common Hardware. Price: $334,000. and in the enamel of bath tubs in a corner near floor level. Here are those we know of from Lewis Homes, Gordon-Van Tine, Wardway (Montgomery Ward), and Aladdin: . I work with a group that maintains the national database of Sears Modern Homes. Take a look at the kit house identification clues discussed above on this page and in this article series. NTL FOLIO TH4819.P7S42 1936, One House or a Hundred. I have been pouring over house plans and scouring the internet looking at catalogues and am coming up short. 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. One of sears original models. Edith, 74, told the newspaper: 1915. To fully appreciate the impact of the Sears kit homes, it's important to understand the reach of the company's famous catalog. Cairo had access to five railroad lines, and the Illinois Central line abutted the Sears plant. Only the very wealthy would have hired their own architect to design their home. detail which is still in place on a Sears house was unique to those homes and can help in their identification today, even though A Sears catalog home fan website, searshomes.org discusses the plaster systems used in older homes, including Sears kit homes. this house in near Novato California in Marin County.