I Want to Build a Kit Home
I’ve written about prefab homes on this blog a few times already, and the topic has led me to research the history of alternative house-building techniques. For me, the most fascinating story is that of “Sears Homes”, house kits shipped by railroad and assembled by the new owner with the help of a carpenter. They were known as Sears Homes because Sears, Roebuck, and Co. sold them in their catalog from 1908 to 1940, but there were many kit home sellers, a few nearly as big as Sears.
The kit would include everything but the land, foundation, plumbing, and electrical. In many cases, every piece would be numbered and correspond to highly detailed plans for how to assemble it. This allowed an amateur, with the help of only one professional, to build the house in a reasonable amount of time. Sears claimed to have shaved off 40% of labor time with their build-by-number system.
The golden age of these kit homes were between 1910 and 1940, but one company, Aladdin, sold them until 1982. Kit homes, and those like them, make up much of the urban, single-family housing stock in our cities. Most were designed with a narrow, urban lot in mind, and there were many models right around 1000 square feet. On top of fitting in with the urban environment, they were extremely affordable. In today’s dollars, the cost of the “Collingwood” above would be about $25,000!
I’m disappointed that buyers today don’t have the opportunity to buy and assemble their own home. I know I’d jump at the chance to put some sweat equity into my house while learning the intimate details about every nook and cranny of my future home. While I’m a believer of moving forward with architecture, many of these Sears homes have so much character and have held up so well I’d be happy building an exact replica of one of their original kits. Sears—you’re missing out on a great opportunity!
If Sears wont do it, I think that leaves the door open for someone else. I’ve done some googling and found Shelter-Kit, a company that sells kit homes in the model of Sears. Their homes seem to be styled for rural lots, though (one kit is called the “barn house”) and I want something meant for a dense, urban neighborhood.
Current technology could even improve on the Sears model. A prospective buyer could start out with a basic plan and customize it digitally. Their plans and materials order would update on the fly, and they could get instant feedback on price. They could input characteristics about their lot, like orientation, grade, and surrounding trees and buildings, and the company’s software could recommend plans that maximize passive solar heating and solar panel placement.
I believe we now live at the intersection of two important trends; one is that of customization and on-demand everything, and the other is of craft as a rejection of mass consumerism (think Etsy). Building your own custom home lies at that intersection, and that market will only grow in the near future. I’m there, and I want to build my own house!
Dave, this is a very good point. I think the world lost the nearly innate ability to build their own homes in the past 100+ years. While I think a kit might be seen as cheating by many, it sure beats the crappy developments our suburbs are littered with.
You are probably already aware of these books, but I highly recommend checking out Christopher Alexander’s Timeless Way of Building and A Pattern Language. They ring loud and clear with me.
I’m in the middle of reading A Pattern Language right now (see most recent post!). I’m in the middle of a term in Architecture school, so I don’t know when I’ll get time to finish it, though…
I had the opportunity to go into an early Sears home circa 1910. It was a beautiful Victorian style home with valuted ceilings and heavy base and crown moldings. What surprised me the most about the home was the overall quality. I think when we hear of “prefab” homes today, we envision homes that are poorly made.