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The Sears homes were excellent values driven to a great extent by economies of scale/industrial manufacture. Also, wood was much cheaper then, even though it w
by WillAdams 2y ago
The Sears homes were excellent values driven to a great extent by economies of scale/industrial manufacture.
Also, wood was much cheaper then, even though it was much better quality than is generally available now:
https://searshomes.org/index.php/2011/02/23/virgin-forests-and-first-growth-lumber-a-thing-of-the-past/ https://searshomes.org/index.php/2011/02/23/virgin-forests-a...
- vundercind 2y agoUsed to own a 1917-construction house, can confirm the lumber thing. It was wild. The huge framing beams visible around the foundation in the basement were damn near veneer-quality by today’s standards. The diagonally-laid underfloor boards were so flawless that most could have been hardwood floor themselves (aside from their probably being pine, I mean). We still had good finishing wood into the 80s or so. Lots and lots of blue-collar family homes still being build with solid wood trim and doors. That dropped off over that decade and was just about gone by some time in the ‘90s, and now we put cardboard trim and fake-wood doors in $750,000 houses.
- chasil 2y agoI regularly walk by the Denkmann building at Augustana College. Frederick Denkmann was one of the founders of Weyerhaeuser, and my hardwood floors were likely sourced from him. He is responsible for a few other things around town. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Denkmann https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Denkmann Weyerhaeuser is still a major lumber company today. https://www.weyerhaeuser.com/ https://www.weyerhaeuser.com/