Sears House, Update 2

The Sears house remodel project is coming to an end.  Here are several more before/after pictures:

(Before)

(After)

The roof was entirely demolished and the metal was sent to a reseller for reuse.  Once damaged roof rafters were replaced, a new galvalume metal roof was installed.  The original windows were kept on the front  elevation in order to keep the authenticity of the intital design.  Along with a cleaning and a fresh coat of paint, the Sears house has a second life well into its next century.



Before



After



These before and after pictures are taken from the living room while looking into the dining room.  The original light fixtures were kept, as they still work, and lend an additional charm to the Sears house.  The hardwood floors were repaired and refinished with a red oak stain and a water-based, semi-gloss polyurethane.

Before



After



After



The fireplace mantel had very interesting mouldings and ornate details that we definitely wanted to repair and preserve.  After repairing the mouldings, we removed all of the old caulking, sanded, re-caulked and painted the mantle.  As intended, it is now the focal point of the entire house.



Before



After

The exterior dining room wall had extensive termite damage and was completely rebuilt with new framing members, windows, sheetrock and trim.   The interior wall was painted a light blue to help balance the earth tones and to create a nice accent.  Again, we kept the original light fixture and the trim around the windows was designed to replicate the original window trim.

This was such an amazing project to see this transformation.

Sears House Remodel

Several months ago, we started a remodel of an older kit house in the Texas Hill country.  This is a project I was really excited to be a part of as these types of houses are rare in central Texas.
Here's a little history: 

At the beginning of the 20th century, a person was able to pick up a handy Sears Roebuck Mail-Order Catalog and order everything from table linens to houses.  That's right - actual houses, operated by Sears' "Modern Homes" division.  They are now often referred to as "kit houses," as everything needed to build the house, from framing lumber to nails to paint, was included in the kit.  Overall, Sears designed over 400 plans/kits for sale during this time!  Sears was not the first company to sell "kit" houses, but over time, the Sears name has become synonymous with kit homes.  As it turns out, the concept of modern, pre-fab houses is about a century old!   

Below are several "before" images of a kit house remodel in Johnson City.  Though it has not been verified, the owner (as do I) kindly refers to the house as "The Sears House."  

As you can tell from the photos, this house is in need of some attention.  I will send out updates as this house goes through its transformation process.