Our new old house

My wife and I believe that we have in our possession a genuine Sears kit house. Why do we believe it’s a Sears? The first thing that the previous owner told us about the house was that his granddad put it here after the original house built by his great-granddad burned sometime around 1915. He went on to say that he recalls family members talking about the Sears house long after his granddad passed away. Courthouse records appear to substantiate the old gentleman’s story as the deed search shows that the property belonged to the same family for at least 100 years.

While the individual framing members of the house seem to be absent the tell tale ink stamp markings, I have found hand written information on some wood members and shipping labels attached to the backs of mill work.

From what I understand from Rosemary Thornton’s book The Houses That Sears Built: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sears Catalogue Homes, some of the early Sears kits did not contain individually stamped framing members. Instead, the framing and other parts were shipped bundled with a shipping label attached to the bundle. Furthermore, some kits were sold and shipped absent framing members and came with a list of framing materials to get from a local lumber yard.

Our house appears to be either model 115 first offered in the 1908 catalog or the Greenview model 2015 which was offered in the 1919 catalog as an upgraded model 115. I’m more inclined to believe it is the latter of the two.

From left to right we have the model 115, our house then the Greenview model 2015. Our house has features found in both models and other features not found in either one. The most noticeable non-standard feature is the addition of small windows in the upstairs rooms. They appear to be part of the original structure as the framing technique, woodwork and trim is identical to the rest of the windows in the house. Another non-standard feature is the extended porch which continues to cover the entire front of the house, again appearing as part of the original structure. The pantry at the back of the house was extended by six feet then later converted and divided into a utility room and a bathroom at an unknown date. The floor plan is modified slightly from the standard which, from what I understand, was not uncommon in a Sears kit house but the footprint of our house is a perfect match to the dimensions given in the catalog.

The interior trim and wood work, milled of yellow pine and totally free of knots and imperfections, is in nearly pristine condition and matches the style typical of Sears.

It has not been painted and has an elegant patina and posses the crackled, apparently original varnish with five panel interior doors throughout the house. The open staircase is quite lovely, also styled in typical Sears fashion. The exterior doors leading to the porch appear original, the front door still sports the functioning turn type door bell. The screen doors also appear original and of the style typical of the early 1900’s. All of the original sashes but one have been replaced by 1980’s vinyl double hung windows. The parlor sash is original with cords and weights intact. The upper sash of the parlor window displays a beautifully etched oriental coastal scene complete with boats. Much to my delight, I found many of the original sashes stored in two of the outbuildings of which one building also appears to be a Sears kit.

If you own a Sears Modern Home model 115 or a Greenview model 2015 then it would be nice to hear from you. I am more than interested in finding other examples of this particular Sears kit and how to preserve and restore this piece of Americana.