ALL AROUND | The History

OLD HOUSE RESTORATION VIDEOS- Historic Kit Houses

by bungalow101 | ALL AROUND, The History | 0 comments

Historic kit houses hold an intense interest for old house lovers. The very idea introduces the possibility of getting so many questions about the origins of our homes answered. We all burn with curiosity to know: Who built it? Who designed it? When?

The fact that there were many companies manufacturing & shipping houses, & they stepped on one another’s designs all too frequently, makes this puzzle even more intriguing.

My article, DO I HAVE A KIT HOUSE? provides many references that are chock full of the most authoritative answers. I invite you to read it but I also offer you a tip-back-&-eat-popcorn experience in the form of videos that will impart some more cool knowledge.

The first couple videos are entertaining but the last one is highly illuminating, answering questions for me that I never knew I had about historic kit houses. The speaker, Devin Colman, state architectural historian at the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, has obviously researched this topic well & he fleshes out the subject, enriching our understanding of the origin, success & decline of historic kit houses.

HISTORIC KIT HOUSES VIDEOS

Build your own Sears Kit Home – Life in America (8:01)
Recollection Road

Some good information & wonderful images.

Sears Houses– Kit Houses Sold by Sears, Roebuck, 1908-1940. From Two on Two, WBBM-TV Chicago. (6:58)
Beth Potter

Blueprints found in the attic! Neat! See inside some houses as they are now.

The Kit House! When houses were made by Sears (and others) and shipped for assembly. (8:12)
Brent Hull

I always love to hear Brent’s take on all things old house. He doesn’t dissappoint us here!

Bungalow in a Box: Kit Houses of the Early Twentieth Century (41:19)
Historic New England

Now you’ve hit the motherlode!

Devin Colman, state architectural historian at the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation speaks on historic kit houses. He explains the houses from various aspects giving you a full & fascinating education on the subject.