If you’ve ever watched an old American sitcom, you’ll be surprised to hear that some of those pristine family homes were kit homes. At least a few of those stately two storey mansion-like homes were bought from a catalogue! A Sears catalogue, to be exact, at the start of the 20th century.
These fantastic homes were made of wood- A lot of wood, up to 30,000 pieces, in some cases. They ranged from the conventional late 19th century house design to actual mansions!
They’re quite beautiful places, and to this day even identifying them can be difficult. There are certain characteristics, but one is unmistakeable- The numbers on the individual pieces of timber. Next time you’re in the neighbourhood of some of these wonderful old homes, see if you can tell the difference between a Sears home and its neighbours! There were 70,000 of these homes built, in all 48 states, between 1908 and 1940.
Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Identify-a-Sears-Kit-Home
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