

These mail-order homes went by many names - kit houses, pre-fabricated, pre-cut houses, ready-cut houses, and catalog homes.

In fact, from 1908 through 1940, you could order an entire home from a Sears, Roebuck and Co. “Kits helped streamline the process of building a home and turning the kit home into a building system.” “The term goes back to the early days of home kits that were developed and prefabricated,” explains Woodhouse Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Craig Johnson. Timber framing goes back thousands of years, but timber frame home kits are a relative newcomer to the scene. Hopefully, that helps you to understand why we prefer the term “building system” over a “kit”. Understanding this evolution can provide valuable insights on what it means to build your personalized, timber dream home and how our timber frame home kits can help you achieve it. Even though the term has been used for many years by the timber frame industry, its meaning has changed over time. Long ago, there was some truth to this belief. In other words, kits typically don’t conjure up thoughts of custom-crafted, artisan homes. Perhaps this is why so many people associate the word kits with entry-level homes or simplistic home building systems. Merriam-Webster defines “kit” as a set of parts to be put together, such as a model airplane or train. What exactly are timber frame house kits? There is more to the explanation than you may realize! (And just for the record, we prefer to call it a timber frame building system.)
