I bought a 1910 kit house recently. It’s a fixer upper but I only paid 39k for it. It’s in a tiny town. We only have a gas station, a hair salon, an antique store and a Casey’s convenience store. It use to be a bustling little rail depot station town decades ago. The trains run behind my house, but I love my little house! I’m in a small, safe community perfect for my older years. I don’t mind the trains anymore. I’m use to them.
@@wendyvecchione8022 I’m in a small town in Missouri. I have a 90 year old neighbor and another who is about 65-70. Another mows my grass for $25. Well and of corse the train track that is my neighbor to the rear. For $39k I can’t complain.
My wife and I live in a Sears home. The Kismet model built in 1932. We’ve been doing some major upgrades over the past couple of months. We just finished getting the house rewired and are using the old knobs and tubes to make handles for the drawers and cabinets. The original wallpaper is under Sheetrock and we are working on removing some of the Sheetrock and cleaning up the wallpaper and shiplap. The wood is in great condition. It may have come from a catalog, but the electrician said this is the most solidly built house he’s worked on in 30 years. It’s less than a mile from Galveston Bay. We were living in it in 2008 when Hurricane Ike hit. The eye came right over the house and we did not have any damage at all. New construction around us didn’t fare so well. I can email you some renovation pictures if you’d like to see them.
I live outside Seattle now and we have a lot of "kit" houses here. There was a large company in Seattle that also produced the kit houses. If you want to have fun we also have some of the first homes that the federal government built. Bremerton was created because of WW1 which created a need for housing to be built fast, there were more people than houses because of the shipyard, thousands of people lived in tents when they got here. Along the fence line of the shipyard are a few houses left that the government built. My friend owns one, and it is a two-story, two apartments with a mother-in-law cottage in the backyard. So they could house three families in one lot. Across the street are the large houses built by the mayor and people like that. and in their backyard is the fence that runs along the shipyard. Not too long after that, the government was building houses for its servicemen, and we have seen some really cute ones in our 20 years in the Navy. Unfortunately, they have had to tear down the ones built at the turn of the century, they were just too small and outdated, it was heartbreaking to see entire neighborhoods built in the 1910s and 1920s now gone. Thanks for your knowledge about the Sears houses. I'm always thrilled when I see one.
Living in a Sears home for the last 37 years. I'm glad to have run across your video . I'm in New jersey, my house was originally built where the New Jersey Turnpike is now in South Jersey, was moved to where it is now a few hundred yards away in the mid fifties when the turnpike was built. Preparing to do some more Remodeling on it, thus the reason for me looking on the old interweb here and coming across your video thank you for the info.
Hey heads up, 5 room isn’t a five bedroom. A 5 room house might be a living room, dining room, kitchen and 2 bedrooms (not counting bathrooms) they didn’t just have like 10 bedroom homes. I feel like a normal suburban house today might 6-9 rooms
They didn't have bathrooms, but just very big closets. They later turned the closets into bathrooms. My grandparents on both sides of the family both had the same Sears home.
I grew up in a kit house that my great grandfather built in the 30s. It was as solid as a brick shithouse. IDK if this is true, but my dad told me that for the subflooring they used to run one set of lumber diagonally (I'm not sure of the size but back when dimensional lumber was true to size) then run another set of boards diagonal in the opposite direction. The walls were lath and plaster. When we remodeled the bathroom I took out every nail in the shiplap so we could repurpose it. As a side note, we also found 7 layers of wallpaper. Great grandma was an artist and must have had the decorating bug pretty bad (poor grandpa!) I remember when we moved to a newer home in my teen years thinking how crappy the new house was with it's drywall and hollow core doors. I still love the old school sash windows, molding, 5 panel doors, crystal door knobs...I could go on. Coincidentally, I'm now renting another kit home and in the dining room is a light cover that's identical to the one that was in my bedroom growing up. The handles on the kitchen cabinets are almost identical too.
I grew up in San Jose CA and up through the late 50s a good portion of the town was still a vast prune and other types of crops orchard! When developers started buying land for housing certain styles of architecture and tract plans were popular. But before that there were sparse houses around and many of them were little bungalow styles. Eventually many of the existing ones just became part of the neighborhoods! I remember one old house on the other side of our block across the street actually got raised and moved over a space or two in the 70s! Another little house several blocks back from that is the only small bungalow in the entire neighborhood!
Pre fab buildings (homes, retail stores, bars etc.) were delivered by train during the 1800's Wild West Civil War era (according to a Utube doc I have seen). People, standing on the platform, waiting for the train that was bringing their entire town flat packed like and IKEA bookcase!
If you ever visit Canton, Ohio (First Ladies’ Museum, McKinley Monument, Football Hall of Fame and Village), be sure to see the stunning Sears Magnolia home. I’m sure there are more in the area, but this and the three Frank Lloyd Wright homes have my heart.
I'm not a fan of bungalows or craftsman-style homes or any other homes built in that time frame. However, Sears Homes as far as quality are second to none. They allowed people to own their own single-family homes without mortgages that took thirty years to pay off, unlike the rest of the world where home ownership is not that common. They have beautiful finish carpentry and built-ins. Many of their home styles are coming back in style. There is lots of storage room in their homes including basements and walk-up attics.
You could mortgage your house through sears and make payments after like ~1920s. Thats actually why they took off. Inexpensive, customized, and you coukd buy it with payments
MY GRANDPARENTS LIVED IN A, CLASSIC ROCK FACE BLOCK DESIGN, IN FLAGG CENTER ,ILLINOIS ,WEST OF ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS. I BELIEVE THEY PAID $500 FOR 4 BEDROOM, 3 UP& 1 DOWN,BATH,FRONT ROOM,DINING ,KITCHEN ,PORCH. THEY MARRIED 1908, BROUGHT HOME AFTER 1912, LIVED IN IT UNTIL 1985, THEY DIED. IT'S STILL STANDING.
So what happened after these homes. Like how did the building of homes change? And why? Ok.i think you answered it. But what is the difference between a subdivision and neighborhood?
I live in a farm style sears kit home in Lemont Furnace, Pa that my Grandfather and my Uncles put together in 1921. I rarely see this style in any of the info videos or publications. I was told by a relative, that it was the only surviving sears home that was put together by the homeowner and not a contractor. Does anyone here have any idea it that's true ?
My husband and I love the Magnolia. I would love to see the one in Benson, North Carolina. I am a huge fan of Georgian and Federal Period-style homes. How far is it from Iredell County? Thank you and thanks for the video.
I live in South Bend, Indiana, and we have one (Magnolia) not far from my home, I go by there often and it's in great condition and is fact referred to in a book of Sears kit homes with fairly recent a picture of it.
He’s wrong about that, it says 5 room. Living room, kitchen, 2 bedrooms and a dining room is considered a 5 room house, they don’t include bathrooms in room Count
I bought a 1910 kit house recently. It’s a fixer upper but I only paid 39k for it. It’s in a tiny town. We only have a gas station, a hair salon, an antique store and a Casey’s convenience store. It use to be a bustling little rail depot station town decades ago. The trains run behind my house, but I love my little house! I’m in a small, safe community perfect for my older years. I don’t mind the trains anymore. I’m use to them.
That is nice where are you ? I just moved to Laurel Mt love it here tons of old houses
@@wendyvecchione8022 I’m in a small town in Missouri. I have a 90 year old neighbor and another who is about 65-70. Another mows my grass for $25. Well and of corse the train track that is my neighbor to the rear. For $39k I can’t complain.
My wife and I live in a Sears home. The Kismet model built in 1932. We’ve been doing some major upgrades over the past couple of months. We just finished getting the house rewired and are using the old knobs and tubes to make handles for the drawers and cabinets. The original wallpaper is under Sheetrock and we are working on removing some of the Sheetrock and cleaning up the wallpaper and shiplap. The wood is in great condition. It may have come from a catalog, but the electrician said this is the most solidly built house he’s worked on in 30 years. It’s less than a mile from Galveston Bay. We were living in it in 2008 when Hurricane Ike hit. The eye came right over the house and we did not have any damage at all. New construction around us didn’t fare so well. I can email you some renovation pictures if you’d like to see them.
How are electrical wires hidden? Are they behind a board and batten wall? Can the wires be easily accessed in case of repair or modification?
I live outside Seattle now and we have a lot of "kit" houses here. There was a large company in Seattle that also produced the kit houses. If you want to have fun we also have some of the first homes that the federal government built. Bremerton was created because of WW1 which created a need for housing to be built fast, there were more people than houses because of the shipyard, thousands of people lived in tents when they got here. Along the fence line of the shipyard are a few houses left that the government built. My friend owns one, and it is a two-story, two apartments with a mother-in-law cottage in the backyard. So they could house three families in one lot. Across the street are the large houses built by the mayor and people like that. and in their backyard is the fence that runs along the shipyard. Not too long after that, the government was building houses for its servicemen, and we have seen some really cute ones in our 20 years in the Navy. Unfortunately, they have had to tear down the ones built at the turn of the century, they were just too small and outdated, it was heartbreaking to see entire neighborhoods built in the 1910s and 1920s now gone.
Thanks for your knowledge about the Sears houses. I'm always thrilled when I see one.
Living in a Sears home for the last 37 years. I'm glad to have run across your video . I'm in New jersey, my house was originally built where the New Jersey Turnpike is now in South Jersey, was moved to where it is now a few hundred yards away in the mid fifties when the turnpike was built. Preparing to do some more Remodeling on it, thus the reason for me looking on the old interweb here and coming across your video thank you for the info.
How are electrical wires hidden? Are they behind a board and batten wall?
Hey heads up, 5 room isn’t a five bedroom. A 5 room house might be a living room, dining room, kitchen and 2 bedrooms (not counting bathrooms) they didn’t just have like 10 bedroom homes. I feel like a normal suburban house today might 6-9 rooms
They didn't have bathrooms, but just very big closets. They later turned the closets into bathrooms. My grandparents on both sides of the family both had the same Sears home.
I grew up in a kit house that my great grandfather built in the 30s. It was as solid as a brick shithouse. IDK if this is true, but my dad told me that for the subflooring they used to run one set of lumber diagonally (I'm not sure of the size but back when dimensional lumber was true to size) then run another set of boards diagonal in the opposite direction. The walls were lath and plaster. When we remodeled the bathroom I took out every nail in the shiplap so we could repurpose it. As a side note, we also found 7 layers of wallpaper. Great grandma was an artist and must have had the decorating bug pretty bad (poor grandpa!) I remember when we moved to a newer home in my teen years thinking how crappy the new house was with it's drywall and hollow core doors. I still love the old school sash windows, molding, 5 panel doors, crystal door knobs...I could go on. Coincidentally, I'm now renting another kit home and in the dining room is a light cover that's identical to the one that was in my bedroom growing up. The handles on the kitchen cabinets are almost identical too.
I'm definitely living in one now! Such a beautiful home. This info may help the owner sell it!
I think they are beautiful.
I have a Sears home called the castleton kit number 227
As a home inspector we can spot these a block away and once you learn the models you usually know where their weaknesses are. Good stuff.
Yes you are correct. I think they are awesome.
I grew up in San Jose CA and up through the late 50s a good portion of the town was still a vast prune and other types of crops orchard! When developers started buying land for housing certain styles of architecture and tract plans were popular. But before that there were sparse houses around and many of them were little bungalow styles. Eventually many of the existing ones just became part of the neighborhoods! I remember one old house on the other side of our block across the street actually got raised and moved over a space or two in the 70s! Another little house several blocks back from that is the only small bungalow in the entire neighborhood!
Well done Preston..great info!
Pre fab buildings (homes, retail stores, bars etc.) were delivered by train during the 1800's Wild West Civil War era (according to a Utube doc I have seen). People, standing on the platform, waiting for the train that was bringing their entire town flat packed like and IKEA bookcase!
Such a great video my friend very informative and just what i was looking for love lloyd from new Zealand
If you ever visit Canton, Ohio (First Ladies’ Museum, McKinley Monument, Football Hall of Fame and Village), be sure to see the stunning Sears Magnolia home. I’m sure there are more in the area, but this and the three Frank Lloyd Wright homes have my heart.
We have a huge amount of Sears houses here southeast of Columbus Ohio.
Thank you for this very informative video. I hope you do make a documentary about kit homes.
5:02 when he finally starts to show what makes a sears homr
I lived in one that was built in 1945 In Kentucky. It was beautiful but when winter came it was very cold.
Thank You!
My is from 1918 in Laurel Montana but I think is Aladdin we have beautiful houses here in Montana
My house was built in 1960. The original owner visited me and told me her husband built it and it was a Sears kit home.
They look like they were very nice houses 🏘
I'm not a fan of bungalows or craftsman-style homes or any other homes built in that time frame. However, Sears Homes as far as quality are second to none. They allowed people to own their own single-family homes without mortgages that took thirty years to pay off, unlike the rest of the world where home ownership is not that common. They have beautiful finish carpentry and built-ins. Many of their home styles are coming back in style. There is lots of storage room in their homes including basements and walk-up attics.
You could mortgage your house through sears and make payments after like ~1920s. Thats actually why they took off. Inexpensive, customized, and you coukd buy it with payments
Levittown, NY then Levittown, PA. We have a lot of Sears homes in Atlantic County, New Jersey. They were brought in on the train. Great video!
Thanks Derek. Your correct. Sorry I couldn't remember
Thanks for the feedback Derek. I wish we could still buy them this way today.
Great video! I’m desperately looking for plans for a bungalow that belonged to my grandma... what’s are best online resources out there?
MY GRANDPARENTS LIVED IN A, CLASSIC ROCK FACE BLOCK DESIGN, IN FLAGG CENTER ,ILLINOIS ,WEST OF ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS. I BELIEVE THEY PAID $500 FOR 4 BEDROOM, 3 UP& 1 DOWN,BATH,FRONT ROOM,DINING ,KITCHEN ,PORCH. THEY MARRIED 1908, BROUGHT HOME AFTER 1912, LIVED IN IT UNTIL 1985, THEY DIED. IT'S STILL STANDING.
I have one! 1912...my home is in the catalog
So what happened after these homes. Like how did the building of homes change? And why?
Ok.i think you answered it. But what is the difference between a subdivision and neighborhood?
We have 6 in a row on our street. All are variation of the bungalow, 2 bedrooms, Jack and jill bath
I own a Sears Craftsman Bungalow! The most beautiful house in town!
How are electrical wires hidden? Are they behind a board and batten wall?
@@peterpiper5300 inside the plaster walls, like any newer house.
I live in a farm style sears kit home in Lemont Furnace, Pa that my Grandfather and my Uncles put together in 1921.
I rarely see this style in any of the info videos or publications.
I was told by a relative, that it was the only surviving sears home that was put together by the homeowner and not a contractor.
Does anyone here have any idea it that's true ?
My husband and I love the Magnolia. I would love to see the one in Benson, North Carolina. I am a huge fan of Georgian and Federal Period-style homes. How far is it from Iredell County? Thank you and thanks for the video.
I live in South Bend, Indiana, and we have one (Magnolia) not far from my home, I go by there often and it's in great condition and is fact referred to in a book of Sears kit homes with fairly recent a picture of it.
Levittown or "little boxes"
Levitown
Could you tell me if this address is a sears built/ kit home? Built in 1930s.... 311 bay branch Rd, Belvidere nc
Anyone please?
This house looks like Elvis Presley's house the Magnolia
Levittown
michael flinn The first government-sponsored red-lined community.
A small 5 bedroom house???
He’s wrong about that, it says 5 room. Living room, kitchen, 2 bedrooms and a dining room is considered a 5 room house, they don’t include bathrooms in room Count
I don’t have a series House seers😂
Nice burp at 10:40.
Nice job using the research off the internet that a few of us did! LOL
I'm gonna guess you're single.
T Bone Nope, seeing someone.
@@rachelshoemaker3561 Poor guy. ....or gal.
T Bone what a coward you are hiding behind a non-descript name!
So negative, Rachael.
actually, that was pretty bad! A lot of false info.
Thank you for the feedback. I will try to improve.