In 1978, shortly after my first husband and I got married, we sat down to watch ajim walter homesteadTable of contents. the ideakit homeWe like it very much. In the end, we decided to buy an existing home, but over the years the idea of building our own sacred space held a special appeal.
I was asked to write an article about it in 1999sears corp.existCarlinville, Illinois.as aFreelance writerI work hard for a living, and I'm happy to do so. i met her once156 Sears Homes within 12 blocks, I am totally hopelessly in love. A 1,000-word article that should have taken hours ended up taking weeks. The editor wanted "a few photos" and I submitted 96 photos. This was back when film was still available, and the 96 shots represented four rolls of film!
When the first article came out, I suddenly "expert"On kit homes. I don't know much about kit homes, but I'm passionate about the subject. I searched for a book on the subject and found very little. Houses by Mail (Sears Homes Guide) is a fascinating read book, but little written history. That's how I started writing"The house Sears built."
Within 90 days, my book was published indead in new york timesI was then asked to performPBS's Historical Detectives, A&E's biography, CBS Sunday Morning News and more. From there we go to races.
This is the "backstory" of how I became a kit house expert.
now i am interested to know moreJim Walter House,based onTampa, FL.For the past six weeks, I have been searching tirelesslyebayMayfly for this company, but I can't find anything. If anyone knows how to get the infojim walter homestead,Please leave a message! I'm also interested in finding pictures of existing Jim Walter homes.
To contact me please leave a message below!
To learn more about Sears Homes,Click here.
Cover of the 1921 Sears Catalog of Modern Homes
Pictured above is a Gordon Van Tine kit catalog from the late 1930's/early 1940's.
Wardway Homes catalog, circa 1931.
Aladdin's House, 1917. I'm not sure, but I believe this is the genie returning to the bottle after building a house for its owner. I love post-apocalyptic orange skies!
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AmiJanuary 10, 2013 at 1:34 pm
I'm not sure if you're still interested in Jim Walter Homes, but my parents had one in Ft. Miles, Florida; my dad lived there and had all the original plans.
sears corp.January 14, 2013 at 9:32 am
Hello friend,
Yes, I'm still interested in learning more about Jim Walters. Tell me what you know! !
You can contact me...Rosemary.ringer@gmail.com
glenda smithSeptember 9, 2013 at 1:46 pm
I'm not sure, but I believe Jim Walters Homes is now known as Pennyworth Homes in Jacksonville, FL
thisJuly 14, 2014 at 12:46 am
I don't know if you're still interested in Jim Walter houses, but I live in one of them. I got the house when my father died in 1996. I don't know if they are penny houses. I know of a company that bought Jim Walter's house.
Lloyd YoungAugust 2, 2014 at 12:57 pm
Hello,
I'm employed by Ted Saylor Photography in Tampa, FL, a photographer for Jim Walter Homes, Celotex, US Pipe, and more.
This might be a clue to your efforts... I don't know if Ted is still alive, but this is my contribution to your request.
Lloyd of Fort Walton Beach, FL
Alice BoysenAugust 5, 2014 at 11:32 am
There is a Jim Walter dealership in Fredericksburg, Virginia, between Routes 95 and 17.
The whole area is now built and the site is littered with the usual junk construction like highway exits, motels, fast food restaurants.
It opened in the 1970's because I looked at what was available at the time.
PriscillaJune 24, 2016 at 10:51 am
Hello,
I'm not sure if you're still interested in Jim Walters' home and photos. I am currently the owner of a 1992 Jim Walters home on stilts that is 2.1 square feet on a 1,104 square foot lot. I've only owned it for three years, but I have some info on them and a few other homes in my area that are Jim Walters stilt houses. Some stilt houses in my area are sealed from below and don't look like Jim Walters' stilt houses anymore. Due to the septic tank and fully poured concrete foundation, the bottom of my home is completely open with a concrete half wall behind. This means the bottom of my house is completely usable, including the porch, storage room, and our kids' play area. The extra 1,100sqm is awesome! ! ! It was a big plus for us when we bought it. I love our house and even though we have had issues such as animals and snakes getting into our upstairs porches and balconies, our main concern is that they will get into our floors through the cracks below our house. The biggest problem is that the metal plate under the slider is leaking water, which is the result of improper installation. I've heard this happens a lot with this model (I'm not sure about the model name). There are some old entrance photos and older satellite imagery online. Email me if you have any questions or want to know some locations I know!PriscillaJune 24, 2016 at 11:43 am
2821 Fountain Drive SW Palm Cove, FL; 3211 Westover Ave. Palm Bay, FL; 549 Lambright St. SW Palm Bay, FL; Degroodt Rd sw and Fitchburg St sw Palm Bay, on corner (closed at bottom). This house, also at 2144 Ocean Ave SW Palm Bay, was extensively remodeled and added a garage, but it's also a house on stilts. It's hard to tell now, but if you know what to look for, you can see the obvious signs, the way the roof was built, the rear sliders upstairs at the back of the house (nowhere to open now, there used to be a porch). connection), the windows on the side of the house and of course inside the house, in some places only stilts are visible. There are many more in Palm Cove and the Melbourne area. If you need more addresses please let me know. I will do my best to help.
That's itAugust 25, 2016 at 2:21 am
Hi, I don't know if you are still interested in Jim Walter houses, but I live in one of them! My parents got it around 1994/1995 and when my dad died in 2014 I got the house! Everything is the same on the outside (my dad isn't one to maintain everything), the colors and everything. I have all his files! My great aunt had one before she passed away and it looks exactly like the one built in the 50's/60's. There is another two floors, one about 3 doors away and the other about 5 minutes away! I'm sure I can find more! Let me know if you are interested. I can also email you the photos if you want! i'm in alabama
Phyllis AsbellOctober 23, 2016 at 7:46 pm
We own a two bedroom Jim Walker home from the 70's. The original owners chose to build it on stilts because it provides additional storage space and meets flood insurance requirements.
We have no original documents or blueprints.
Phyllis Asbell
120 Dr. Smoakhouse
Midway, GA 31320buck irwinOctober 24, 2016 at 2:01 pm
I actually worked for Jim Walter Homes in 1970-71. This was my first job in the construction industry and all these years later I still work in the same industry today [albeit in a very different part]. My office [they call it a branch office] is in Winchester, VA where I work as a manager [including VA, W.VA and MD]. People call my office all the time asking for Jim Walter, and sometimes I can't help but play like him! I started selling these homes in my hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia before taking on a management position at Winchester.
Throughout my career, I have owned my own construction company and built entry level and custom homes, kind of like "replicating" a Jim Walter ranch home for my early home buyers. very successful. I also bought a Jim Walter house in Lynchburg to rent out for foreclosure, but that's about it. My late father actually bought one too, dismantled it, took it to a house in town, and installed it in the back of his house. Still near [2248 Obey Street, Lynchburg, VA].
If you're interested, I can tell you some stories and adventures I had while working for them, and why I don't think they survived.Thinking about it today, I feel sad that such a "great" company should go bankrupt from a thriving $2 billion company.
sheila duncanMarch 18, 2017 at 1:48 pm
Hello. I read your article and had to write to tell you that we've built one of Jim Walters' homes in Kentucky: Oxford.
There are currently plans for demolition and possibly a new site as the neighbor wants to use the property to finish off his property.
He doesn't care about the house, he just smooths it out.
Structurally, it's still solid. However, its foundation was poor, and all the columns supporting it bowed outwards.
However, it has been there since the 1970's and if the foundations are replaced and new cladding is put in, I don't think it will be there for another 50 years.
jerry killebrewMay 6, 2017 at 10:26 pm
If you are still collecting information, please contact me.
Lots of information about a great company that I'm proud to be a part of.
We are happy to look forward to hearing from you.
sears corp.May 7, 2017 at 1:28 am
Dear Jerry,
Please contact mepennimanva@gmail.com.
Thanks! ! !
OlegSeptember 15, 2017 at 2:09 pm
@glenda smith
Ft. There are many Jim Walters homes. Miles, Florida. I own one of these. 2 bedroom house from the 70's.
