If Gordon VanTine made the Wards and models were almost identical then does anyone know if there is a Gordon VanTine or other plans similar to the Wardway "Leland" plan?

We just bought a house w/the exact layout as the "Leland" If it wasn't a kit where would the builder's have gotten the plan from?

Thanks,
Candy

Candy,
Welcome to the Forum. I am going to put an image of the Wardway Leland here for reference. I have a GVT catalog from the same time period that I will look through to try to get you an answer.



Floorplan:
Wardway - The Leland - Kit House

Lauren

Wow! That was fast and easy.

Here it is: The Ashton

The Wardway Leland and Gordon-VanTine Ashton are identical in every way, floorplan and dimensions as both were manufactured by GVT.

There are two ways to distinguish the models; one is to look for the shipping label stenciled onto a wooden plank that was part of the shipping crate and frequently reused in the attic or basement for shelves or doors (got to love the resourcefull thrift of our grandparents); the second is to check the Mortgage Records at the local Courthouse to see if there are any mortgages for your property from Thomas Riodarian, a Montgomery-Ward trustee who was authorized to approve mortgages, or Gordon-VanTine, who did not have a trustee.

There are Gordon-VanTine houses in Michigan but not as many as Montgomery-Ward, Sears or Aladdin. For more information on GVT try www.gordonvantine.com.

There have been many examples of houses that are exact copies of popular catalog designs but built by local carpenters. It is also possible they purchased blueprints and uncut lumber from GVT, thus there are no assembley marks (a option Montgomery-Ward did not offer for the Leland).

If you have pictures of the house we'd love to see them.

I'm thinking the house was built by a local contractor because we haven't seen any marks in the basement, attic or walls during remodeling. Not curious if you would know this but on the kit's plans was there an option for a staircase to the attic and an option for finishing the attic; we found unused heating ducts to the attic when we were remodeling.

Candy