Simplex Sectional Cottages were very simple houses – to say the least. They were – without a doubt – the bottom rung of the construction ladder. These were prefab vacation cottages that could be disassembled and packed away when it was time to go home and very quite primitive by today’s standards.

The 1922 Modern Homes catalog described Simplex Sectional Cottages as, “ideal seashore, lake, winter resort houses and substantial garages.” The 1919 catalog stated that they were ideal for summer or winter resorts because, “they can be quickly put up at the beginning of the season and then taken down and moved to a new location.”

Walls and gables came in whole sections, with windows and doors pre-hung in their frames. The small homes could be put together with basic tools and their assembly required no sawing or nailing. The houses were held together by strap irons, screws, metal clips and bolts.    Two men could assemble the house in eight hours, according to the 1923 catalog.

And this blog’s title? Came from the fifth image below, where a 13,800 pound house is offered for $887. That’s $15 per pound! It’s also $1.54 per square foot (24 x 24).

The images below came from the 1921 Sears Modern Homes catalog:

This graphic from the 1921 Sears Modern Homes catalog shows the process of erecting a Simplex Sectional Cottage. Note the clock in the foreground.

As the clock demonstrated, this modest little house can be erected and ready for occupancy in a mere eight hours.

This says it all.

If you want walls in your house, that'll raise the price of this house by 24%.

The price seems like a swinging deal. Let's see - that works out to about $15 per pound.

An overview of the prices in the 1921 catalog.

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