1908 ad for a Sears home kit

[Brue]

I'm basically sitting in one of these houses right now . The only slight difference in the specs is we only have three bedrooms.. and there's 1980s vinyl siding on the house now

Mine looked the same as the one pictured outside. Inside my stairs were along the right wall and it was a 3 bedroom. We know that it and the others on the block were sears kit homes. Each were different variation of a 2.5 story 4 square home.

[Sideshow Spock]

That’s awesome. Would you have any clue that it was built via a mail order kit, if you didn’t already know so?

- Ian

Not really. This house was built in the 1920s, and the specs and look are pretty much an exact match with this model (except our front door is center placed). Also makes sense cuz we're not far from Buffalo..

But other than that, we've never seen any "proof" it was kit built. Some of the original trim around the house is a bit sloppy in spots, but that wouldn't necessarily mean kit.

bennetthomes1920-erie.jpg

https://grogenealogylocalhistory.wordpress.com/2017/07/21/buffalo-kit-homes/

[EmergencyIan]

I'm basically sitting in one of these houses right now . The only slight difference in the specs is we only have three bedrooms.. and there's 1980s vinyl siding on the house now

That’s awesome. Would you have any clue that it was built via a mail order kit, if you didn’t already know so?

- Ian

[Sideshow Spock]

I'm basically sitting in one of these houses right now . The only slight difference in the specs is we only have three bedrooms.. and there's 1980s vinyl siding on the house now

[EmergencyIan]

Only prob is guessing the interior walls would be mostly plaster and lath... I can imagine the best of houses would have dozens of settling cracks and chips ….

Would a renovator just tear it out and put in sheetrock ?

The Sears mail order homes were built using drywall (Sheetrock is a brand of drywall).

By the way, when a person ordered a Sears home, all of the materials needed were delivered, down to the fireplace mantle and instruction book, in sealed train car.

- Ian

[Mikey]

Only prob is guessing the interior walls would be mostly plaster and lath... I can imagine the best of houses would have dozens of settling cracks and chips ….

Would a renovator just tear it out and put in sheetrock ?

[EmergencyIan]

Without a doubt. My house was about 100 years old when I sold it in 2012. It was still a solid house. Build with old growth lumber true 2x4, 2x6 with masonry foundation. Hardwood floors. Original windows were still in it a century later. Some of the original plumbing and electric are still present. Original cedar shingles still on it - not covered by crappy venial siding. Unfortunately the slate roof was needlessly with asphalt shingles. 3 of the 5 houses retained the slate.

I’m impressed, but not really surprised. It stands to reason that they were made with high quality materials. That was almost a given back then. On top of that, their mail order home business wouldn’t have lasted for 32 years if quality wasn’t part of the purchase.

I’d be happy to live in one of those homes today. I’d like it restored to original specs along with new wiring, plumbing and HVAC, of course.

By the way, the podcast regarding these homes, that’s linked in this thread, is very informative and a fun listen.

- Ian

[Brue]

$2,500 in 1908 with inflation, is approximately $60k today, still a bargain for the materials. i’ve seen these homes still standing til this day.

I sold mine for $170k in 2012.

[Brue]

Why is there no closet in the 10'x12' Bedroom......Ad clearly states "All bedrooms have closets".

-Chris

The adjacent room has a large closet. All houses could be customized to fit needs. The large closet could be split in 2 for each room to have a closet.

[Brue]

Did you find the materials used in their construction to be high in quality?

- Ian

Without a doubt. My house was about 100 years old when I sold it in 2012. It was still a solid house. Build with old growth lumber true 2x4, 2x6 with masonry foundation. Hardwood floors. Original windows were still in it a century later. Some of the original plumbing and electric are still present. Original cedar shingles still on it - not covered by crappy venial siding. Unfortunately the slate roof was needlessly with asphalt shingles. 3 of the 5 houses retained the slate.

[EmergencyIan]

The five houses on my block we're all different versions of this home. Mine had a roof sloped on all four sides. It had Dormers in the front and above the staircase. I had a 15 by 30 room with a walkable 12 by 25 area. When I finished it I added a 3/4 bath and a kitchenette as well as a master
I finished my next door neighbor's addicts last third floor as well. She had a dormer on the front and a turret. There was no Dormer above the staircase, which made it hard to enter. Her mother offer to pay to put a dormer in, but she never followed through. The roof with sloped on two sides with Gable ends. I finished space as a great room with storage closets oh, and may the turret into a child Palace.

Did you find the materials used in their construction to be high in quality?

- Ian

[Brue]

I'd like to see the third floor plan

The main staircase clears goes up from the second floor (instead of a loft door) and those shed dormers tell me it's not just a tiny attic

The five houses on my block we're all different versions of this home. Mine had a roof sloped on all four sides. It had Dormers in the front and above the staircase. I had a 15 by 30 room with a walkable 12 by 25 area. When I finished it I added a 3/4 bath and a kitchenette as well as a master
I finished my next door neighbor's addicts last third floor as well. She had a dormer on the front and a turret. There was no Dormer above the staircase, which made it hard to enter. Her mother offer to pay to put a dormer in, but she never followed through. The roof with sloped on two sides with Gable ends. I finished space as a great room with storage closets oh, and may the turret into a child Palace.

[Brue]

My last house was a Sears kit home. Very similar to the model pictured at the top of this thread. There is no accurate date on the home I owned. Several dates are on record 1906 1910 and 1913. It was a great house.

[PNGwynne]

^In many styles, IIRC bungalows became especially popular.

[cjefferys]

This is fascinating, I had no idea that Sears used to sell these.