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The Magnolia house Sears kit home from 1918

submitted by kammmmak to whatever 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 17:48:01 ago (+38/-0)     (files.catbox.moe)

https://files.catbox.moe/d5u901.jpg

The Magnolia house was a Sears kit home, 1918

For nearly 30 years, people could order a piece of the American dream through the mail.
A buyer could leaf through a Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog, choose a house and mail in the order. In time, a railroad boxcar would chug into town, carrying a ready-to-assemble house — complete with nails and a 75-page instruction book.
Most of the house kits came in a single box car. The model named the Magnolia, sold between 1918 and 1922, needed two.


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[ - ] heebiejeebies 16 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 18:03:12 ago (+16/-0)

If anyone is curious like myself, per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, that price in January 1918 is equivalent to a price of ~$147,000 in January 2025.

Which tells us the government is either completely deceiving us on real inflation rates or the housing market is completely detached from reality (or both).

[ - ] o0shad0o 9 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 20:18:33 ago (+9/-0)

Considering what's in this kit, that's about right.

What's missing is electrical, plumbing, insulation, potentially interior wall surfaces (the plans seem to show them but they were often omitted at that time), and of course labor. This would just about double the cost, running around $300K in materials and labor today. This of course does not count the cost of the land.

[ - ] PotatoWhisperer2 2 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 20:21:32 ago (+2/-0)

Don't forget permits! That'll double the cost yet again.

[ - ] o0shad0o 3 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 20:26:22 ago (+3/-0)

It could, depending on location.

I also forgot about the windows. Huge difference in cost (and comfort) between the single pane windows they'd have thrown in back then and the insulated windows we have now.

Note that it's illegal in most places to build houses the way they did back then, without insulation or plumbing or wiring to code.

[ - ] PotatoWhisperer2 3 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 20:32:31 ago (+3/-0)

Yeah. My place is from that era, original windows(frames anyways). There's these bolt-on windows with screens over them though so it's like having the double-pane stuff. The lathe and plaster method is also sorta insulating on it's own. Not as good of course, but it beats sheetrock.

[ - ] TheOriginal1Icemonkey 3 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 21:23:12 ago (+3/-0)

You can have those walls drilled and filled. Would make a huge difference.

[ - ] Sector2 2 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 19:34:29 ago (+2/-0)

That would be a steal if they shipped the land too.

The median sale price per square foot in [my town], California was $874 in January 2025.

Not immediately finding the breakdown between house and land cost, but "the median sold price is $1.3 million"

[ - ] BMN003 1 point 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 20:33:18 ago (+1/-0)

The CPI method was designed to hide the real loss of buying power -- that is, for land, real property and precious metals (particularly foreign specie) -- by weighting the numbers heavily on cheap imports. It's not economical to import hardwoods and other building materials due to weight, and even more impractical to import prefab assemblies due to size. Thus why this package today would likely cost over a million assembled, to say nothing of the land you would want to put it on.

I refer you to the much-circulated image pointing out that the $1.15 minimum wage in 1964, approximately payable in five silver quarters, would have a melt value of $21.55 today. Enough said.

[ - ] Master_Foo 6 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 18:17:16 ago (+6/-0)

So, adjusted for inflation, this would cost $136,493.34 + land + $10,000 for connection to grid + 2,000 for survey, and you still have to build it yourself.

[ - ] mrevilpirate 5 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 19:31:02 ago (+5/-0)

I have a sears house. Not as nice as this one. A 1200 sf cape. Came as a kit. 1940s.

[ - ] TheOriginal1Icemonkey 2 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 21:24:39 ago (+2/-0)

Nice!

[ - ] Scruffy 5 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 18:15:45 ago (+5/-0)*

Holy jeez would that be fun to build. Lumber precut by Whites? Manual not written by a -jew- shitskin, especially pajeet? Easy peasy, japanesie.

[ - ] 2plus2equals5 3 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 19:57:55 ago (+3/-0)

[ - ] Nosferatjew 3 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 18:40:32 ago (+3/-0)

...some assembly required.

[ - ] PotatoWhisperer2 2 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 20:23:21 ago (+2/-0)

There's a bunch of those Sears houses around here. The cheaper ones that is. When they put in the train station all the workers bought up the kits because it basically got delivered right to them.

And I'll tell ya, not a one of them followed the directions exactly. There's all sorts of modifications and add-ons. Makes for some cool looking neighborhoods.

[ - ] HeavyBrain 2 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 19:48:20 ago (+2/-0)

Well I guess without electricity or plumbing it gets way easier.

[ - ] PostWallHelena 2 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 19:37:21 ago (+2/-0)

Love those old sears plans.

[ - ] Anus_Expander 2 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 19:23:13 ago (+2/-0)

You needed a way to get it home, and a place to store it, and cover it from rain and sun damage. It was all raw wood back then.

[ - ] fnbs 2 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 18:49:00 ago (+2/-0)

Were there bathrooms yet?... ie: indoor plumbing, i cant read the schematic, too blurry

[ - ] Sector2 3 points 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 19:38:25 ago (+3/-0)

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/34/86/b8/3486b8899fb471d0b60d6eaaa63e32f7.jpg

Floor plan, if that site works for you. There are bathrooms.

[ - ] Storefront 1 point 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 21:42:14 ago (+1/-0)

I've seen some of these- there are numerous versions of this house still standing strong and they are gorgeous. Problem is many don't take care of thr raised porch and it can degrade quicker than the rest of the house.

[ - ] Sal_180 1 point 3 monthsMar 5, 2025 18:36:06 ago (+3/-2)

Sounds great, this "Sears" company must be doing well

[ - ] i_scream_trucks 0 points 3 monthsMar 6, 2025 07:13:33 ago (+0/-0)

delivery by amazon horse and cart