Modular Home History

Modular Home Historyoriginal buyer (see FAQs).
 
From 1908–1940, Sears, Roebuck and CompanyConstruction
sold more than 100,000 homes through their 
mail-order Modern Homes program. Over that timeAs mentioned above, Sears was not an innovator in
Sears designed 447 different housing styles, fromhome design or construction techniques;
the elaborate multistory Ivanhoe, with its eleganthowever, Modern home designs did offer distinct
French doors and art glass windows, to the simpleradvantages over other construction methods. The
Goldenrod, which served as a quaint, three-room andability to mass-produce the materials used in Sears
no-bath cottage for summer vacationers. (Anhomes lessened manufacturing costs, which lowered
outhouse could be purchased separately forpurchase costs for customers. Not only did pre cut
Goldenrod and similar cottage dwellers.) Customersand fitted materials shrink construction time up to
could choose a house to suit their individual tastes40% but Sears’s use of "balloon style" framing,
and budgets.drywall, and asphalt shingles greatly eased
Sears was not an innovative home designer. Searsconstruction for home buyers.
was instead a very able follower of popular home 
designs but with the added advantage of modifying"Balloon style" framing. These framing systems did
houses and hardware according to buyer tastes.not require a team of skilled carpenters, as previous
Individuals could even design their own homes andmethods did. Balloon frames were built faster and
submit the blueprints to Sears, which would then shipgenerally only required one carpenter. This system
off the appropriate pre cut and fitted materials,uses precut timber of mostly standard 2_4s and
putting the home owner in full creative control.2_8s for framing. Precut timber, fitted pieces, and
Modern Home customers had the freedom to buildthe convenience of having everything, including the
their own dream houses, and Sears helped realizenails, shipped by railroad directly to the customer
these dreams through quality custom design andadded greatly to the popularity of this framing style.
favorable financing. 
 Drywall. Before drywall, plaster and lathe wall-building
Designing a Sears Hometechniques were used, which again required skilled
 carpenters. Sears homes took advantage of the new
The process of designing your Sears house began ashome building material of drywall by shipping large
soon as the Modern Homes catalog arrived at yourquantities of this inexpensively manufactured product
doorstep. Over time, Modern Homes catalogs camewith the rest of the housing materials. Drywall
to advertise three lines of homes, aimed foroffered advantages of low price, ease of installation,
customers’ differing financial means: Honor Built,and was added fire-safety protection. It was also a
Standard Built, and Simplex Sectional.good fit for the square design of Sears homes.
  
Honor Bilt homes were the most expensive andAsphalt shingles. It was during the modern homes
finest quality sold by Sears. Joists, studs, and raftersprogram that large quantities of asphalt shingles
were to be spaced 14 3/8 inches apart. Attractivebecame available. The alternative roofing materials
cypress siding and cedar shingles adorned mostavailable included, among others, tin and wood. Tin
Honor Bilt exteriors. And, depending on the room,was noisy during storms, looked unattractive, and
interiors featured clear-grade (i.e., knot-free) flooringrequired a skilled roofer, while wood was highly
and inside trim made from yellow pine, oak, or mapleflammable. Asphalt shingles, however, were cheap to
wood. Sears’s catalogs also reportedmanufacture and ship, as well as easy and
that Standard Built Homes were best for warmerinexpensive to install. Asphalt had the added incentive
climates, meaning they did not retain heat very well.of being fireproof.
The Simplex Sectional line, as the name implies, 
contained simple designs. Simplex houses wereModern Conveniences
frequently only a couple of rooms and were ideal for 
summer cottages.Sears helped popularize the latest technology available
 to modern home buyers in the early part of the
While browsing the Image bank, you may see manytwentieth century. Central heating, indoor plumbing,
houses that partially or even closely resemble aand electricity were all new developments in home
house that you own or have seen. Look closely,design that modern homes  incorporated, although
because the floor plan may be reversed, a dormernot all of the homes were designed with these
may have been added, or the original buyer mayconveniences. Central heating not only improved the
have chosen brick instead of wood siding. Plumbinglivability of homes with little insulation but it also
may look like it was added after construction, orimproved fire safety, always a worry in an era
storm windows may appear on the house but not inwhere open flames threatened houses and whole
the catalog’s illustration.cities, in the case of the Chicago Fire. Indoor plumbing
 and homes wired for electricity were the first steps
All of this and more are possible, because the Modernto modern kitchens and bathrooms. Sears Modern
Homes program encouraged custom designing housesHomes program stayed abreast of any technology
down to the color of the cabinetry hardware. Thethat could ease the lives of its home buyers and
difficulty in identifying a Sears home is just agave them the option to design their homes with
reflection of the unique design and tastes of themodern convenience in mind.