Between 1908 and 1940, you could order a 30,000-piece house kit from the Sears catalog.
It arrived by train. It came with 750 pounds of nails, 27 gallons of paint, and an instruction manual.
Every board was numbered. You and your neighbors assembled it like giant LEGOs.
These weren’t flimsy shacks. They were built with old-growth lumber that is superior to anything you can buy at Home Depot today.
We stopped because building codes got complicated and mortgage rules changed. But thousands are still standing, defying age.