ID Block 1

Identifying a kit house requires patience, perseverance, and a tolerance for uncertainty. Kit house companies offered models in styles popular at the time—bungalows, American Foursquares, cottages, and Colonials dominated the catalogs. Many of these designs were plucked from the plan books of architects like William Radford. Companies also borrowed liberally from each other’s catalog pages. This makes it impossible to confirm a kit house by appearance alone. It’s better to approach the kit house identification process with the methodical, scientific approach of a detective, backing up gut feeling with concrete proof.