Homes built immediately after the War tended to be small. "Lindal Cedar Homes founder dies," seattletimes.com, 16 September 2011. 10 'Beauty Tips' From The 1950s (That Sounds Ridiculous Today) Beauty standards have changed a lot since the 1950s, and it shows with these ridiculous beauty tips. [Click to enlarge any image] 1. The idea of building the shell of a house in a factory has entranced American home builders for decades. The dinette has a large picture window and built-in china shelves. Also consider its use as a guest home. 50 mid-century modern carpet styles from the ’50s & ’60s: Vintage wall-to-wall flooring in all its glory, Pink washers & dryers from the ’50s & ’60s, Tour the ultimate mid-century modern house: The Scholz Mark 58 Home of the Year, 18 beautiful mid-century entrance halls invite you inside with vintage style, 9 mid-century kitchen remodels & floorplans (1954). Aladdin, Sears, Pacific, Bennett, Harris, Sterling, Liberty, Fenner, Gordon Van-tine, Wardway. See more ideas about kit homes, vintage house, sears. Learn how your comment data is processed. See, harv error: no target: CITEREFHenry2009 (, From 1929 to 1940 or later, the company also produced, Gordon-Van Tine Company Historic District, "Kit Home Information," The Arts and Crafts Society, accessed 28 June 2011, "Historical Notes on Kit and Precut Homes," Kithouse.org, accessed 28 June 2011, Wolicki, Dale, "Magazine," gordonvantine.com, accessed 28 June 2011, "Questions and Answers on Sears Homes," Sears Archives, accessed 5 July 2011, "What Is a Sears Modern Home?" All the latest appointments are to be found in the kitchen with its glazed bay dining space. How to Identify a Sears Kit Home. Aladdin Readi-Cut Homes: Beating Sears to the kit home mark… A basement is provided. This is a very modern small home which proudly proclaims its Colonial heritage as well. Note that ample closet facilities are provided and that both bedrooms accommodate twin beds. Creation of an industry The Outlook , American magazine advertisement from 1916 offering mail delivery of fish and seafood. Accessed 5 July 2011. The large closets and excellent room arrangement will be appreciated by the housewife. Small starter homes from 1950: Ranch house with 895 square feet This four-room home with its attached garage has the low, wide, sweeping lines that are associated with ranch house architecture. MORE: Look inside Gene Kelly’s house from 1950 for some simple vintage celebrity style. [12], A number of companies offered kit houses, and sometimes also offered rudimentary "industrial" and summer cottages lacking bathrooms,[13] as well as garages, duplexes, apartment buildings, barns and other farm buildings, and even outhouses. A modest circa 1950 wood-frame house cost … Note: This article may feature affiliate links, and purchases made may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. From around 1908 to the 1940s, Sears sold an estimated 70,000 kit By the time of the 1950s building boom, ranch homes symbolized America's frontier spirit and new growth as a modern country. This is actually a five-room home, for the dinette may be considered as independent of the living room area, and the open arch makes each room appear larger than it actually is. Also see Sterling Kit Homes and Lewis Liberty Kit Homes below. Hodson, Jeff. "Internet Archive Search: creator:"Ray H. Bennett Lumber Co., Inc. "Ready Built Homes," The Arts and Crafts Society, accessed 28 June 2011, "Gordon-Van Tine," Antique Home Style, accessed 2 July 2011, "Harris Brothers Bungalows," The Arts and Crafts Society, accessed 28 June 2011, "Harris Brothers Co.," Antique Home Style, accessed 2 July 2011, "Hewitt-Lea-Funck Co.," Antique Home Style, accessed 30 June 2011, "Kit Homes by Lewis Manufacturing," Antique Home, accessed 28 June 2011, "Lewis Manufacturing," Antique Home Style, accessed 2 July 2011, "Pacific Ready Cut Homes: 1925," The Arts and Crafts Society, accessed 20 April 2016, "Pacific Ready Cut Homes," Antique Home Style, accessed 2 July 2011, "Sears Roebuck Houses," The Arts and Crafts Society, accessed 28 June 2011, "Sterling System Homes," The Arts and Crafts Society, accessed 28 June 2011, "Sterling System Homes," Antique Home Style, accessed 2 July 2011, "Wardway Homes," The Arts and Crafts Society, accessed 28 June 2011, "Montgomery Ward - Wardway Homes," Antique Home Style, accessed 2 July 2011. A ready-cut house should not be confused with a sectional-portable house, which can be taken down and moved by being unbolted. Kit homes with finished exteriors start at about $109 to $142 per square foot; the 16-foot-by-24-foot small house starts around $45,000. A There are windows in abundance. THE unusual arrangement and design of this modern brick veneer home makes it equally attractive from the wide or the narrow dimension, and it can be faced either way on the lot. Hodgson Houses claims to have made the first prefabricated homes in the U.S. Vintage Kit Home Catalogs. From 1908 to 1940, Sears also sold kit houses by mail order, selling 70,000 to 75,000 such homes, many of which are still lived in today. THE large T-shaped living room with its natural fireplace and picture window would certainly seem to hold little in common with the parlor of its colonial forebear. 1916 Avondale - Sears Kit Homes - Bungalow Craftsman with Interior View * * * Chelsea: American Foursquare - Colonial Revival - 1916 Sears Kit Homes * * * Edgemere: The Edgemere Model - 1916 Sears Homes - Small Two-story Farm House - No. Stick-built, balloon-framed kit houses were built as permanent, not temporary structures, as the manager of the Sears, Roebuck lumber department explained to a United States Senate committee in 1919:[2]. Without the profitable mortgage program Montgomery-Ward decided to discontinue its offerings of pre-cut houses and building materials entirely. A full basement is provided. Just like trends in the fashion world, interior design fads come and go with time. [21], Although none of the traditional kit house companies are still in business, pre-cut log home kits are offered by a number of manufacturers. Sears was ... a very able follower of popular home designs but with the added advantage of modifying houses and hardware according to buyer tastes. Kit houses, also known as mill-cut houses, pre-cut houses, ready-cut houses, mail order homes, or catalog homes, were a type of housing that was popular in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere in the first half of the 20th century. In Plan 1, without basement, the garage is somewhat longer than in Plan 2, allowing additional storage space without increasing overall dimensions. Unlike modular homes, which are built in sections at a factory, in a kit house every separate piece of lumber was shipped already numbered and cut to fit its particular place in the house, thus eliminating the need for measuring and cutting, and likewise the waste of time (especially in the days before power tools) and of materials. The dining space shown in the leg of the “L” shaped living room obviates the necessity for a dining room, providing five room efficiency. The combination of gable and hip roof construction contribute toward the appeal of this pleasing one-story home. Stevenson, Katherine Cole, and H. Ward Jandl. The simplification of its Colonial exterior definitely follows the modern trend. Aladdin Kit Homes Manufactured by the Aladdin Company One of the longest lived and most successful kit home companies was the Aladdin Company, based … The large living room has a natural fireplace, and dining space is provided in the kitchen. bath, closets and a large utility room. [29] Sep 28, 2017 - Explore Mandy Cole's board "Prefab Houses 1940s/1950s/1960s" on Pinterest. The large view window and porch are pleasing features. The breezeway which is shown in the floor plan adds considerably to the spaciousness of the house, but it may be eliminated if a smaller width is desired for a narrow lot. Lumber and hardware were purchased in bulk. The homes also cost more to produce than expected, and the retail price grew well beyond the original $7,000 figure. Details are at ALADDIN KIT HOUSES. Today’s style is a unified look, with the same flooring everywhere but the bathrooms. Traditionally Colonial with many modern appointments, this is a complete five-room home. https://www.housebeautiful.com/.../g393/kitchens-1950s-0609 The large living room has a bay window and window seat, a natural fireplace with wood-box and bookshelves built at one side. The exterior is unusually attractive — the interior arrangement both practical and convenient. The 1950s produced the most beautiful kitchens one could ever imagine. Sears has opened the doors to its vast archival collection and invited the public to peek inside. [3][4] This description by researcher Dale Wolicki of kit house manufacture by the Gordon-Van Tine Company was typical of other kit house companies' efforts as well:[4]. Immediately after World War Two production of TV sets started in the U.S. For example,[9]. A full basement is provided. Once the materials arrived, a customer would arrange for a local carpenter or contractor to assemble the house on a piece of property owned by the customer; or a customer who was handy with tools might assemble all or part of the house himself in several weeks or a few months' time. The exterior of this home is a pleasing arrangement of wood siding and shingles. Contrary to popular belief Montgomery-Ward and Sears Roebuck did not discontinue their pre-cut housing departments because of customers who defaulted on their mortgages. Just off the kitchen, there is a large dining room which may be readily converted to a bedroom because there is also a large snack space in the kitchen. The plan provides for a full basement. Accessed 30 November 2017. Nearly 25,000 home-owning dreams have come true with National Homes… why not let us make yours come true, too? Many of the homes retain the simplicity of the pre-War homes and lack the garages that became so prevalent after World War II. This is truly a modern Colonial. 1945-60 American Sets Immediately after World War Two production of TV sets started in the U.S. This catalog is typical of others we see from many home manufacturers from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Sears offered "Honor Bilt" homes, with the finest quality materials, as well as "Standard Built" homes that were "best for warmer climates, meaning they did not retain heat very well,"[9] and "Simplex Sectionals," made from prefabricated panels that could be bolted together, intended for use as temporary structures or summer homes. During the 1950s, the United States was the world’s strongest military power. This page was last edited on 17 December 2020, at 13:56. Two plans are available. See more ideas about prefab, prefab homes, temporary housing. Many models had two or three floor plans, while the exterior could be clapboards, shingles, stucco, or framed for brick. Homes in the 1950s Although it took the world quite awhile to recover from the affects of World War II, the 1950s were more of a prosperous time than in times past. Aladdin created a very comprehensive body of advertising material through which to sell their homes to the public. Plans are available only with basement. 1950s: Ranch houses Photos courtesy of Zillow Though ranch-style homes were being built in the 1930s, they didn't really gain popularity until after World War II and into the 1950s. . Elstar (apple) (1950s) Elstar apple is an apple cultivar that was first developed in the Netherlands in the 1950s by crossing Golden Delicious and Ingrid Marie apples. The large kitchen affords a dining space and there is plenty of room upstairs for two more bedrooms if this should be desirable at a later date. Sears Roebuck continued to sell pre-cut houses but scaled back their operations significantly. This five-room brick home has many unusual features to recommend it. "The House that Katrina Built,", Lowes Katrina Cottage FAQs, accessed 6 July 2011, Alter, Lloyd. Two front dormers will provide light for at least two large bedrooms in the attic if added later. [11], The popularity of kit houses was attested in a roundabout way in the 1920 silent comedy One Week starring Buster Keaton, which shows Keaton constructing a build-it-yourself house that turns out all wrong. That means there's room for family 2. Plan 1 has a dining area just off the living room that very effectively eliminates the necessity of a room set aside for that purpose. Thanks to reader Cat, who spotted this terrific 1957 catalog of Swift Required fields are marked *. Thrift and De Luxe models to suit every family taste and need; 2, 3 or 4 bedrooms, with or without basement. Sears kit homes weathered decades, now quite valuable Mail-order homes historic, altered, but still standing Elsa Brenner, New York Times March 9 , … The home itself is relatively small, but the breezeway and connecting garage accentuate the width of the building. [41] Lindal Cedar Homes, a kit house company established in 1945 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, continues to sell its pre-cut exterior materials home packages internationally through a network of independent distributors. Duse, Eleanor. The New Deal programs introduced by the Roosevelt administration encouraged homeowners to refinance existing mortgages at a lower rate through programs established by the Federal Housing Administration. The floor plan of this modern four-room home is unusually versatile. The ranch was developed for mid-twentieth-century America. The attached garage is an integral part of the construction of the main building which is mainly brick, with some vertical siding employed for contrast. Because these structures were already familiar to returning WWII veterans, A lovely little cottage with an excellent arrangement of 5 rooms. A GLANCE at the exterior and floor plan of this home quickly indicates the modern design and efficiency that went into its planning, yet it has retained the traditional colonial charm which is its heritage. Standard size boxcars were 40 feet long and about ten feet wide until railroads began using longer ones in the 1960s. See more ideas about kit homes, vintage house, sears. Wardway Homes The Mail Order House Montgomery Ward & Co. sold kit houses just like Sears did. in every room in the house. Created by nation’s largest producer of prefabricated homes… now available in 500 cities! The large living room, the efficient kitchen with its dining space and other innovations make it seem to be a larger home than it actually is. Floor joists and bridging, sub-flooring, finished flooring, studs, rafters, sheathing, clapboards, shingles, stucco, plaster or drywall, columns, railings, doors and windows, hardware, nails, and paint for two exterior coats were included in the order. Explore • Architecture • Residential Architecture • Building Plan • European House Plan.. May 23, 2016 - Explore Elizabeth Hayden's board "Sears Kit Homes 1900 - 1930" on Pinterest. Aladdin's 1953 catalog of homes has a cross section of homes that span the styles of the late 30s and 40s minimal traditional to the increasingly popular ranch style.