Imagine opening a thick paper catalog—like an online store website, only without a screen—and picking out… an entire real house. Not a dollhouse, but one where people actually live. That’s exactly what many families in Seattle did a hundred years ago. And these homes still stand today on the city’s quiet streets—with wide verandas, wooden beams under the roof, and cozy front porches. These aren’t just pretty old houses. They’re an engineering marvel of their time. And most surprising of all: the very same idea is needed by people again right now.
Houses with character: what is a craftsman bungalow
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Seattle began building a special kind of home. They were called “craftsman bungalows”—from the English word craftsman, meaning “craftsman” or “maker.” These cottages were low and cozy, with a low roof and wide eaves that stretched out over the walls, like a hat protecting a face from the rain. And in Seattle, as you probably know, there’s a lot—very, very much—rain!
Each of these houses had a wide veranda—a covered porch—where you could sit and chat with neighbors even in a downpour. Instead of hiding the wooden beams under the ceiling, builders deliberately left them visible—because it was beautiful and honest: the house, in a way, showed what it was made of. Inside, they made built-in shelves and cabinets directly into the walls—clever and convenient.
But behind all this beauty was a real engineering calculation. Wide eaves didn’t just decorate the house—they protected the wooden walls from rain and provided shade in summer. And the wooden frame was flexible, which was crucial: Seattle sits in an earthquake zone, and wooden houses “spring” instead of shattering when the ground shakes. Builders knew this even a hundred years ago—and they built smart.
The biggest “package” in the world
And now—the most amazing part. From 1908 to 1940, the American company Sears sold whole houses. By catalog. Just like today you can order toys or books online, back then you could open a thick paper catalog, choose the house you liked, send a letter with your order—and within a few weeks a freight train car packed with parts would arrive at your lot.
Just imagine: this kind of “package” contained about thirty thousand parts! Boards, beams, windows, doors, nails, paint, wallpaper—everything, everything, everything you need to build a whole house.
