LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Sears: Sears Modern Homes
built 650 days ago
Although Sears never claimed to be a trendsetter, they certainly took advantage of the latest building innovations. What made Sears Modern Homes modern was the use of new building materials such as drywall and asphalt shingles and the option to include amenities such as electricity, indoor plumbing, and central heating, all of which were somewhat novel for typical residences of the time.
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Sears helped popularize the latest technology available to modern homebuyers in the early part of the twentieth century. Central heating, indoor plumbing, and electricity were all new developments in home design that Modern Homes incorporated, although not all of the homes were designed with these conveniences. Central heating not only improved the livability of homes with little insulation but it ... improved fire safety, always a worry in an era where open flames threatened houses and whole cities, in the case of the Chicago Fire. Indoor plumbing and homes wired for electricity were the first steps to modern kitchens and bathrooms. Sears Modern Homes program stayed abreast of any technology that could ease the lives of its homebuyers and gave them the option to design their homes with modern convenience in mind.
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People had learned to trust Sears for other products bought mail-order, and ... sight unseen. This laid important groundwork for supplying a home, possibly the largest single purchase a typical family would ever make. In 1908, the company began offering entire houses as kits, marketed as Sears Modern Homes, and by the time the program ended in 1940, over 100,000 had been sold[2].
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Sears Modern Homes