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BSD-139: Deep Energy Retrofit of a Sears Roebuck House—A Home for the Next 100 Years — by Betsy Pettit, FAIA — last modified 2009/05/07

The American Foursquare, a Sears, Roebuck & Co. kit home, was a staple of small American towns between 1908 and 1940. More than 100,000 of them were built in America. Homes built prior to 1980 make up 80% of the housing stock in the United States, and are responsible for a majority of the residential energy use in the country. All of the renovations used systems engineering principles to ensure good indoor air quality and longterm durability while providing deep energy reductions.