Product Description

Sears offered more than 370 designs of kit homes from 1908 -1940, but nationally known Sears house expert Rosemary Thornton has discovered that Sears had 60 best selling designs.

In this new book she writes, "If you learn how to identify these 60 designs, you'll discover about 90% of the Sears homes in your community."

Finding the Houses That Sears Built contains more than 190 graphics and photos, as well as comprehensive, detailed and fascinating information on how to identify these 60 best selling designs.

Each housing style is given two full pages in this 8.5 x 11 inch book. One page shows the house as it originally appeared in the Sears Modern Homes catalog (with house details and floor plans). An opposing page has two high-quality photos of existing Sears homes.

In preparing to write this captivating book, Rose photographed more than 1500 Sears homes in 11 states. Finding The Houses That Sears Built represents more than five years of intensive research, documentation, travel and study.

Finding The Houses That Sears Built includes:

- 60 catalog pictures, reprinted from original Sears Modern Homes catalogs
- More than 100 contemporary photos of Sears Homes (approximately two pictures per housing style)
- 100-word captions, explaining what to look for when studying Sears Homes in the field
- Additional tips and techniques for finding the Sears Homes in your community
- A listing of the next 35 most popular designs
- A user-friendly format, cross referenced and thoughtfully organized
- And the Top 10 and Top 20 best selling Sears homes are specifically identified and highlighted

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #340063 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 148 pages

About the Author
Since the publication of Rosemary's first book (The Houses That Sears Built), she has appeared on PBS's History Detectives, CBS's Sunday Morning News, A&E's Biography and WGN News. In addition, Rose and her book have been featured in the Christian Science Monitor, The New York Times, L. A. Times, Dallas Morning News, The Washington Post, Old House Journal and about 100 other publications. Her other titles include California's Kit Homes (co-authored with Dale Patrick Wolicki) and The Reality of Real Estate. In the last two years, Rose has traveled throughout the country and given more than 200 lectures on her favorite topic: Kit Homes.

Customer Reviews

Looking for the Kit Home - A Primer.
Ever since I first found out about Sears Catalog (kit)homes, I have been puzzled on how to easily find them. I concluded that it takes an experienced and trained eye to pick out a lot of the details that the average house hunter could easily miss or mistake for a Sears home. Without some sort of field guide, I kind of felt left out of the hunt.

Now there is no need to worry any more. With this new book, even the inexperienced can make "educated" conclusions about whether or not a home is one of the 75,000+ Sears catalog kit homes that were sold between 1908 and 1940. The book details the 60 most popular designs (of the 375 designs Sears produced) with original catalog drawings and contemporary pictures. These 60 designs account for some 90% of the Sears homes that were sold. Commentary about what to look for on each design is just what the hunting doctor ordered.

Now that I have a tool to work with, I will be taking some Sunday afternoon walks or rides to see what I can find. You can do the same. It's a fun project! So get this book, take it with you and see if you can strike it rich and find a Sears home! And, if you, indeed, strike it rich and find one, be sure to let the author know where you found it and the address. Have fun!

Finding the Houses that Sears Built
This is a great book. It has images from the original Sears house catalog with the names of the houses, along with floor plans, and ways to authenticate a Sears home i.e. stamped lumber, shipping label, building permit with photographs of the different ways of identification. I have become so infactuated with the topic that I find myself looking for Sears houses as I drive the highways. This is a wonderful book that shows a lot of research on the topic.

INTERESTING, EDUCATIONAL, A GREAT ADDITION TO YOUR LIBRARY
I own and recommend this book, as well as, "The Houses That Sears Built" by Rosemary Thornton. Both books are filled with the author's passion for Sears homes and their historical value. It is rare that you can read and feel someone's passion through their words, at the same time, learn so much and be able to contact her with questions, and receive energetic responses!!! Rose has been a great inspiration for me to move forward on my attempt to regain my old Sears home - now with a wealth of knowledge of the special gem that this home is, I am prepared to join the fight to preserve these wonderful timepieces. Thanks Rose!