| "After some consideration, I think I'll choose the | | | | the majority of sales and left a lasting mark on real |
| Modern Home No. 146. The Saratoga has a lovely | | | | estate across America. Some analysts say it was the |
| wide front porch and the redwood siding should | | | | company's attention to detail and quality that kept it |
| endure for many decades." | | | | in front of its competitors. In 1918, a Sears' |
| This was, perhaps, the thinking of thousands of | | | | marketing piece promised "the customer must be |
| families who bought their homes from the Sears | | | | satisfied for a lifetime for every house we sell is a |
| Roebuck Houses by Mail Catalog - a phenomenon of | | | | standing advertisement for Sears Roebuck and |
| the early 20th century that delivered kit homes | | | | Company." |
| stacked onto rail cars to families across America. | | | | Part of this satisfaction came with the efficient way |
| Between 1908 and 1940 about 100,000 families | | | | the Sears kits were assembled and presented. In the |
| perused the architectural catalog, read concise | | | | early 1900s, carpenters and home builders did not |
| descriptions of house styles and analyzed floor plans. | | | | have the advantage of today's power tools. Most |
| Then, according to their family budget and needs, | | | | people were not educated in reading architectural |
| placed a stamp on an envelope and sent off for a | | | | plans, nor experienced in construction. Sears pre-cut |
| complete kit to build their home from foundation to | | | | all the lumber for the homes and made instructions |
| roof top. | | | | easy to follow. Since most buyers were intimately |
| Sometimes, the buyer would take on the task of | | | | involved in the construction of their kit home, there |
| building the home while others hired local contractors. | | | | was a special pride in hands-on ownership. |
| Thousands of these homes still stand today, their | | | | After the Great Depression, Sears offered an even |
| owners perhaps unaware their bungalow, cottage, | | | | more complete package to customers by including |
| colonial house or other older home was assembled | | | | financing. By then, the company was deep into |
| from a kit. The cost? A home kit could be purchased | | | | lumber mills and other industries that supported its |
| for a under $1,000 and up to about $2,700, | | | | housing venture. By 1940, the burden of |
| depending upon the design and square footage. | | | | manufacturing and financing - and the impact of |
| Today, many of those same homes sell for a half | | | | WWII - saw the last of the Book of Modern Homes. |
| million dollars or more. | | | | Times changed and Sear Roebuck changed with |
| Although Sears Roebuck Company was the most | | | | them. The company never kept an inventory of the |
| successful retailer of home kits, it was not alone. A | | | | homes it sold so many people who own houses from |
| major competitor in the market was, not surprisingly, | | | | the early decades of the 20th century may be |
| Montgomery Ward. But it was Sears that captured | | | | unaware of their home's humble, mail order origin. |