And when done with the catalog or ya got a new one it made great shit house reading and ultimately shit paper. As a young kid all we had was a shit house. We was rich, we had a two holer.
You must be referring to the historical fact that Sears discontinued catalog sales just as Amazon was getting started and branching out from selling books.
Catalogs were better. You don't need internet, and you can cost comparison. My family owned a craftsman for 30 years. Best house I'd ever stayed in. Materials rivaled a brick shithouse.
Ya probably know this but I've read trucks used to come in a crate at the train station. You went and got it and assembled it and then used the crate for the bed. Hence, the term pickup truck. The old ways was sometimes the best ways eh?
My home was built in 1898. When remodeling the bathroom, I had to predrill every hole to hang new drywall. The wall studs are made of hardwood that over time, has gotten hard as rock. You can not drive a nail without bending. Ohio Guy
My old house was the same but a bit older, 1733 farm building made into a human habitation in 1941 as part of the War expansion and need to house more workers for the Fore river shipyard. First tungsten drill bits I bought were to drill holes on those very hard beams.
My Uncle bought one of these pre-fabs in the early 50's that was delivered by truck. It stands today and looks the same. Sold last year for over $480k. Not a bad return on investment.
Coming home from Korea, my uncle bought and built one in Westport, Conn.....I think he told me it was 2,500 bucks....my Dad helped him build it, and it still stands today....
Hmmm... how about this. The fun starts at 6:20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plfw-NVEbBw Or this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVCfWbSs6O0 Start at 13:00. Or this for real. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa_MIFVhPSE&t=1s
Our old house was a Hudson Bay house kit all the studs where BC redwood and the exterior sheathing was tongue and groove 1x8 on an 45 angle.
My oldest bought a house recently and is renovating it. 1907 Eaton kit house looks very much like the one in the picture above. Its ship lap douglas fir sheathing and douglas fir studs. It even house a matching carriage house/barn out back.they last way longer than modern homes.
The reason those older homes lasted longer is because of several factors, mainly that lumber was denser, old growth timbers and more resistant to rot because of it. Also new homes are so airtight, that the framing lumber can't breath. Driving around the country side and looking at old homes still standing on the side of the road are still sound, even though the foundation is basically some girders laid on stacked rocks and cracks in the siding you could throw a cat through.
I've had to go back and fix modern homes because the house was so airtight that moisture was captured between the house wrap and exterior wall framing. The moisture attracts Carpenter Ants and Termites, although the Ants cause way more damage. On one house, the Ants had basically chewed up/eaten a 2x12 Yellow Pine header and the studs around a nine foot window opening. It was a mess and very expensive to fix.
There's a whole neighborhood of them in Woods Hole, MA. Probably thirty houses between Gansett Road, Gardner Road and Hyatt Road. Only one or two are in original condition.
Remember those stories in Playboy by Jean Sheppard? I think? He had one about his Dad’s friend getting one delivered and the guys got drunk and messed it up. Funny story.
My Grandfather and his dad built one outside of Kingsburg, Ca. in 1910. Other an addition adding a bathroom and enlarging what they used as a dining room, it's solid as the day they put it up. Lots of them sprinkled in and around towns in California's Central Valley.
Currently re-habing a Sears craftsmen built house here in small-town Florida. Taking it back to its original build as much as possible using modern materials. Biggest is replacing the cheap, crappy vinyl siding with Florida cedar siding. Funniest part is we can't really find out when it was built as the only recorded permit is from 1948. But we're pretty certain that was for an add-on where a 12 foot 4X4 was used to span the kitchen addition. Damn thing had about a four inch sag in it when it was exposed.
Sears made their money off of catalog sales and then opened buildings everwhere. Yet, still, a lot of their money was generated from catalog sales.
ReplyDeleteThey literally were Amazon before Amazon. What a buncha dumbasses.
And when done with the catalog or ya got a new one it made great shit house reading and ultimately shit paper. As a young kid all we had was a shit house. We was rich, we had a two holer.
DeleteYou must be referring to the historical fact that Sears discontinued catalog sales just as Amazon was getting started and branching out from selling books.
DeleteCatalogs were better. You don't need internet, and you can cost comparison. My family owned a craftsman for 30 years. Best house I'd ever stayed in. Materials rivaled a brick shithouse.
DeleteBeen in a few of them over the years. They are solid.
ReplyDeleteYa probably know this but I've read trucks used to come in a crate at the train station. You went and got it and assembled it and then used the crate for the bed. Hence, the term pickup truck. The old ways was sometimes the best ways eh?
ReplyDeleteMy home was built in 1898. When remodeling the bathroom, I had to predrill every hole to hang new drywall. The wall studs are made of hardwood that over time, has gotten hard as rock. You can not drive a nail without bending. Ohio Guy
ReplyDeleteAkshully, the studs were most likely Long Leaf Southern Pine, often called Heart Pine. At least in the South, anyway.
DeleteHeart Pine is very hard, often harder than Oak and it being a heavily resinous wood, burns easily and very hot.
Douglas Fir gets that way too. Nail-bending hard when it gets dry.
Delete1862. Same here.
DeleteWiscoDave
My old house was the same but a bit older, 1733 farm building made into a human habitation in 1941 as part of the War expansion and need to house more workers for the Fore river shipyard.
DeleteFirst tungsten drill bits I bought were to drill holes on those very hard beams.
I know of a house in Hoisington Ks, that was framed with Oak.
DeleteMy Uncle bought one of these pre-fabs in the early 50's that was delivered by truck. It stands today and looks the same. Sold last year for over $480k. Not a bad return on investment.
ReplyDeleteComing home from Korea, my uncle bought and built one in Westport, Conn.....I think he told me it was 2,500 bucks....my Dad helped him build it, and it still stands today....
DeleteHmmm... how about this. The fun starts at 6:20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plfw-NVEbBw
ReplyDeleteOr this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVCfWbSs6O0 Start at 13:00.
Or this for real. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa_MIFVhPSE&t=1s
Our old house was a Hudson Bay house kit all the studs where BC redwood and the exterior sheathing was tongue and groove 1x8 on an 45 angle.
ReplyDeleteMy oldest bought a house recently and is renovating it. 1907 Eaton kit house looks very much like the one in the picture above. Its ship lap douglas fir sheathing and douglas fir studs. It even house a matching carriage house/barn out back.they last way longer than modern homes.
Exile1981
The reason those older homes lasted longer is because of several factors, mainly that lumber was denser, old growth timbers and more resistant to rot because of it. Also new homes are so airtight, that the framing lumber can't breath. Driving around the country side and looking at old homes still standing on the side of the road are still sound, even though the foundation is basically some girders laid on stacked rocks and cracks in the siding you could throw a cat through.
DeleteI've had to go back and fix modern homes because the house was so airtight that moisture was captured between the house wrap and exterior wall framing. The moisture attracts Carpenter Ants and Termites, although the Ants cause way more damage. On one house, the Ants had basically chewed up/eaten a 2x12 Yellow Pine header and the studs around a nine foot window opening. It was a mess and very expensive to fix.
Maybe Ikea might want to look into this idea.
ReplyDeleteThere are 8 of these Sears houses still standing in Carlinville IL.. The area is called the Standard Edition.
ReplyDeleteThere's a whole neighborhood of them in Woods Hole, MA. Probably thirty houses between Gansett Road, Gardner Road and Hyatt Road. Only one or two are in original condition.
DeleteRemember those stories in Playboy by Jean Sheppard? I think? He had one about his Dad’s friend getting one delivered and the guys got drunk and messed it up. Funny story.
ReplyDeleteThat's from 'Phantom of the Open Hearth' Here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVCfWbSs6O0 Start at 13:00
DeleteMy Grandfather and his dad built one outside of Kingsburg, Ca. in 1910. Other an addition adding a bathroom and enlarging what they used as a dining room, it's solid as the day they put it up. Lots of them sprinkled in and around towns in California's Central Valley.
ReplyDeleteMy aunt & uncle still live in one in Farmtown USA.
ReplyDeleteCurrently re-habing a Sears craftsmen built house here in small-town Florida. Taking it back to its original build as much as possible using modern materials. Biggest is replacing the cheap, crappy vinyl siding with Florida cedar siding.
ReplyDeleteFunniest part is we can't really find out when it was built as the only recorded permit is from 1948. But we're pretty certain that was for an add-on where a 12 foot 4X4 was used to span the kitchen addition. Damn thing had about a four inch sag in it when it was exposed.
Almost forgot. There's five others in the neighborhood.
ReplyDelete