For the last several years I have been under the impression that my home is a Sears Lynnhaven or Belmont.
I have the left entrance floorplan of the Lynnhaven but the brick structure of the Belmont. I have always been confused by the fact that my house was built in 1929 and the Sears homes were not available until 1931 and 1932.
Now I have found out that a supposedly very similar home "The Crestline" was available in the 1927 Home Builders Catalog on page 1107. Does anyone have any information available regarding "The Crestline"?
Hopefully, I have included a picture of my home.

Bob --

Your house is incredibly pretty and is a lovely example of that English cottage style that was so popular during the 1920s.

Do you actually know that yours is a kit? If you aren't sure, please take a look at our article by Rosemary Thornton about Sears Kits.

Sears had a small catalog of brick homes in 1929. They routinely flipped plans so getting a mirror image of the plan was easily done.

We have a copy of the Home Builders Catalog and will check that for you as well. It's equally possible that plans could have been obtained from any one of the many plan services like Standard Homes or William A. Radford, both of which were found everywhere. Many lumber dealers purchased the content and slapped their name on the cover then handed them out to customers. We've found both companies' content under the names of various lumber yards. I'm sure there were many others.

It would be useful to get a better idea of your home's location (city and/or neighborhood). While it's possible yours is a kit, it looks more like a custom home to me. The level of detail is quite fine.

Rikki

BobInSEPA,

Welcome to the forum.

I have recently acquired a Sears catalog of brick veneered homes from 1929. The content on The Arts and Crafts Society's Sears pages is incorrect about the dates of availability on this home.

We are in the process of updating and correcting some of the little mistakes as we find them, (and as they are pointed out to us). Thanks for bringing this one up.

We will be putting a group of the house plans from this catalog up on Antique Home as soon as we can.

Lauren

Left: The Belmont - Sears Kit Home

Rikki,

Thank you, we love our home and have lived in it for 39 years.
We bought it as a starter home because it across the street from an elementary school playing field so when we had children they could walk to school. Well before you knew it our kids had walked to grade and jr. high schools, gone to high school and college, moved out, got married and had their own children and we are still in our starter home.
As we get older, early 60s, the location gets even more desirable: a SEPTA bus line is 2 blocks away, the SEPTA train line is 5 blocks away and all major and minor stores are less than 3 miles away. And yet it is very much a small town with parks and playgrounds and people walking.
This great little place is North Wales Pennsylvania about 15 miles northwest of Philly.

Bob

Bob --

If you haven't stumbled on it yet, take a look at the house plans on Antique Home. There are quite a few, but you may find similar plans.

I imagine that after creating so many memories in such a beautiful home, everything else pales by comparison. Your description of North Wales sounds delightful.

R.

All,

I have a copy of "Houses by Mail" and lots of other pictures and plans of the Lynnhaven and Belmont from various internet sites. Our home has all the dimensions and features of the Lynnhaven: refrigerator alcove, built-ins in breakfast room etc. The only really obvious differences are our roof does not curve-out at the ends, a few less windows, a kitchen door and we have a stairway to the 3rd floor replacing part of the linen closet.
Our next-door neighbor's house is a dead-ringer for a VanJean/Rembrandt which existed in the Sears 1928 and 1929 catalogs. Both of our houses were built in 1929 as samples for a development which was aborted by the depression.

I have not been able to find any stamps on lumber in the basement or any other proof.

I have just read about sheet plaster being used in Sears houses. I have been told that our house is double row brick, lathing and plaster. Insulation proof.

Thanks for the link to Antique Home.

Bob

Bob,

I've been looking around and it seems that Sears was pursuing contracts to build entire company towns at the time your house was built. The houses may NOT have been kits as we think of them but part of a special order by a company like what was done for Harvey Firestone and Firestone Park.

You can read a transcript of a History Detectives show on this subject here.
(it is a PDF)

Lauren

I have gotten more information about my house.
I found the land parcels to be part of the "North Wales Park #2" the plans of which are dated May 18, 1929 and owned by the Keystone Developing Company. The first deed to my property was filed on April 6, 1932 when the Keystone Developing Company sold it to the first owner.
The problem is that I can't find any indication of there being a structure on the property, at least in 1932.
I do have proof of my home's existence in 1933.

My home is in the right background and my neighbors "Van Jean" is visible behind it.

Is there any way to find out when my home was actually built?

Bob --

You may not be able to get an exact date, but should be able to narrow down the year. Go to the library and ask to see the Sanford Insurance Maps. They show the presence of buildings from year to year. Also, check the tax records. One or both together should allow you to "triangulate" an answer.

Best,
Rikki

Rikki,

Thanks for the advice, I'll try to get some of that infomation.

How did you get my photo to show up?
I thought that I had used the same method for my first post's photo, but I guess not.

Bob

Bob --

Your images show up at Picasa and I was able to pick up the link from within the post. In Picasa, I right-clicked the image and selected "copy image location" and pasted that in the post to make it show up.

By the way, I am adding images from the 1929 Sears Brick House catalog today at www.antiquehome.org/House-Plans/.
R.

Rikki,

I am using Windows XP MCE 2005 and "copy image location" is not an option.
But, properties is and it shows up there, so I cut and pasted that.
I'll see if that works.

If it does my first post must have been a fluke.

What Operating System are you using?

Bob

Wow, Bob ... Was that a weekend that just flew by?!

You should be able to right click on the image (with your mouse) to see the "copy image location" dialogue box for your images at Picasa.

I'm running both a Mac Powerbook and PC with XP. I think it's just the right click thing.

Best,
R.

Are your room measurements a spot on match for the floor plans? For example, is your dining room 12' 5" X 11' 5"? Its got to be dead on.

Donna

Hello Friends,
The picture of the house is the same house that Lauren posted except it is a reverse layout. In other words the just flipped the drawings over and constructed in the revers method. I have dome many of homes in this manner.

Now for the picture part of copy and paste,
When you go to an area where the picture is stored. Pull it up and then right click and the URL will show, and then you must highlight the URL and right click again and select copy then close. Go to where you are wanting to paste the picture and right click again and click on paste and the picture should appear.

Respectfully,

Ralph Jones

Rikki,

I have traced both my neighbors and my deeds back to the originals in 1929, but they haven't been helpful in determining when either of our houses were built. There are no Montgomery County tax records available further back than the last few decades. However, I was told by the Montgomery County librarians that the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for some towns in Southeastern Pennsylvania are on file at the Free Library of Philadelphia, Central Library. I will be at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania later this week, so I may have a chance to look for them there and "Houses from Books" at the U of P library.
You mentioned that you have a copy of the Home Builders Catalog, have you seen "The Crestline" in that?


Donna,

My measurements are off by a foot or more, either way.


Ralph,

I have the picture thing down now. I posted the second football picture.


Anyone,

The more that I look into this, the more am sure that my home is NOT a Sears' Lynnhaven or Belmont. The interior layout is identical but none of my interior dimensions are exactly the same, some are off by a foot or more. The exterior dimensions are exactly the same.
Does anyone know if Sears used double row brick, lathing and plaster construction?

The book "Houses from Books" mentions that the Sears' Lynnhaven/Belmont were almost identical to "The Crestline" a brick English-style cottage from the 1927 Home Builders Catalog on page 1107. Not only is the exterior the same, but the plans are almost identical. Based on this synopsis, I have a feeling that my home is really "The Crestline".

Does anyone have access to the 1927 Home Builders Catalog page 1107?
Carrie in
http://forum.arts-crafts.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8876045532/m/4101066982
found access to one, but I have no known way of contacting her.

I will be starting a new topic asking for information from the 1927 Home Builders Catalog to get perhaps a wider audience.

Thank you,
Bob

Bob --

I am pretty sure yours is NOT a kit home. There was so much cross-pollination among builders that similar styles and layouts were inevitable.

Sears offered Brick Veneer homes (c. 1929), but not the double-wall brick construction of your home.

For what it's worth, I checked our Home Builders Catalog and found "The Dawn" model on page 1107, but it's probably the same house with a different name. (Ours is dated 1928.) I still think yours is a nicer house.



Lath and plaster and several different types of wallboard were common during the late 1920s.

R.

Rikki,

I had a chance to look at "Houses from Books" at the U of Penn library today. The picture of the 1927 "Crestline" in that book (without floorplan) is exactly the same as the 1928 "Dawn", so my quest for the 1927 Home Builders Catalog is over. I think the lack of side bedroom windows in the "Dawn" is strange.
Anyhow, I will continue to search for plans with an exact match for my house. The Lynnhaven's floorplan is exactly right but the dimensions aren't. I will keep an eye on plans as they are posted at www.antiquehome.org/House-Plans/ .
Now, if only I can find out the exact build date.

Thanks for all your help!
Bob

Bob-

I could be nuts but I think Bennett homes had a house similar to the Lynnehaven.

Donna