Sears' Kit Homes: Pioneering Modern Prefab Houses.

Sears was a pioneer in mail-ordered homes, selling between 70,000 and 75,000 houses before discontinuing its catalog in 1940. The retailer designed 447 different housing styles, shipped pieces for buyers to construct themselves or hire builders to do it. Today, the popularity of do-it-yourself, modest tiny homes is gaining traction in an era of shocking rent increases and low housing inventory. Maine recently became the first state to legally recognize tiny homes as a primary dwelling, and towns are altering zoning codes to comply with the new state law.