Remember when Sears sold houses? See some of Ann Arbor's kit homes

[shlomo]

https://www.mlive.com/news/erry-2018/10/d6e5c77a7d3192/remember-when-sears-sold-house.html

ANN ARBOR, MI - For about 40 years at the turn of the 20th century, Sears Roebuck and Co. sold houses.

You'd pick the model you liked from the Sears' Modern Homes catalog and, within a few weeks, a couple of shipping containers arrived via train with a kit containing all the materials needed to build your dream home.

Ambitious homeowners could follow the instructions and assemble their new homes themselves, which typically took three to six months, or some people hired professionals to complete the construction more quickly.

Sears was not the only company to sell kit houses, but it was the largest and many of its kit houses are still standing in Ann Arbor.

 

 

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