You used to be able to buy similar homes from a sears catalog and put it together yourself. Maybe not quite as much detail, but still a lot more than you’d find anything on the market in the last 40 years.
For some reason the thought of mail ordering a house from Sears has always seemed a weirdly comforting, once affordable American thing to me. Living in the western Chicago suburbs, I understand that there are several still standing in this party of the country.
I actually live in one that was built in the 30s. They’re actually really well built since they used truss plates for all the framing, plus the quality of the wood from back then is night and day compared to the stuff you can get now.
For materials cost alone, mind you – not including any labor you hire out in constructing it, and not including the land to put it on.
(And I’m guessing that 25k doesn’t include any electrical, certainly not any HVAC, and maybe not even any indoor plumbing…)
Still, building codes and inspections aside, I think it could be a decent idea even in modern times to have mass-produced, mail-order house construction kits available. Trailer homes have kind of absorbed most of that niche, but they’re not as well insulated or as long-lasting as real houses.
For materials cost alone, mind you – not including any labor you hire out in constructing it, and not including the land to put it on.
These were typically put together by farming communities, kinda like a barn raising. Even if you had one of these put together for you, it’s not like labour was a huge expense back then.
And I’m guessing that 25k doesn’t include any electrical, certainly not any HVAC, and maybe not even any indoor plumbing…)
It’s hard to make out, but in the link I posted you can see the add one that includes things like heating, electrical, plumbing, or different roofing materials. The additions are pretty affordable as well.
Still, building codes and inspections aside, I think it could be a decent idea even in modern times to have mass-produced, mail-order house construction kits available.
It was a pretty lucrative business for sears until the great depression hit. Unfortunately it was their mortgage side of the operation that forced them under. It would be interesting to see how they would operate today. The quality is great, I live in one from the early 30s and the bones are still rock solid.
You used to be able to buy similar homes from a sears catalog and put it together yourself. Maybe not quite as much detail, but still a lot more than you’d find anything on the market in the last 40 years.
Btw $753 adjusted from 1913 is only around 25k.
For some reason the thought of mail ordering a house from Sears has always seemed a weirdly comforting, once affordable American thing to me. Living in the western Chicago suburbs, I understand that there are several still standing in this party of the country.
I actually live in one that was built in the 30s. They’re actually really well built since they used truss plates for all the framing, plus the quality of the wood from back then is night and day compared to the stuff you can get now.
For materials cost alone, mind you – not including any labor you hire out in constructing it, and not including the land to put it on.
(And I’m guessing that 25k doesn’t include any electrical, certainly not any HVAC, and maybe not even any indoor plumbing…)
Still, building codes and inspections aside, I think it could be a decent idea even in modern times to have mass-produced, mail-order house construction kits available. Trailer homes have kind of absorbed most of that niche, but they’re not as well insulated or as long-lasting as real houses.
These were typically put together by farming communities, kinda like a barn raising. Even if you had one of these put together for you, it’s not like labour was a huge expense back then.
It’s hard to make out, but in the link I posted you can see the add one that includes things like heating, electrical, plumbing, or different roofing materials. The additions are pretty affordable as well.
It was a pretty lucrative business for sears until the great depression hit. Unfortunately it was their mortgage side of the operation that forced them under. It would be interesting to see how they would operate today. The quality is great, I live in one from the early 30s and the bones are still rock solid.