Why did Sears Kit Homes FAIL?

[@anye76]

I'd take a Sears Roebuck & Co house right now over these sawdust particleboard McMansions that cost over $480K

[@rustinstardust2094]

same!

[@bawlingchicken1]

The problem then becomes finding land to put it on... billionaires snapping up land like crazy.

[@Don-ds3dy]

Adjusted for inflation, that 5,000$ spent to buy a new house would be worth 65,000$ today, which coincidentally is the average income for the average man...but the average cost of a brand new home today is worth 450k 😬 Let that sink in...in 1950s it was not unusual for a 21 year old man to own a two story house, while on today's world it's odd to see anyone under 30 with a house.

[@knitnut246connie7]

My maternal grandparents built a 1920 Sears home in Windsor Ontario. They went to Detroit Michigan to order and choose everything they wanted. It crossed the Detroit River by train tunnel, then was delivered to the 5 acre lot by truck. It was sold in 1988. It remains, after several updates….as I check it out every so many years. It is a solid home.

[@ChronicAndIronic]

wow isn’t that awesome, that’s so cool they got to tell you about it too

[@trickyricky12147]

That is cool! I bet you the several updates have masked the house's true character though. Unless the latest update restored it back to its former glory like most people (including I) would prefer to do anyway.

[@claireburkus8497]

My first home in 1973 was a beautiful Sears home!!! Still standing proudly in Gleside Gardens,Pennsylvania! We were given all the order information and paperwork and proudly passed it on to the next family!!

[@christianfournier6356]

We need a modern day program like this.

[@pavelow235]

Oh it's available it's called trailers.....then you rent land in a "park"......not sure about your neighbors though

[@jonathanjones3126]

​@pavelow235 or manufactured homes that you put onto a on-site foundation

[@seanm3226]

“Program”?

[@pcatful]

Hawaii Planing Mill offered simple home kits up into the late 20th century (Maybe still?). It was a good way for people with limited means get a start in Hawaii. Most home construction has become too complicated and regionally controlled today. Labor and local costs have wiped out some the advantage of such a system. The contemporary “kit” homes mentioned are expensive alternatives and the businesses do not seem to last or are always restructuring to find the sweet spot in the competition.

[@pcatful]

@@pavelow235But as noted in the video, trailers are less desirable, often depreciating quickly, whereas these old Sears houses still have their value.

[@curiousworld7912]

I lived in a Sears kit house for several years (a four-bedroom bungalow), and loved it. It was beautifully detailed, using high-quality materials, and was simply a lovely house.

[@everkief8650]

I don't believe that Sears Kit Homes actually "failed." They succeeded brilliantly during their time on the market during a very DIY era and were later replaced by more modern DIY options, as the video shows. Additionally, look at all the people in the comments that own or owned one of these houses. They are all proud of the fact. That's a great success considering its 100 since Sears started selling kit homes. About ten years ago, when finishing my history degree I went on a Sears Kit Home search in my home town. There were well over a dozen that I was able to find, so I'm sure there were many more, temporarily lost to history until the day someone starts a renovation, finds a number burned into a large beam and calls their local history museum to ask "what is this?" Their eyes will open to a vast world of discovery. Definitely not a failure!

[@michaeltutty1540]

When Sears stopped selling the homes in 1942 I am willing to bet that World War II, the shortage of labour, and the redirection of factories into making was materiel had a great deal to do with it. Post war, subdivisions were being built rather than individual building lots.

[@theany9765]

He didn't touch on the biggest reason that kit homes went away- cheap power tools. In 1912 it was economical to cut everything to length in a factory, number it, and ship it to the build site. If you had the plans but had to buy your own lumber, you'd be cutting it to length with a handsaw. once power tools got cheap enough for the average contractor to afford it was cheaper to cut lumber on site. manufactured homes could still be made efficiently, but with more and more being finished in the factory essentially becoming modular. Stores like Menards sell home plans and all materials to build them, but you are going to have to interpret the drawings and cut your lumber yourself.

[@AxelQC]

They failed in the business sense that they ceased operations.

[@MH3GL]

In 1953, my grandfather bought and built an Aladdin kit house. Lived in it till the day he died. My grandmother remained there until she no longer could. Thankfully, the house is still in the family.

[@jimhagan697]

Bring that program BACK,it's a great idea that we need right now!

[@garyfrancis6193]

And original prices.

[@LadyDeirdre]

@@garyfrancis6193Or just inflation adjusted. Housing prices have far outstripped general inflation rates.

[@Megaawesomeguy]

Good luck, do you know how many certifications you need to be able to construct something that won't immediately burn to the ground? Electrical work and plumbing isn't as simple as it seems. Not to mention proper framing

[@Julia-zj2ch]

I owned and lived in a "Sears house" for 22 years. It was actually from a company called Aladdin that was just like the Sears catalogue. Ours was the Plaza model. We couldn't find out for certain the year it was built, but we think about 1912. Sadly, we no longer live there. It is a gorgeous, California bungalow style with stone foundation and pillars. Deep eaves and wide front porch. I love that house deeply and miss it terribly. It is in State College, Pennsylvania.

[@pavelow235]

Sorry you had to leave.

[@kate2create738]

Just looked it up and boy that is a cute home design! I can see the appeal, especially with that front porch.

[@pcno2832]

Austin Motor Company had a bunch of Aladin houses shipped from Bay City, MI to Birmingham, UK, during WWI and most of them are still standing and visible on Google street-view. The name of the place is Austin Village and there are various web sites with information on it.

[@JSchroederee]

I have a liberty aka Aladin pre cut home, a little cape built in 1950 It has been a good home. Standard size windows and doors have been a benefit. Oddly my biggest complaint is the layout of the electric circuits (too manay rooms share one breaker), and the original owner was the electrician at a local factory🤦‍♂️. A neighbor told me no way the original owners built it, they definitely hired contractors for assembly.

[@EclecticDD]

From the images I've seen in movies and TV shows those houses are so cute/pretty when well painted.

[@MrSloika]

Sears even had it's own unique styles know as 'Craftsman'. The Craftsman style was so popular it was copied by other builders.

[@jamesslick4790]

@@MrSloika Of course they also used that name for their tools! Makes sense!

[@trickyricky12147]

​@@jamesslick4790So that's where Sears got the idea for the name of their tools! Hahaha.

[@jamesellsworth9673]

My wife's first home purchase was a Craftsman home from Sears. It was solidly constructed.

[@PlasmaCoolantLeak]

I came across the term "Craftsman home" in a book. No idea that it was a kit home.

[@RayPointerChannel]

My parent's first home bought in 1947 was one of the Sear Craftsman homes, one of several on Begole Street in Detroit. Many of them are still standing after 100 years. So this is definitely NOT a failure. What we have to today is failures.

[@vivaldi1948]

Years ago Jean Sheppard , "A Christmas Story", had a weekly show on PBS radio. One week he told the story of a family in a small midwestern town he lived in that had ordered a Sears Kit Home. The entire town turned out. It's a very funny story but I haven't been able to find it on the internet. Thank you for including this.

[@HistoricGentleman]

the town he grew up in , Hammond, Indiana, has a plethora of sears mail order homes, they also have a half dozen of the bolt together enameled kit homes that were offered immediately post war by another firm

[@1965JB]

I’ll never forget that episode. Heard it when I was 10, in 1968.

[@Freesavh1776]

Kinda like an Amish barn raising event. The entire Amish community shows up to help in anyway they can.

[@gimpygardner3377]

I own a 1939 Sears Starlight. (Rental property) It is a very well designed home for both space and strength. I was an electrician and worked in a lot of attics, and I'm a big guy. The floor of the attic in my Sears house doesn't move when I'm up there.

[@carcar78]

Glad you took the time and effort to present this the way you did, Ken. Many of the Sears kits as you mentioned really have stood the test of time. The newest pre-fab homes are truly sturdy and outstanding. I still may consider one. They are tanks compared to the earlier single and double wide manufactured home.

[@nunyabidness3075]

I have yet to find any of the prefabs that were not much more expensive than stick built. I wish I could remember the video about the prefab company that switched to being an on-site builder who brought the fabrication equipment to the site and found he saved time and money.

[@monwell27]

I’m sitting in a sears home. It’s over 100 years old. How did they fail? The program changed mostly due to government regulations not due to kit homes. I wish we could buy sears home style kits and not just “build packs” from a big box store.

[@trolleychai]

My father grew up in a Sears kit home in Yonkers, New York, one of the first ones built (his parents bought it when it was less than ten years old).

[@pamelachristie5570]

Friends of mine used to live in a stunning Victorian-style home in Pasadena, CA, complete with a tower and stained glass windows. You'd never guess it had been made from a Sears kit over 100 years ago. Probably worth millions today.

[@georgekrpan3181]

@pamelachristie5570 I owned a bungalow at 622 Charter Oak St. in South Pasadena, built in 1922. The neighbors speculated that it was a kit home. It was drafty but super cute.

[@lawrencelewis2592]

I owned a Sears home in Poughkeepsie, New York from 1983 to 1995. Built in 1930, it was a simple, boxy structure with 2 bedrooms on a long narrow lot. There were others on my street and quite a few around town.

[@stevennguyen4993]

Knowing Poughkeepsie, it's not cluttered with junk, run down, and dilapidated.

[@poppy3026]

WHY WOULD YOU SAY THEY FAILED ? EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN EVOLVES OR HAS THEIR SEASONS. TODAY THESE HOMES ARE SOUGHT AFTER FOR THEIR HISTORY. THAT IS CALLED SUCCESS.

[@pavelow235]

AGREE WITH YOUR ASSESSMENT!

[@jeromemckenna7102]

I agree the kit homes were a success and unlike today's home they provided solid value.

[@timfremstad3434]

Yes, the houses didn't fail, Sears did, the internet making catalog shopping obsolete

[@StarshipTrooper2050]

There’s one standing, lived in and looking great in Grand River Ohio….. It’s a nice home!

[@Freesavh1776]

Absolutely! The Sears kit homes were a very wide smashing success for Sears & the American family consumers.

[@jec1ny]

What killed the Sears mail order homes? World War II and the strict wartime rationing. Almost all construction projects had to be approved by various government agencies as essential to the war effort. On a side note; I live in a prefab and am quite happy.

[@RyansuBike]

I would guess the Stock market crash of 29 put a serious dent in kit home sales just like it did for almost all non essentials during the depression

[@francisjohnson665]

My goddaughter and her husband lived in one of these houses. It was beautiful. 👍👍

[@jz55859]

I inherited a "Kit Home" from my Paternal Grandparents in a small town Central Illinois in 1998. When I financed the remodel I obtained the original handwritten Abstract. The house was one of several built by a contractor who used "Kit Homes" shipped by rail. The house was built in 1890 as a 4 room "Saltbox" style. The houses on either side of me were the same floorplan only reversed. Later add-ons in the 1920's may well have come from Sears as a "kitchen" and pantry and small bedroom went on the back as well as a "modern" outhouse was set back in the backyard by the alley. I used that outhouse as a kid on visits up until the mid 60's when sewage and water came to that small town and grandpa added a bathroom in the house in place of the pantry. He also built a one car garage at that time. It was one of many shipped in and built by the local coal mine to house workers. Over the years the locals came to calling the homes "Sears Homes" though they pre-dated Sears massive program. Before Sears, many small companies sprang up to create these kits for people beginning with President Lincoln's "Land Deal" for settlers going west. When I inherited it I remodeled it by adding 2 bedrooms (one with a Master bath) and enclosed the back porch. I tore down the old garage and put a 2 and a half in it's place as well as a pool. I remember cutting through wood from the 1800's that burned up sawblades by the dozens. I'm talking about the 4x4's and larger. All the original lumber was true 2x4 and up. What began as a 4 room house without electric or plumbing eventually became a 3 bed 2 full bath ranch. They don't build 'em like they used to.

[@deborahcaldwell9775]

I have one! A Craftsman.

[@Porsche996driver]

Awesome - where you at?

[@tomstiel7576]

I have one also,1928, the Starlighter,absolouteley love it , the interior is mostly intact,waterford mi

[@timfremstad3434]

@@Porsche996driver Dude, don't ask that

[@festerofest4374]

@@timfremstad3434 Why not? You think he will get in his Porsche and drive over there and bother them lol?

[@AndrewGraziani-k7d]

Good for you all.

[@jerrycomo2736]

There are several KZbin Channels of people moving off grid and building homes from scratch. I understand the appeal of, if you could, to build your own home on these remote lots. I, however, even if I had the skill, I would instead build a prefab A Frame. This gives me surface area for solar panels that can be cleaned and maintained. Then, once completed, if needed I would build extensions, etc. but at least I would have a place to live that is not a tent.

[@kate2create738]

For me it varies where the location is at and if it makes sense. In the more wilderness area where there’s lots of snow, A frames are an excellent plus. In a more quaint town or in a valley, the cute homes will be best able to blend in. One of the things I have a hard time with is architecture that detracts from the setting. Most architecture is developed based on region depending on the source of the material and the techniques to help adapt to the environment (pueblos work best in the deserts, courtyards give heated areas benefits of breathable spaces without relying on electricity like New Orleans, etc.)

[@grimsonforce7504]

@@kate2create738 Same here I like structures that blend in with the landscape. A frames are mixed bag for me, great for snow places I guess but it really depends on the terrain and environment the home will be in. I'd rather build according to the landscape and environment I live in.

[@BrothaJeff]

Wish we had these kits still available today. I would buy one and enjoy building it.

[@BrothaJeff]

@RobertWhittle-g4w Thank you for the info. I looked at the kits but they lack the charm and character from the old sears kits. I hope to find a place that supplies older home style kits. I found one Early New England homes but they only do them in the States.

[@chriskoch1241]

Our family still has a four-square Sears home. It's built like a tank. Great building.

[@JohnnyAngel8]

I grew up in a 1911 Sears kit home. My parents bought it in 1953 for $13,000.

[@josephhaddakin7095]

That was an expensive home in 1953.

[@jerryrollins512]

I live in a Sears Catalog home built in 1937. Has seen up grades over the years. Well built and sturdy all these years later as are most I have seen.

[@dtread9543]

My grandparents home was a Sears kit home. They lived there for over 60 years, so many great memories.

[@wondersteven]

When I lived in Arlington, Va. I went on a Sears home tour. There were a lot of homes Sears built there due to the railroads. Easy to ship. I still have the pamphlet with all the addresses of the homes that we visited. There was even a Montgomery Wards home on the list. It was a book store but was torn down just a couple of years later to make way for a little retail strip.

[@joshmapes4311]

I live in an old neighborhood in Wichita, Kansas. There are carriage houses and many homes have hitching posts for horses and lack driveways. It is common to strike up a conversation with a neighbor and learn that their home was a Sears “kit house”, as they tend to call them. This was fascinating, thank you for all of this wonderful information.

[@alanpareis734]

I had heard of the Sears homes, but never realized the extent of the offerings. Thanks Ken for doing this.

[@ghostofnoface1546]

Emagine finding one of these in storage. That would be awesome. History does repeat it self. Thanks for all You do, Much Love.

[@nancybode6159]

I grew up in a Wausau house which came in panels and was assembled on site. My husband grew up in a Sears kit house. In 1996 we bought a two story prefab house from All American Homes. It came in four big pieces on trailers and had a crane lift the pieces into position. The crane operator even lifted our furnace out of our pickup and set it in the basement before they started assembling the house. Our house, situated at the top of a hill, survived the Derecho of 2020 while the stick built houses around us didn't. I miss that house!

[@handimanjay6642]

I did some work in one in mid Missouri near 20 years ago. It was well built and had innovations well ahead of its time. There were heat panels in the ceilings, a huge furnace in a spacious attic, lighting had low voltage switching tied to a relay panel in the attic. The framing was solid and most of the system were still operational.

[@billmilligan7272]

I've been in one of these. It was gorgeous! Even though it was about a hundred years old when I visited, I'd happily live in one of these.

[@chrisripley154]

I work next to one of these, my boss grew up in the house. It's built better than any double wide or pre-fab today.

[@Colorado_Native]

I worked in a Sears home that had been converted into an insurance office. You could see the board numbers stamped onto them for their location during construction. It is still in good shape. Sadly, it may be torn down to build a car wash.

[@jimc4731]

I owned one and lived it as a country getaway. Enjoyed it fully! JIM 🎉

[@JosephDean-e5z]

We owned a kit home in a kit home neighborhood in Annapolis. The kits were derived via the Baltimore and Annapolis RR and the kits were constructed on both sides of the rail spur. While small it was well built and a great starter home for our expanding family. Thank you for highlighting this part of our history. Manufactured housing as these homes were the beginning were and are a more efficient building method with less waste and potentially more energy efficient.

[@lorimeyers3839]

I grew up in a Sears catalog home, I believe it was built in 1929. Solid home, plaster walls, oak trim. 2:14 when I was a kid, our kitchen sink looked like what you see on top right. It was a big bathtub sink.

[@TheKeksadler]

The fact that I've seen almost every one of the Sears kit homes shown in this video within my town speaks volumes to this program's popularity. I would definitely live in a prefab... as long as it erred closer to the Sears style of design.

[@coreymorrow1315]

I own and have lived in a sears kit home for the past 24 years. It was built in 1929 according to the date and initials inscribed in the basement floor. I have found many interesting labeling stamped in different materials throughout the home during updates and renovations, seems very well built with quality materials .

[@Gizathecat2]

Our account has an office in an old Sears house. She discovered it’s origins when some modifications were made to make the interior an office..

[@donyoung6463]

Our first home bought in 1977 was a sears home in Redford twp. Michigan, built in 1939, we updated it and sold it in 1984 it was a nice home to start our family in. Unfortunately at some time in the 2000s it was torn down, not sure why but was sad to see a empty lot where the home that had so many good memories once stood.

[@monkeysrighthand]

I lived in a beautiful 1928 Sears bungalow. You could see the instruction stamps on the beams in the basement. Several houses on my street were Sears homes. All the houses still look great!

[@spokanefut]

We owned one. It was great. It certainly didn't fail in any way, shape or form.

[@deanevangelista6359]

I live by a railroad line, and the town across the tracks from my neighborhood has a number of Sears homes. They’re quite solid, and attractive. The kits were often hauled by train, so towns near a railroad often have Sears homes.

[@alterman156channel]

The Sears kit homes used quality materials which is why at least 2/3rds of them are still standing today. Many pre-cut and pre-fabricated houses can be good provided that good quality materials are used. Unfortunately there are many houses that are not using good quality materials and start to have serious issues within a few years. In most cases, it makes the most sense to assemble the pieces of a new home in a factory and then assemble then on site. However good quality materials are a must.

[@Hey_Blinkin]

They're all over St.louis MO. My best friend's grandfather built one. They chained all the materials together and legitimately floated it down the Mississippi River to get it to him. He said he stood by the bank for days waiting for it. Wild.

[@mr.horse1801]

I live in a 1924 sears home and its awesome. Feels so solid compared to these toothpick houses built today.

[@jbj27406]

An example of "The Crescent" model was my grandmother's house in Durham, NC. Still standing and recently sold for over $400,000.

[@bjkjoseph]

My uncle bought the Sears bungalow and it’s still standing and it’s now attached to a house built in the 80s, it was jacked up and moved

[@barbararussell9757]

I love the Sears kit houses. My brother got a reproduction of the Sears House Catalog for Christmas years ago and I became fascinated with it. The range of styles and the integrity of the designs is amazing. I like the current interest in tiny houses but I wish that the companies producing fabricated tiny houses would offer better, more interesting designs that don't look so boxy and modern.

[@Serai3]

I would love to have one of those old Sears homes. Unfortunately, that's not possible anymore.

[@RaandomLeftist]

Sears homes are dope. My grandma lives in one and my mom bought one across the street from her when it went up for sale. Remodeling them is also pretty easy. I would definitely live in a Sears home and would buy one myself in the future if one went up for sale in my grandmother's neighborhood.

[@kate2create738]

I wish we had the options of Sears kit homes, they had charm AND practicality. Too many homes from the 50’s onward were either devoid of life or basic that it was not efficient. Studying ways how kitchens were customized to be efficient in one spot is an eye opener compared to the gargantuan kitchens that ends up being unpractical when its main design is for socializing. If I’m throwing a party, I don’t want to cook the whole time, and I like the idea of having a formal dinning room to not have to be in the kitchen. It’s the details like that make me loath homes built in the last 50-60 years, much rather take in anything older and just restore it back to life than a turn key home that is too contemporary. Can’t help but be jealous of my ancestor’s options in the Sears kit catalogs, so many have great layouts and character to feel like an actual home.

[@bertroost1675]

I lived in one from 1970 to 1976 as a young boy. I can still remember the inside of that house very well. The fireplace room was amazing. It's still standing and I drive by it almost daily. We didn't know it was a Sears home until my dad was working in the attic and found a shipping manifest stapled to a rafter. It stated the model number, that it was a Sears home and that it arrived in our town by train. I wish I could recall what model it was. I'd love to see the blue prints and a Sears catalog picture of it.

[@4knanapapa]

Our first home bought in 77 built in 39 was a sears kit home,we only realized it after recieving a letter from the origional owner/builder stating so, managed to find a old catalog and sure enough there was our home.A few years back my son went back to the old neighborhood and our sears home was gone, just a empty 40x120 lot, sad.

[@mikehenson819]

I live in a small town in TN, and didn’t realize until just a few years ago that there are quite a few Sears homes in our town. And they’re all in pretty good condition and in the better neighborhoods of our town!

[@kimhall5863]

Would love to see a full episode by you on local Sears homes~it’s fun to try & pick them out in the Chicago area!

[@claudiamann7111]

I saw a few Sears homes in LaGrange, IL. They were beautiful outside. I wish I could have seen them from the inside. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@noneyun9943]

I’d buy one today! I lived in one for a couple years, and that’s how I learned about sears homes. I’m a huge fan of them now

[@MelissaThompson432]

I grew up in a Sears home built in 1936. I loved that house. Still my favorite house ever. All my friends lived in cinderblock shoeboxes aka "brick ranches."

[@L4teSh1ft]

I live in a catalog home. Picked from a book, "Pre-Cut", shipped in a box car on the North Western line, and assembled 100 years ago. Only wish I had a photo of it's construction.

[@user-mv9tt4st9k]

Given the choice, and if I did not already live in my forever home, I would consider a kit home. In my community there a neighborhoods full of homes that look as if they may have begun life as kits. My family is blessed to live in a vernacular home that was built over 100 years ago. I love the idea of kit homes, however, modern day building and/or employment regulations along with the cost of quality materials might make building one impractical today. 😊

[@baloo_2228]

Growing up, my very elderly neighbors, who lived catty-corned from us, had a Sears Roebuck home. It was later expanded to accommodate the new family who would end up moving in. But the original portion always remained intact.

[@cht2162]

In the early 1960s I worked for National Homes Corp. at their plant in Horseheads, N.Y. Houses were prepared in sections and moved from the warehouse by truck to a particular customer. Great job.

[@thomasgeorgecastleberry6918]

I've been in some old Sears houses over the years and I liked them! I also think "cement," houses have a very bright future.

[@imhere653]

There are two that I know of in Dallas, Texas. Both are currently occupied. They look fine on the outside, which causes me to conclude they are ok inside. You can still see some of the assembly instructions stamped on the lumber. I miss Sears & Roebuck.

[@guyh.4553]

My parents bought their prefab home in 1973. It was the last house from Boise Cascade to travel down I-84. The one thing about our house is that it is a 1 piece "modular", I guess home. It is 28 ft wide by 66 ft long. My sister now has that house. I almost got a modular home 1996 & am still kicking myself about not getting it. My last home will be a modular house from Stratford Mfg. Homes in Post Falls, ID. Modulars are wonderful!

[@RK57AZ]

My cousins home was a kit home built near the end of the 1800’s that came from Seattle, WA. It was a 3 story Victorian with a wraparound porch with large round wooden columns and beveled lead crystal windows at the front entrance. It was built on a hill and the stone retaining walls were made by skilled stone masons from the Santa Fe railroad. It was one of the first homes in Prescott, AZ. to have electricity installed. It is listed in the National Registry of Historic Homes.

[@EricDaMAJ]

You can still buy house kits online. Elon Musk has a small home manufacturing company that delivers small homes and constructs them. They're modular too, so if it's too small you can buy another and stack it horizontally and vertically.

[@glennbartram2620]

I lived in Levittown PA and some of these methods and architectural designs were used in William Levits neighborhoods where homes were built from ground up from prefab trusses and stair stringers on a concrete slab each set of workers moving to to the next slab and so on. Frank lloyd Wright mentioned here influenced the design.

[@DBVintage]

A very good friend of our family had a ranch up north of here near Paso Robles. The main house on the place was a Sears house and it was pretty nice looking. We usually stayed in what would be considered the ranchhand quarters which was this little funny house that wasn’t even on a foundation, the floor is and everything were very uneven and you could practically go through the place on rollerskates. But it’s a part of my childhood memories. The original Sears house is still there, although the property has been sold. It has been pretty extensively remodeled and is now part of a winery.

[@charlii5917]

For as small as my town is, we have quite a few sears homes. They are all as solid as when they were built.

[@talltom1129]

I live in a house that was a kit house, but I have no information on it. The township i live in didn't start keeping records until 1950. There are a number of boards in the attic with part numbers on them. It's a very plain bungalow, and quite cozy. Wish I knew more about it!

[@jons.6216]

When I was growing up in San Jose, CA most of the suburbs had been built since the 1950s. But prior to this the area used to be orchard farmland. But as time went on it was interesting to see some very old bungalow style houses here and there among the modern houses that were around before the sprawl! I can imagine by the styles of them that several can actually be kit style from that era.

[@marciaoh7056]

Google Lustron Homes. Innovative small homes sold in kits. The homes were enameled steel and weather proof, fireproof, tornado resistant. They were put out of business by the carpenter's unions. These Lustron homes are still standing.

[@saladz3657]

I lived in one of those almost 100 years after it was build. Still stands and looks great.

[@Your_pixels_are_showing]

They didn't fail. They just eventually went out of business, like most every business. Where I grew up there are neighborhoods with dozens upon dozens of Sears homes. It's like that all over the country. They still stand in large numbers.

[@Egilhelmson]

Sears has not yet gone out of business, although its home building division has. They also do not sell musical instruments (look in the old catalogs).

[@patriciamitchell9365]

A friend owns a Sears Kit House in Maryland that was appraised three years ago for $800,000.00.

[@DanO_DanO]

We lived in an Atlanta Sears Craftsman style home built in 1922. It was an impressive, relatively small, solid home with beautiful oak floors and 12’ beamed ceilings. The home had three ornate coal burning fireplaces and built-in library cabinets and butler’s pantry. It was a jewel of a house and built for three people. The old in-town neighborhood was filled with similar and larger homes that could be found in a Sears catalog.

[@thomasschwarting5108]

These "Sears" are literally ALL OVER. If you know the build type, they can be spotted!

[@jennifermccraw7687]

319 12th St Henderson, KY is a Sears home. Tudor style, two story. A man from our church used to live there.

[@nathalie_desrosiers]

It is beautiful.

[@mdp4440]

I looked it up on Zillow. $285,900.00. Wonder what the original kit cost.

[@brodriguez11000]

People with lots of money, home.

[@joeyrobinson1424]

I love Sears homes, we have many in Seattle my hometown. I’m looking at prefab homes for a second home option for a heavily wooded lot. There are many of good choices on the market. I really enjoyed your segment on the Sears homes because every time I look at new ones I think of Sears being the grandfather of pre fab homes.

[@MillerMeteor74]

There is a neighborhood in Hopewell, Virginia that has 44 Sears houses in it, concentrated on 3 streets and the avenue that they all intersect. The local tourist welcome center has a brochure on them. It says they were all built circa 1926-37. I have photographed maybe 20 of them. The brochure also says the next neighborhood over has "a handful" of them, with no details. They are beautiful houses.

[@briansmith-l1q]

i've had this question in my mind since my parents got the 1908 catalog in the '70's. I've seen quite a few stone ones here in MA, no doubt it's a sears from that era. The people who wrote for the three stooges got a kick out of this too, lol

[@DesertRat332]

My Grand Uncle built a Sears Kit House to live in. Maybe late 1930s or early 1940s? He was a finish carpenter and a lifelong bachelor. It was a small house; one story, living room, kitchen, and two bedrooms. He built it over a basement.

[@northwoodsguy1538]

I live a prefab house. A Wausau home. We bought it when it was 6 years old. The parts build in the factory and put together on site were well done. It was change orders on location done by builder supervising the assembly that things were F 'ed up. The subs they used for HVAC, painting window tirm, landscaping not so much. The landscaping looked nice but done on the cheap. Very little topsoil with sod placed on sand from footings etc. The people we bought the house from had no practical knowledge. Wausau homes and good subs did a great job others not so much. Getting to good shape after 30 years and 2 remodels in different areas of the house.

[@WillowEtain]

I have seen several of these homes. They’re still beautiful today. It was solid craftsmanship. You don’t see much of that these days.

[@killerkip1]

I have a sears cape cod, its a nice house, was built by someone who SOMEWHAT knew what they were doing, then bolted shut for 60 years until just 10 years prior to us moving in. I like my home.

[@timleonard8835]

There is a larger Sears home in very rural Baker FL still on a good piece of land was for sale about a decade ago, saw a recent article about it. One person commented their grandmothers entire family and other folks in town took a trip to the train station to watch it get delivered and then built.

[@chrismcpherson1586]

My parents owned a beautiful Sears home. I inherited it. It's beautiful. It sits on 20 acres The 2 story 3 bedroom home is cherished by my family. The 20 acres is used for boarding horse's. Milford Michigan

[@RobertHowe-zv7gs]

My aunt and uncle had a Sears kit home built in 1915; they are long gone but the house is still there.

[@Ponykeg53]

And they used real lumber , a two by four was a full 2 inches X $ inches I have worked on some of these homes and they are solid it's no wonder they are still standing.

[@LoriFoster]

In our area which is near an old train depot there’re many of these homes. The larger ones are very nice and full of character and the smaller ones are very nice as well.

[@BellaCroyda]

Ken... as always, your videos are FASCINATING and EXCELLENT.

[@garryferrington811]

This was a wonderful piece of history, Ken. Glendale, CA is still full of beautiful kit homes, although, sadly, they're disappearing.

[@Luv-x8k]

My Great grandfather lived in one of these homes. He and his friends built it. It is still standing.