Assembly Required: A Brief History of 20th-Century Kit House Designs

Table of Content

• Sears The CRESCENT 1921 Model, HonorBilt, Already Cut and Fitted, Five Rooms-Neat Porch, POSTER Print
• “In 1916 my great-grandfather built his house from a Sears home kit. 100 years later we’ve restored it to its original beauty.”
• Antique Folding Wooden Ironing Board 1920s Era
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A large number of bedroom dresser and vanity furniture pieces were made of sturdy materials such as oak, walnut, cedar, or mahogany woods. Dressers and vanities both were usually made of an elegant yet simple carved wood design The styles of beds used during the 1920s varied. For example, in 1923 simple metal beds with two-inch posts that came with mattresses and springs were placed in rooms.

Additionally, it can be anchored to a concrete slab or to piles depending on your preference. Recalling the Medieval-era cottages of England, Tudor Revival homes were built in all shapes and sizes, from sprawling Tudor manors to smaller suburban versions. Their decorative half-timbering, steeply pitched roofs, casement windows, and other ornate flourishes are easily recognizable.

Sears The CRESCENT 1921 Model, HonorBilt, Already Cut and Fitted, Five Rooms-Neat Porch, POSTER Print

The concept of the kit house likely originated in the U.K., but after these mail-order residences were introduced to the U.S. market in the late 19th century, they became synonymous with the American dream. Some kit house companies continued after World War II, but most homebuyers flocked to the new, inexpensive tract house subdivisions springing up across the country. The homes illustrated are of the most modern design and have a permanent appeal. They were selected on a conservative basis, which at the same time permitted an adequate variety to express one’s individual taste.

Here on the blog you'll find me sharing about our renovations, clean living, diy's, and bits of our family life. We are a group of researchers who look for Sears houses around the United States. We maintain the National Database of Sears Houses in the U.S., where we add new finds, almost daily.

“In 1916 my great-grandfather built his house from a Sears home kit. 100 years later we’ve restored it to its original beauty.”

Despite its contemporary beauty, it is fairly easy to build and quite affordable. Starting at just over $9,000, it can remain highly affordable even with a few add-ons. It should take a pair of handy adults around 5 or so days to complete construction. While there are certainly better-looking kits available, it is hard to argue with the super-efficient prefab kits that Montsweag Brook Corporation offers through their Bungalow in a Box line.

In the early 1920s, living room furniture sets often included a number of coordinating pieces, such as an arm chair, reception chair, arm rocker, tabourette, bookend, and table. Another very popular item that was displayed during the early 1920s is the very distinct wrought iron bridge lamp. One eight piece dining set that was created during this decade was one that included a 60-inch buffet, oblong extension table with a cut-cornered edges, five dinner chairs and host chair. The picture that appeared along with the description of this ad very strongly leads one to believe that the seats of the chair were covered with either velour or tapestry upholstery.

Antique Folding Wooden Ironing Board 1920s Era

The story of the Berberovs – a family from Baku, Azerbaijan, in the 1970s, kept a lion in an ordinary Soviet apartment – is capable of both ... 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. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources.

This catalog features various “architect designed” ranch-style kit houses, with one option inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. “The construction of these building is so simple that two or three men without mechanical knowledge, or experience in building, can set up one of them IN LESS THAN THREE HOURS,” the catalog proclaims. The company offered specific configurations for plantation houses, officer quarters, schoolhouses, chapels, carriage houses, and specialty designs for warm climates.

Certainly, not all types of houses will appeal to him, but undoubtedly there will be more than one type that will catch his fancy. It would help, in making the final choice, to keep the following points in mind. Here you can take a look back at a wide range of fantastic old-fashioned homes from nearly a century ago — and you don’t even have to drive around to do it.

The good news is that there are a ton of choices out there for prefab kit homes to choose from. With so many options, finding the right fit for your needs can become a little tougher. But with this list, you can see some of the best prefab kit homes on the market today. The Lewis Manufacturing Co. was one of three kit house manufacturers in Bay City, Mich., and was the first producer of Aladdin Homes.

The Jamaica Cottage Shop Vermont Cottage is the perfect blend of simplicity, functionality, and rustic appeal. Each cottage is timber-framed and sits atop skits made of hemlock wood. Building it on top of a trailer with wheels allows for simple, stable mobility from your new tiny home.

In 1928 double beds were made out of similar carved wood frames along with corresponding bedroom dresser or vanity pieces. No matter what purpose your prefab kit home is going to serve, the land has to be ready for the build. Those who plan to build behind an existing home will likely already be set up in an optimal fashion to begin the build.

It is also worth noting that the Mighty Small Homes Cottage can get to be around $80,000 with a builder doing the installation. Depending on the kit, there is a chance that you will need to get some hardware, foundation or roofing materials, or upgrades for things like electrical and plumbing. The structures can range anywhere from 60 square feet to well over 1,000 square feet depending on your needs. These are quite DIY-friendly to build, which means saving on the cost of labor that can make traditional home builds so expensive. While the palette of the bathroom embodies an exclusively all-white scheme, the textured area rug, mid-century modern vanity, and hanging greens provide more than their fair share of color and interest to the space. “The whole space was designed to be purely simple and reminiscent of the 1920s while still providing all of the modern conveniences of today,” adds Netz.