Autumn 2008 with Antique Home & Style

1929 Home Builders Catalog

One of the largest plan books during the 1920s was the huge Home Builders Catalog. Broken out into materials from roofing to kitchen sinks as well as sections on planning and financing a home, it's a cornucopia of information. Half the catalog are small house plans in every style including small Storybook and European influenced styles. More ...

1936 SEARs Plans & Kit homes

By the mid-1930s, the kit house business was beginning to wind down. Montgomery Ward dropped out of the competition in 1931. Sears would continue to publish their catalog and sell houses until 1940 but with fewer new designs. More ...

C. L. Bowes Publishing

C. L. Bowes was a prolific publisher of hundreds of house plans particularly during the 1920s. We have posted plans from an undated catalog (about 1923) and a second catalog in 1925. Bowes was also a contributor to the Home Builders Catalog though there is no attribution. More ...

Frank Lloyd Wright's "FireProof House for $5000"

In 1907, the Ladies Home Journal published the "The Fireproof House for $5000," an exclusive plan designed especially for LHJ. In his own words, Wright describes the features of the house and shows the plans for its layout. It's an interesting plan showcasing the open floor plan and the distinctive characteristics of Wright's work. Take a good look at the plan. It's about 1800 square feet, but very modern, very aesthetic, and looks like it would be a nice house to live in! More ...

1926 Pacific Ready Cut Homes, Inc.

Though not the largest kit home manufacturer, Pacific Ready Cut is notable for offering a range of interesting and distinctively Californian small cottage and bungalow plans. Many of the amenities included built-ins that maximized space and reduced the need for furniture.

Pacific Ready Cut, located in LA, was in the kit home business for more than 30 years and sold about 40,000 homes from 1909 to 1940.

We've published designs and plans from the 1925 De Luxe edition ranging from a really little studio duplex to a beautiful modern Colonial. More ...

The Bungalow Book — Chapter 1

In 1923 the bungalow-style house was as popular as ever. Charles E. White, a Chicago School architect, published his small Bungalow Book on how to plan and build these popular small houses. The first chapter of his book describes what bungalows are, where they came, and elaborates on what made them so compelling to American home buyers. More ...

Vol. 1, No. 2

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Summer 2008