The House That Roy Built

The nationwide search for Sears Roebuck houses began in the mid-1970's after The Wall Street Journal published an article about them. Before that, few people knew about Sears houses since they had not been sold in almost 40 years.

However, one group who did know about them were the original owners.

In October 1977, the Detroit Free Press ran a story about Roy Weese and the Sears house he built in Royal Oak, Michigan. The article was distributed nationwide through the Knight-Ridder wire service.

Roy holds the blueprints in front of his house. At 86 years old, he was still living in the Sears home he had built half a century earlier. 

Nearly a century later, Roy’s Gladstone still stands today at 1408 Maxwell Avenue (Google Streetview). 

Back in 1926, Roy purchased a Gladstone model and financed it directly through Sears Roebuck. The Gladstone was a two-story, six-room home with an efficient floor plan and no wasted space.

Roy had never built anything in his life.  Undeterred, he moved his family into a tent on the building site and began the project. The first task was to dig the basement. He dug the 24' x 24' hole with nothing but a hand shovel. When the foundation was complete, the family moved into the basement while construction continued.

Roy told the reporter: 

“You look at the roll of blueprints and you’d think I was going to build a factory. Sometimes I thought I bit off more than I could chew.”

According to Roy, he paid a total of $3,996 for the Gladstone – $2,796 for the materials and $1,200 for add-on costs like hiring a plasterer and electrician.  Occasionally, he paid a carpenter to teach him how to tackle certain tasks, such as hanging a window. He also got help from his nephew and brother-in-law.

Despite the challenges, Roy managed to finish the home, starting in June and completing the house in spring of 1927.

Only two pieces were missing from the house kit: an exterior trim piece and a floor support. Sears instructed Roy to get replacements from a local lumberyard and send the bill directly to them.

Roy’s story is just one of thousands. Across the country, Sears houses still stand, symbols of an era when determination turned blueprints into family homes.