In Sara Schaefer Munoz’s extensive article [Historians and Fans Are Racing to Catalog Homes Sold by Sears [WSJ]](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114765321747952563-search.html?KEYWORDS=sears&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month) she describes the attempts by preservationists to catalog the remaining houses sold through the Sears Catalog.

>Precut houses ordered from a Sears catalog were shipped by boxcar in 30,000 pieces — including shingles, nails and paint — and assembled by a local carpenter or by the buyers themselves. Styles ranged from the elaborate, nearly $6,000 Magnolia, to the three-room, no-bath Goldenrod, sold in 1925 for $445. (Outhouses sold separately.)

The choices were quite elaborate: _From 1908–1940, Sears, Roebuck and Company sold more than 100,000 homes through their mail-order Modern Homes program. Over that time Sears designed 447 different housing styles._

Sears has a surprisingly extensive [archive of information.](http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/index.htm) This includes photos, floor plans, chronology and an extensive history. There is also [a nice write up in Wikipedia.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears_Catalog_Home)

After looking through all this material, it struck me how much higher consumers expectations about housing are now as compared to 100 years ago. _Its something that would not fit in a catalogue._