Sears Homes | Living St. Louis

From Nine PBS, Living St. Louis Producer Anne-Marie Berger takes a look at the history of Sears homes, ready-to-assemble houses available nearly 100 years ago in the Sears Roebuck catalogue. In 1908, these kit homes were offered in 370 styles and ranged in price from $500 to $5000. Families who selected a Sears home saved 1/3 the price it would cost to buy an already assembled, or 'normal', house.

[@juliepenn5313]

My husband & I wanted to down-size so we bought a small bungalow year ago. It was built in 1922 and when the home inspector did his investigation, he actually had to call me & let me know that the house we were buying was a Sear's kit home and even though it was 99 years old, it was in better shape than most of the homes he inspected over the last 30 years. He told us that Sears used first-cut lumber & that all the materials that mattered, from nails to shingles to siding, were top-notch and made to last. He was completely enamored with our home and so are we! The neighborhood is a gas-lit suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, and our research shows that a Land Association bought the land and built dozens of these homes and sold them. I would say that almost all of the homes in this small area are Sear's homes. I am so thankful to be living in a piece of true American history.

[@rosethornil]

That’s very cool!! Ohio is stuffed full of Sears Kit Homes!

[@carmenj5045]

Someone needs to start this kinda house business again!!! Affordable for the working stiffs!!!

[@bbbustedflush]

Growing up I can't remember a time when there wasn't a Sears Catalog in the house. And I absolutely wore the pages out of every Christmas toy catalog.

[@NJP76]

Oh the memories laying on the living room floor with siblings and dreaming of all of those fantastic toys! It all seems so surreal now.

[@bonnieikamas1201]

I did too!🥰

[@regsun7947]

Didn't just about everyone do that back then? My folks didn't have a lot of money and we knew we wouldn't get any of the shinies but that didn't stop us from enjoying the pictures. My sister and I also made paper dolls out of models in the catalogs and cut out clothes for them. Some of them fit pretty oddly but we still had a blast. The best clothes came from the fabric and draperies pages where we could cut to match the "doll's" body.

[@DP-eo5xd]

When I was a kid I like the lingerie section. The pages are stuck together now

[@metoo3821]

My grandparents who married in 1908 built a Sears home on their farm in DuBois iL Cousins still live in the house and work the farm. My grandad told my Uncle who grew up there that the house came on 3 rail cars and was hauled to the site by horse and wagon. Grandparents rented a house nearby while building the home. I actually don't know when the home was purchased/finished, but they were living in it by 1917 when my mom was born. I have a picture with my grandparents standing on the front porch right after it was finished as well as one of Grandma and two oldest children on the side porch. It is 2 story, 4 rooms up, 4 down with a central staircase. The woodwork is beautiful and all original windows are still in the house. I also have a Stickley buffet that was part of their dining room set. I have spent a lot of time there over the years and always get a thrill when I am able to visit.

[@Kinseydsp]

Back in the day Sears was wonderful. I am still hoping that Sears can survive. As a Kid we got all our Clothes from the Sears Catalog and we were never disappointed. The Clothes lasted forever. There was More for your Life with Sears.

[@NJP76]

Interesting! My Family home is actually a Sears home. Couldn't possibly tell you what model it is though. We (my parents) bought it in 1976. I was 16 and just home from boarding school. I had trouble believing that the home was a Sears home. All I knew of Sears back then was the Christmas catalogs, and other mail order things. It amazed (and amused) me to think that we were living in a "mail order house". Now (in 2021) the house is about to get signed over to me by my mother, and I am proud to declare that it is a Sears home. I can actually see some of the original stampings on the joists in the basement. Of course the house has modern siding and windows now, but other than that, it is pretty much the way it was originally built back in the days. Ironic how after all these years, at over 60 years old, I will be returning to that good old solid Sears home. It has served our family well over time...and continues to do so today. It is, after all is said and done, still our home.

[@pattysouza2954]

I would love to see pictures of your home.

[@janicecanfield9211]

I bought and live in a Sears house. I also bought a Sears homes book with photos. Search online and you likely will find your home. I'm writing the history of this house for local Historical society.

[@SunShine-zt1ge]

They need to bring that kind of house back...

[@TINYTOASTKITCHEN]

they are called modular homes now . you have many to choose from

[@caziontherise]

115000 modular home honey. get the loan. inflation from 1908

[@davidc1502]

I just ordered a Walmart home it is being shipped from China! Can't wait to get started on it!

[@TSemasFl]

Legos don't count,

[@cathyheston3029]

@@TSemasFl Lol!

[@freedomstar3814]

The sheetrock was made in Wuhan next to the bat market / lab :)

[@Chris2Flock]

It will probably last you a year,then you'll have to order another. 😹

[@chasgarza3960]

Is this real? I don't trust anything China. I trust North Korea before China and that's ruff.

[@skylarhall9071]

Sears should start doing this again would be popular.

[@Chutney1luv]

If only, that could happen! All of the Sears Stores are closed now!

[@Helladamnleet]

They'd fall into a few categories: Ones commissioned by snobs, ones built by people who knew what they were doing, and ones built by people who never should have been given a paint brush let alone build a house.

[@Helladamnleet]

@@Chutney1luv False.

[@NJLouis66]

This is neat. I live in a Ridgeland. My kids are the fourth generation of my wife's family to live here. Still have the original invoice and packing list - which is like a book. Still a very solid house after all these years.

[@Someonesaidthis]

I really liked that era when stores like Sears sold catalog homes. There was more of a true meaning in owning these homes because they were built by the families that lived in them unlike today where you have tracked housing, the sad reality of corporation at it's worst today.. I wish we could turn back the clock to the way it was then..

[@elsplace896]

A friend of mine and her husband just realized they were in the Sears home I think they found the catalog or something. It's a really nice looking home.

[@texas1949]

These houses are museum pieces! Love ‘em! ❤

[@tomaharris8618]

Wow !!!!!!! Love the story...

[@ppgwhereeverett4412]

My father in law lived in a Sears Home in Nevada City, Calif until a few years ago. A 135 foot tall pine tree took out the roof in a storm after 80 years !! They were built Stout !

[@haparoundthehouse6618]

These homes are aesthetically pleasing and the roof lines and gables are somehow perfect as far as my eye can tell. Perhaps Sears designers/engineers reached the pinnacle of clean yet dramatic lines in these homes? Even new homes that are built out somehow fail to look as inviting. I get the feeling that the materials were of much higher quality than what is used today.

[@riverice7]

I read about these homes today, because sadly Sears is in big trouble financially and they mentioned they used to mail kit houses. Good quality materials and lots of love made those houses so special. I was born to late sigh...

[@benp4355]

Very interesting! Allegedly, one of the Sears Kit Homes made it to Marshall, TX. The house has been very well maintained and includes several modern-day upgrades. Currently, a couple lives in the home.

[@ceciliem1811]

Wow! What awesome information, about beautiful mail order Sears Homes! I have a small Antique Sears Catalogue; in which has the various homes that you can order these homes from! It is amazing!! Thanks for the information!! 👍💖👍

[@jakeduffin4626]

Great video! Thank you for sharing!

[@septembersapphire347]

Very cool! I wish I'd lived in those times.

[@barrywainwright3391]

What America needs is the have a Sears catalog like how it was in back in 1908, back when everything imaginable could be ordered, including chickens. It's so sad why happened to what was once a great company and store.

[@Ellenw1122]

I really enjoyed this video.I find the history facinating.In my town we have 11 confirmed sears homes,and 70 that have not been officially documented.I suspect that there are actually more then that.Thanks for the education.

[@blester76]

We live in a Sears home. It's the Riverside. We live in a development just outside of Albany, NY. There are many Sears homes in it.

[@datsun210]

Any chance this can be reuploaded in higher def than 240p?

[@thepainterlady]

Shasyside, Ohio has a lot of these Sears Kit Homes. The village of Shadyside sits along side the Ohio River with the train tracks between the town and the river. Some of these homes had a beautiful view of the Ohio River. Shadyside and the nearby town of Bellaire, Ohio was a bustling area with many glass factories, enamelware and coal mines. Imperial Glass, Rodefer Glass, Bellaire Enamel Works just to name a few.

[@sherryaleshire9187]

How cool . Thank you very much for the video ❤😊

[@onlybosslion9267]

Awesome. People need this today!

[@Ivehadenuff]

I think I owned one of these early catalog houses, built in 1905, because it was primarily built by a lone carpenter and there appeared to be an option for the attic stairs.

[@tammyguessbeckham2212]

The house next to me is a Sears house. It was built by the original owner of my house. He built it for his mother. When his mother died the district attorney bought it. He had new wood put in for the stairs and rails. He also replaced the fireplace mantle. He had the wood sent up river by barge. It is a beautiful home!!!

[@jarrodbarkley9061]

Rosemary is very articulate.

[@vickiruhlman2694]

We had a Sears house, well sort of. I t was built in 1903. Somehow they got plans from one of those kit homes. They tore down their old house and used the lumber to build it from that plan. We bought it and remodeled it in the late 80’s. It is gorgeous. I miss living in it.

[@ladyjane9980]

Fantastic!

[@Siouxlee]

I have her books, if you have any interest in Sears homes at all, the books are so worth it.

[@valenechavez8448]

I love this.

[@bonnieikamas1201]

I’m quite certain that my dear aunt and uncle lived in a beautiful Vallonia in Louisville, Kentucky. I just saw the ad for it and the floor plan too! The address was 4541 South Third Street. If anyone drives by it, please let me know if you agree with me!!! By the way, thanks! I enjoyed this so much! I also found that my local library has at least one of Ms. Thornton’s books!🥰

[@johnnysunrocket8618]

Sears should bring back these homes for sale and revitalize their profits and save Sears.

[@jonimichalski9193]

Beautiful

[@michaelsteele4587]

East Lansing Michigan and quite a few neighborhoods in Lansing Michigan have dozens of these kit homes.

[@evelynwilson1566]

I wonder how much the plots of land cost? I live in Scotland, I don't think we had this in the early twentieth century but I remember that when my neighbours moved in the eighties, they bought a kit house. I'm glad these instructions were clear and the quality was good. I love this sort of history, it's so interesting thinking about how towns and villages changed, and why that happened. When I was wee, I lived in a 'police house' which can also cause eyebrows to raise! They were tied houses owned by the police force, which officers with families could rent while they were in the service. The police stopped doing that a long time ago but the houses still stand and are in private ownership.

[@amymoyfshgylgjkkjmmvn5517]

How would this work today? We’d have the city and need permits right? I’m guessing not back then? It’s fascinating to imagine people building their own house!!!! A piece of history.

[@pattysouza2954]

I would like to see the inside of some of these homes.

[@sharid76]

Mortgages did exist before then. But they were not set up like the 30 year mortgages we know. They were paid in "balloon payments" - that is, you didn't pay it every month, but you paid off big chunks of it every quarter, or 6 months, or even yearly. To extend those arrangements required high "renewal fees" which was actually the way banks ripped people off. When Sears began offering mortgages, they were paid in small monthly payments, over a few years, with NO renewal fees needed at all.

[@JPKnapp-ro6xm]

Also, the owner had to make a very high down payment--- usually half of the home's value.

[@Kurtis570]

I have a 100% purely original Sears Home ("Chelsea") in Monmouth County, NJ from 1908. I have original siding, windows, etc and was looking for tax incentives from my high property tax to keep my house original since the maintence is high to preserve it. Any advice on what I can do?

[@conditionallyunconditional5691]

Register it as a historic landmark. They can help you with preservation.

[@RenaissancePeopleNYC]

what were the inside walls made of? I would think plastering would require some skill and I'm not sure sheetrock was around.

[@JeffDeWitt]

I've done a little research on these. Typically plaster was included but for an extra charge you could get plasterboard. I don't know if what Sears called plasterboard is the same thing we think of, but it obviously served the same purpose.

[@bjrizen2188]

Wow! I went to Blackburn College in Carlinville, IL. So, there were no brick homes?

[@aynsleyoller5209]

I grew up in a Sears house in NH and a portion of the front of the house was brick. So not sure if they had whole houses or brick, but for sure some came with decorative brick.

[@bjrizen2188]

@@aynsleyoller5209 ... Wow!! Kool beans!!!

[@JeffDeWitt]

From the Sears home plans I've seen masonry was never included with the kit, probably too expensive to ship. That doesn't mean you couldn't have put brick on your Sears home.

[@user-vm6oz6wt5g]

Interesting

[@dondesnoo1771]

Uncle Arlington built ours 145 Lakeview Ave Leonia n.j. been sold thought. Think he but 3 in the area..

[@gustavoacosta215]

Imagine if homes were still five hundred dollars

[@chaelodoul9401]

How am I just now finding this amazing video??!! My Gosh I’ve watched it ten times in a row. Love this clip. 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱

[@jenniferbeck6091]

😊

[@ellykurpiewski7954]

We live in a sears kit home...

[@Jennifer-iw9bl]

Soon we will make the structure of our homes from HempCrete using NASA technology. A fully walled 3 bedroom home for $5,000 prepped for electrical and plumbing

[@snapperat212]

Owned a Glen Falls….

[@s7rey]

Besides "complexity" reason SEARS quit building this kits, I think was because Banks began to see oportunity in lending and robbing people. In that era, there was NO MORTGAGES! believe it or not!. Most of people buy homes in cash , or with money from family and friends!.

[@freedomstar3814]

Good thing my dad never bought a Sears house .... his carpenter skills were not as good as his daily dose of 4-6 beers ! The house would have been not level in every room !

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

bwahaha--this was a very cute and very human comment. Thanks for the smile :)

[@Richierich1285]

and now we have houses built on wheels for 30 to 150k funny how we went from homes like this to homes on wheels

[@tripsquared_greenworks]

She says that these men would be careful and deliberate and follow the instructions when building their house. Have you ever seen a man read the instructions on anything?

[@khandiieamerson1039]

This but for tiny houses 😅

[@mistervacation23]

The gal in the blue is a hot little number.

[@Hardworkwork777]

You think Ikea furniture is a headache, imagine this.

[@amymoyfshgylgjkkjmmvn5517]

How did they do it? I’ve heard people complain about building a shed!!