catalog homes in Dutchess County, NY. Details on the first floor indicate original to 1925 as the deed says. Rosemary Thornton's two books 239 W. Russell Street, Barrington, $949,000. Hello, Im looking for help identifying my home. 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. Rosemary Thornton, whose work is referenced in this document, is a leading expert on Sears catalog homes. I would love to get more information about the Sears Roebuck Home I have recently purchased in Fresno, CA. 10+ American Foursquare Sears Kit House Plans [Part 1] by Jen July 27, 2022. ADORABLE Sears-kit home! The first complete Sears Kit homes, that is, residences, were marketed 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. She explains that often a specific On 2022-02-01 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator. You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted. There is no list of homes sold by Sears, as all of their records were discarded. 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. Model name? Number 32. Homes has been a family owned & operated home center. Post a photo of what you find. Some Vintage Kit Homes Now Sell for Over $1 Million. Bill and Diana Zoeller's dog Bear stands on the original flooring inside their Craftsman home. Thornton rattles off some statistics about Sears Catalog homes and 1931. If My House Is Not A Kit, Then Where Did It Come From?? 613.3K . 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. The Aladdin Company, Bay City, Michigan. by Inspectapedia Com Moderator. Notes: this product was sold by Sears beginning in 1916. In the early 1900s, the address for Sears' Chicago headquarters was 975 Homan Ave., Chicago, Illinois, and should be on the shipping label. 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 love the video from Chicago. I would love some insight! Well, what did you think of our picks of the best Sears Catalog Homes on the market? I'd like to be able to answer your question but as there were over 100 kit home models made over quite a few decades, with just your description I cannot. it has a small enclosed front porch. That "Bungalow" stencil or stamping appears to be on the wall or roof cavity side of wood sheathing - and may indeed indicate that the home was built from a kit. This photo is of an Aladdin kit home constructed in Tivoli, New York. And which kit? Sears heavily promoted these large sales in their advertising materials. 5 stars for john, the appliance guy. 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. Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like. Yes Mary; Number 29. Indoors, large windows welcome in natural light. On 2022-03-06 The best place to start would be see North American Construction Company, Bay City, Michigan. I believe it is a Sears crescent model, built in 1935. 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). Any help would be appreciated! NTL FOLIO TH4819.P7S42 1936, One House or a Hundred. 1 story, 2 br, chimney In middle. 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. @Dee, Kirkwood homes that were originally thought to be Sears houses, but are not. detail which is still in place on a Sears house was unique to those homes and can help in their identification today, even though 1915. We did not examine the mechanicals closely in this house, as they were not provided by Sears and Roebuck and were obtained locally. In 2005, a high-end Sears home sold for $900,000. Sears Mfg. Real Estate. 61 proven lead gen ideas from coaches & top-producing agents. @Karen Marsh, The label includes the name of the recipient of the Sears kit house, the . St. Louis is home to a small neighborhood of pre-fab kit homes made by the Gunnison homes company, in 1949. 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. Sears Whitehall. Please do take a look. One of the best known Sears house locations is in Carlinville, Illinois, where Standard Oil of Indiana built a million-dollar development of 192 Honor Bilt houses for employees of Schoper coal mine (156 intended for miners and other workers, an additional 28 nearby and somewhat more deluxe meant for supervisors). Our client traced the sale and construction of the home to Once again, Sears has made history. You can read more about them here, here, here, and here. The National Trust Library offers catalogs of Aladdin kit houses. It helps to narrow that search through Sears home catalogs if you can find the year that your home was constructed. Better yet, can you identify the model for the listings we couldnt quite get? @Carlyn, It's also helpful that you clarified what a not-a-Sears-house could be. I havent found any other obvious stamps. After 1940: However some homes could have been purchased around 1939 or 1940 but not completed until several years later, depending Scroll down to the section with that title, to learn more about plans-only companies. Please refrain from any comments or jokes about anything else. Above is the original catalog It has a sears name plate in basement. 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. 1924 Bowers Beach, Delaware. 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. There are two truths to understand about Sears kit houses: 1) They are actually pretty rare, making up only about 2% of the homes constructed during their era, So, if you come upon a neighborhood full of wonderful bungalows, or full of Craftsman-style houses, or full of Dutch Colonials, dont jump to the conclusion that they are Sears houses (some people, weve noticed, confuse the name of the Sears tool line , with the architectural style by that name, and think that a Craftsman style house is what we mean when we say. On 2022-03-07 415 Kenwood, LaPorte, IN. Square Footage: 1,356. NTL Stacks TH4819.P7C22 1914, Wardway Homes, Montgomery Ward, Chicago, Illinois. Hello! Sears Homes. You will want to look for additional key details such as those given above on this page. A Sears Castleton model with 4 bedrooms, 1 bath, living room, dining room, kitchen and tiny den just past the vestibule entry. a company which sold it as a kit house in the early 1940's. 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. 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. cited at "References" below. I did find some blue grease pencil numbers but they are hard to make out. Added to our resources on Sears Kit homes is a now-available archive from Sears itself: http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/byimage.htm 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. Just inquiring about good history. Fully renovated in 2011, the home won the Moore Country Home Builders Associations Excellence Award for the Best Historic Renovation. From 1908 until 1940, Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold over 70,000 kit houses through their Modern Homes and Honor Bilt catalogs. Ready Built House Company, Portland, Oregon. I have researched over th years trying to find the original plan or any information on the floor plan. A local example of this is LaPorte, Indiana, where Sears sold 50 houses in one subdivision. The Journal article (1/7/1990 F1-2), also identified other Sears 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. You might want to try a copy of Rosemary Thornton's more-exhaustive book of photos of Sears Kit homes (cited and linked above in this article). . 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. Built in 1930, and the grandson of the original owner/builder told us it was a Sears house. The best starting place is to read through the article above on this page. 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. 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. Eric: I've looked through the Sears kit house archives (that I do not think are actually complete) and don't see that exact cape cod design with the center chimney and with that lower roof level and smaller window on the right. 61 proven lead gen ideas from coaches & top-producing agents to help you close more deals. This home was built from a Sears & Roebuck kit delivered by rail & moved from the train depot to its current location in 1914. If you havent sold it yet, Id be happy to refer someone to you in your area. This home retains its beautiful o. I'm trying to find the plans for a Sears house that we're buying, but it was built in 1906. which are definitely not Sears Catalog Houses are included in this list as a fun exercise for readers. Have you gotten your home sold yet? 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. Because kit homes made wide use of already-popular house styles you cannot be sure of a kit status from the photo alone. Located in Cairo Illinois, the largest of these mills covered nearly 40 acres, and the sheer variety of homes it shipped out was staggering. 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. There are part number stenciled on the boards. The American Foursquare house, defined by its distinctive cube shape and hip roof, was popular in the 1890-1930s, especially for its affordability. Daniel Friedman has inspected and identified Sears catalog homes in the Hudson Valley of New York, and has included additional identification I have included an image of it. 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 In 1940 the last "official" Sears kit house was sold and shipped to its owner. So far we haven't found Sears identifying marks, but will be renovating the basement soon and will be able to look more closely. Their best wall product was Goodwall Sheet Plaster, which was plaster encased in layers of heavy cardboard. by Inspectapedia Com Moderator. This is a great resource for people in the St. Louis area. Asking: $475,000 Sears Modern Homes Model: Vallonia (?) The thickness dimensions do not include field-applied top coat layers of finished plaster. Sears, Roebuck and Company, Chicago, Illinois. 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. Any suggestions on where to start looking? On 2021-05-27 I've searched many catalogs with no luck. It also has a daydream-worthy covered porch with three exposures; a perfect spot for a late summer dinner. Sears prefabricated almost all of these homes in giant mills situated across the country. We also fell in love with the stone facade, leafy front yard, and awesome built-ins inside. Between 1908 and 1940, Sears provided house kits. In the 19-teens, 1920s, and 1930s, American suburban neighborhoods were growing. Thank you Rus, that's helpful detail. The book details the 60 most popular designs (of the 375 designs Sears produced) with original catalog drawings and contemporary pictures. Share these engaging posts on Facebook & Instagram. Corona is derived from the Latin word for crown. The updated five-bedroom home is zoned for residential and commercial use, which makes it a great opportunity for a bed-and-breakfast or live-work space. Price: $239,000 Converse Heights: Built in 1925, this three-bedroom, Arts and Craftsstyle home shines. ). On 2022-01-23 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. As you've indicated, you already have some helpful information from your home. Considering Sears, Roebuck & Co. was founded in Chicago back in 1893, it's no surprise Illinois boasts many of the company's ready-to-assemble kit homes (second only to Ohio). 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. We do not accept money, services, or products in exchange for positive reviews or product placement. after 1940. The Fullerton Sears Kit House - Photos and examples [Click to enlarge any image] . AUTHOR:Eric Beechem (no email) Can you tell me if I am right ? 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. That's because, unfortunately, just finding a house in a catalog that looks like your home does not mean yours is a Sears kit. @Cathy, The Aladdin Company, Bay City, Michigan. It comes with a 10-year-old garage, garden house in the backyard, an unfinished basement, and a floored attic. These "kits" came with almost everything that would be necessary to . by Sears & Roebuck in 1908, and eventually Sears offered 370 different models of residential homes, ranging from small bungalows Wilton is thinking of designating houses from this era as worthy of preservation, so this is why I am trying to gather more information. This Sears Sunbeam is a lovely example and in original condition. 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). 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. 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. Asking: $379,900 Sears Roebuck Model: Elmhurst Year Built: 1932 Listing Agent: Julie Armington Listing Brokerage: F.C. On 2022-04-20 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator. Number18. More than 100 years of stories, product and brand histories, photographs, catalog images and more are now available online. by Matthew Mackowiak. So it's probably true that most of these 12 Shocking Real Estate Facts: FREE Social Media Posts [Download]. The Keystone name has come up before in searching for kit house history and plans, but searching is confounded by current companies using that name. 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. provides examples of clues useful in identifying Sears Catalog Kit Homes. Sears kit homes were popular in the earlier part of the 20th century. No matter where the depot was, to which the kit was delivered, homeowners found a way to haul the materials to their lot. . 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. 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. What About The Train's Role In All Of This? Sears promised that this sheet plaster was superior to lath and plaster for many reasons, including its fire resistant qualities. The materials were reportedly shipped in via railroad as a package. 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. We pinpointed nine models from across the country that still stand tall as a testament to American ingenuity. also see our Aladdin kit homes and catalogs found at We settled on Vallonia, because of the awning, but the porch and columns are all wrong. That includes both finding specific stamps, lumber marks, or hardware in your particular house that confirm it as a Sears kit home and also paging through the Sears kit home catalogs we list to match that hipped gable roof design and entry porch. Each of the links in this section shows a photo with additional details of the interior of a Sears Kit Home. These type of details in addition to what we've noted in our earlier response may help with identification. Sears opened Modern Homes sales centers in several cities, including two inMissouri - one in St. Louis and one in Kansas City. 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. she offers a Sears house identification service. 870,000. Try looking through the Sears kit home ID tips and photos and catalogs given on this page above. 1908 was a heady year for technology. Scroll down to the section with that title, to learn more about plans-only companies. 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. 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. Most real estate company names are boring at best. They also sold an economy grade wallboard made of cardboard and asphalt, which sold for 42 cents per sheet. I can't figure out what model this home is. It was said to be in the original Chicago worlds fair. Price: $334,000. 1. 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. We describe and provide photographs of Sears Catalog homes, using examples of these homes located in the Hudson Valley of New York. Continue to look for the kit house identification clues discussed above on this page and in this article series. Description. on what time and labor the buyer had available to build their house. 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. Here are five recent sales and listings of Sears homes around Chicagoland. The gorgeous 2-acre lot has plenty of room to expand. Sears kit houses were built from 1908-1942. , and the models offered by Sears followed the design trends of those decades.