Only 2,680 Lustron houses made it off the assembly line before the company ceased production in 1950. A huge screened porch, original to his house but not standard to Lustrons, has been a real problem area, thanks to the unforgiving Indiana lakeshore winters.The porch had leaked for a long time,says Zeiger. I love living in our Lustron Home in Michigan, and I really appreciate the info and pictures here! Overly ambitious initial projections had indicated that the factory would produce at a rate of 400 houses per day. Lustron Homes also promoted their homes as being: The company also made claims that the homes never needed to be reroofed or repainted due to the design of the house. Steel shingles cost between $350 to $450 per square. Thank you for any comments or suggestions-have a great day! In 20 months of production and sales, Lustron lost money on each house, and in turn, was not able to repay the RFC loan. The other natural source for a summary of heroic steel houses is Niel Jacksons recent The Modern Steel House (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1997). AIA California, arcCA 02.3, Building Value.] I would carefully restore this fabulous structure. RFC foreclosed on Lustron and production stopped on June 6, 1950. Ohio-made Lustron prefabricated homes resemble one-story Ranch style houses. Wachsmann and Gropius General Panel house and early Package house also appeared to be headed for intensive mass production efforts at about the same time the Lustron experienced its best years, but the most successful General Panel house production effort only reached 150 to 200 units.6 I measured the floor tiles we have, and they are 99 inches in size. Thus, the dream of Carl Strandlundbecame reality, and Luston built around 3,000 homes between 1948 and 1950, whichsold for between $8,500 and $9,500. All Rights Reserved. The Lustron was an all-steel house, with walls made of 22 20-gage metal panels, with a porcelain enamel finish. 2 Thomas Fetters, The Lustron Home: The History of a Postwar Prefabricated Housing Experiment (London: McFarland & Company, 2002), p. 55. I have lusted after this Lustron for many years and have patiently waited for it to become available. The houses were made of metal, allowing them to be durable and fast to build. If you install a new roof, I would suggest solid decking and then an aluminum or steel roof. . Lustron Homes produced some of the first homes made out of metal in the U.S. Lustron Corporation last built a home in 1950, but theyre still regarded as some of the best metal homes you can buy. Architects have historically embraced the cause of residential prefabrication with vigor, designing a wide variety of futuristic concept homes intended for mass production. As the most popular roofing material, the quality and longevity of asphalt shingles depends upon the manufacturer, type, style and climate. Had this happened a year ago, before I purchased the Cross House, I would have snapped it up! Whoee! Though they require continual maintenance and inspection, repair costs are typically low compared to the initial installation cost or replacement cost. I would work really hard to find matching tiles to recreate the original flooring. For Residential buildings choose Other to get started. How to Prevent Snow From Coming in Your Vents. The steel structurevertical steel studs and roof-ceiling trusses to which the interior and exterior panels are attachedwas in excellent condition, as was the original insulation. As a result, the company went bankrupt, with over 8,000 housing units under contract that were never built. Because the porch is considered historically significant, it must be restored to its original appearance, and Zeiger is still seeking out period-appropriate fiberglass panels to fix it. But Lustrons were created between these two eras, and they have their own distinct period aesthetic, as exemplified by the two images above. AIA CA is an association of 11,000 dedicated and passionate members who share a commitment to design excellence and livability in Californias natural and built environments. The first Lustrons off the assembly line were two-bedroom, one-bath, 1,000-square-foot models. I have many fond memories of the house and back building. They cost $10,000 to $12,000, making them pricier than their standard counterparts. There is also a 2-car carport, and the lot, unexpectedly, extends WAY past the carport. log in. Get free quotes from roof pros near you. The corners of the walls are curved so they were way ahead of the curve on that one! This rather spacious room houses the furnace, hot water heater, pantry, and washing machine. We are locally-owned and operated roofing contractor Raleigh, NC that provides statewide roofing, siding and gutter services in Raleigh and the rest of NC. Approximately 2,500 went up all over the United States and even South America. However, wikipedia claims a plastic version of the bathroom was available intermittently until the 1980s. One of the main drawbacks of Lustron Homes is that there are no repair materials. . Contact Us . From our earliest history, we gather and tell stories. Wikipedia also mentions the Futuro, a pre-fab vacation home designed by Matti Suuronen, a Finnish artist, and produced in low volume until 1973 when the oil embargo caused the price of plastic to skyrocket. Jan 7, 2007. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address willNEVERbe made public or shared, and you may use a screen name if you wish. Roof leaks, one of the most common minor roof repairs, typically take less than an hour to repair. Lustron Homes were way ahead of their time, and if it werent for profit margin issues, the company might have become a major success. While the Lustron was indeed a concept home, it was also a cultural by-product of innocent, Popular Mechanics inspired notions of the future and the enthusiasm generated by wartime mass-production successes. If youre not familiar, then youve obviously never gone to IKEA. The room has electricity but no plumbing or HVAC. BBB Rating: A+. Then touch up the outside with fiberglass filler before re-enameling. While the homes are very durable, the sliding doors are an issue because no one sells roof rollers for them. She has over five years of experience in the home improvement space and harnessed her expertise while working for companies like HomeAdvisor and Angi (formerly Angies List). In post World War II America, it was common for families to "double-up" with other family members out of . The interior, just like the exterior, were made of prefabricated panels which had a porcelain enamel finish, perfect for the modern family with no time to paint or repair conventional walls. The furnace was meant to heat the metal ceiling tiles, with the idea of the entire home being heated. I have loved Lustons for decades, and was thrilled to finally be IN one at the Lustron House Museum in Great Bend, Kansas. Begin soaking low on the roof, just above where the leak is visible inside the house. Its production fell through, however, when financing needs and Fullers own design objectives were not met. Its definitely an aesthetic all its own. This is the only wall to place a bed. For instance, Frey and Kochers Aluminaire house substantially emphasized the use of new materials, most notably the miracle metal, aluminum. It is gone now. ABOVE: The utility room. Jerry, Jerry, Jerry.you have a bathroom door? With proper installation, tile roofs are straightforward to maintain, but they are more fragile and breakable than other types of roofing. Todd and Terri pore over the vintage owners manual to get clues for repairing their living room, which boasts original built-in bookshelves. In the past 50 years, only three of these homes needed to have the roof replaced. Service Entry Cable and Electric Meter: Who is responsible for repair? Stiff! For those mechanically-minded, you will greatly enjoy this page. I list two in Emporia, Kansas. I really like these houses. An estimated 1200 to 1500 Lustron homes remain, with Westchesters representing the most commonly identified model. Most homeowners spend between $300 and $1,200 for a roof repair, or an average of $650-$850 per repair call. . Major repairs require professional expertise and specialized materials and, by extension, can cost between $1,500 and $7,000. Barb Janssen's Lustron house.Erik Daily ERIK DAILY. . The family is trying to determine if they want to tear it down or if the metal panels can be sold, etc. Ridge vents are most common on shingled residential buildings." Chances are if you own an older home, there isn't any roof ventilation at all. "The prior owners of our house told us it is a Lustron home," John said. All Rights Reserved. I really don't know. Convenient! The most reasonable explanations for this aspect of its success were an aggressive marketing program (which included one Life magazine ad that elicited an amazing 150,000 responses) and its appealing, highly practical layout. The cost could be a flat rate or dependent on the size and value of your property. From 1948 to 1950, Lustron Corporation built thousands of these unique homes before falling to bankruptcy. The cheapest way to cut down on roof repairs is to choose inexpensive but low maintenance materials, such as asphalt shingles, and do regular inspections in order to catch and fix anything that might turn into a more expensive problem later. Replacement siding is cosmetic, rather than because of failure of the original material. . I can see that this is an 02 GRAY. Without curves, I dont. The sliding door (which works well) to the left goes to the hall. Lustron Homes were revolutionary for the time, and they were exceptionally well-built. [caption id="attachment_45210" align="alignnone" width="580"] Lustron Home construction sequence, upper left photo, Clyde Foraker files/Dan Foraker Collection; remaining photos by Richard Graves. in various states of repair, are thought to still exist. Information provided on Forbes Home is for educational purposes only. This topic has been closed by the administrator. Unfortunately, Lustron Homes didnt realize that the heat was not as even and comfortable as they thought it would be. Generally, the objective of such building prefabrication is the creation of construction and assembly efficiencies with the implied benefit of increased affordability and/or profit. Thats because all those Lustron components were engineered to piece together in one specific sequence, and they only come apart the same way. Note how the woman seems to be having a delightful conversation with one of the table lamps. And I would remove the awning. Lustron owners take such issues to body shops to refinish. Common repairs: Replacing missing or damaged shingles, fixing curled corners and repairing cracked shingles with roof sealant. Less than 2,000 Lustron homes still exist in the United States, and Findlay is home to three of them. While many people prefer to DIY minor roof repairs, contact a professional if youre uncertain about any aspect of the repair, or if youre concerned about safety precautions. Your question about painting the interior of this historic steel home is a good one and I think totally doable if you . Im not sure this thread is active. Jandls survey of experimental housing provides a useful reference for these examples. Peter Rogers: "For our all-porcelain-enameled steel Lustron house (c. 1950), I'm interested ." - Sealant for enameled steel Lustron roof? ABOVE: You can see how replacement windows SO do not look right on a Lustron! The door to the right is, obviously, new. "A ridge vent is a type of vent installed at the peak of a sloped roof which allows warm, humid air to escape a building's attic. (916) 448-9082 This is because these homes aren't as air-tight as newly-built . Youll get immediate responses. Replies to my comments Brookfield is another place where you can still find several Lustron homes. Today, there is a wealth of information available, notably at Lustron Preservation. Not bad for an all steel home! Among these fixtures were a combined clothes . To your life. For our all-porcelain-enameled steel Lustron house (c. 1950), I'm interested in doing some sort of comprehensive waterproofing treatment on the modular "tile" roof panels and ridge line. their new families after World War II. housing after WWII when housing was in short supply. Lustron Homes offered the following color options: The first homes made out of metal in the U.S. were made with the idea of using as many square inches of the home as possible. However, the cost of repairing a roof depends on a number of factors, including materials required, scale of the repair and whether or not you hire a professional. Roofing Contractors, Home Improvement, Remodeling . Doing this will reduce the number of repairs you have to do in the long term. No, theyre bouncing on the carpet, debating whether or not it qualifies as shag. Life really doesnt need to be this difficult. 1st Response Roofing, Restoration & Repair. Run water over the low side of the penetration for several minutes while the helper watches for any water droplets. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. During a recent, seemingly straightforward repair job on the gutters, Zeiger had to first remove the roof tiles. A 1948 Consumer Reports magazine naming Lustrons as the best buy prefab house reported that construction time averaged three to five daysand that was for a professional contractor. I dont want to put a new roof over it-but is the historical value more important than the reality of a rusty, old roof? To help meet these additional mandatory continuing education licensure requirements, AIA California is offering a variety of on-demand ZNCD courses through our partner aecKnowledge. Sigh. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. And thats assuming you have a house, thereby successfully navigating the home-buying process. Save the sink cabinet, the other cabinets are original. Even the glass shades are original! I just found this tonight and this house was originally built and lived in by my grandparents! Lustrons are made of porcelain enameled steel11 tons of it molded into 30,000 parts, all of which fit together like a giant, three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. The Lustron Home: Fascination with a Prefabricated Modern House, Zero Net Carbon Mandatory Continuing Education, White Paper: Climate Action in Design Awards. It also saves you money in the long run, since it will allow you to notice and mitigate any future problems long before they need repairs. Visually and structurally, however, Lustrons are distinct. I would love to know if the slider is still in the wall! Compared to such projects, the Lustron can rightfully claim a substantial success in prefabrication, albeit with substantial public investment. Probably noisy too. Those additional measures will affect time, and a longer repair time will typically cost more money. Lustrons have garnered increased critical attention. In the end, the Lustron Homes cost about $11,000, compared to a similarly sized and styled wood framed home at $8000. Metal roof repair Metal roof repair costs $200 to $600 for patching small holes and resealing. The glossy sheen is not really that noticeable when you are actually in the house. While the houses were made well and many remain today, the company didnt have the money to repay the $12.5 million loan that they received from Reconstruction Finance Corporation. ABOVE: The back of the house. Less than 3,000 Lustron homes were manufactured between 1948-1950, with 15 of those houses still located in Brentwood, Missouri and 21 in Webster Groves . The original roof tiles lasted 50 years without major repairs, just small fixes on areas damaged by fallen trees, and the whole house has proven easy to maintain, which is one of the things Zeigers wife, Terri, appreciates the most.Since everythings a smooth surface, you dont have to worry about getting it wet; you can pretty much just hose it down, she says. This is my first of at least 10 before Im dead. Carl Strandlund, a Swedish-born inventor and Chicago industrialist, created these "IKEA homes" and now, in 2019, around 1,500 of the Mid-Century Modern gems exist in the United States. . to stop the leaks. The term prefabrication has meant many things and been applied to a wide variety of building types, sometimes including the single-family residence. His experience working with metal is extensive.Video made by Lustron Expert - Steve McLoughlin Once an order was received, the materials moved from the warehouse and were delivered, literally in stacks, on the property. . The 1,000-square-foot homes were constructed entirely of enameled steel, made on a production line, and bolted onto a concrete slab for around $10,000 eachcompared to $12,000-$15,000 for. We can only see the damage when were in the small attic area. And restoring a Lustron is also MUCH easier by having the original erection manuals easily on hand, here. (919) 340-1500. I would replace these with standard glazing compound. Not only did you purchase the home over the phone, but you only had to pick one of three different models and then how many bedrooms you wanted (two or three). Lustron established builder-dealers, which in turn sold and erected the house package on a concrete foundation. No painting! When she's not working, Christin enjoys reading, gardening and hanging out with her husband and four young kids. Clay is the cheapest, starting at $300 per square, while terracotta is the most expensive. The original, 31' x 35' (990 sq. A metal roof guy in Sioux Falls wants direction. Please advise if you have any advise. By GERI PARLIN / La Crosse Tribune. Since it has been 5 years since you posted your comment, you may never see this but others might. Minor repairs range between $150 and $1,500. Since the last Lustron rolled off the assembly line, hundreds . here. ABOVE: The smaller bedroom. The author thanks Edward Levin, Margaret Hannaford, Peter Robertson and Sigrid Geerlings for their assistance with the development of this topic. AEsquire Lustron in Emporia. As normally you would apply two coats, preferably on the inside, it's probably smart to disassemble roof sections and do the dirty work in the garage. Barb Janssen had always admired the tidy little house across the . Third, the company underestimated the impact of a variety of other factors, including shipping and assembly costs, variations in climate, building codes, and inconsistency of local trade skills. 1931 H Street They were engineered so the average person could put them together. Alexander Steel Homes were much more sophisticated than Lustron Homes. I loved your post. These homes, manufactured by Lustron, are rare artifacts of the 1940s, according to Michael Allen, director of the Preservation Research Office. February 11, 2018| Another favorite item is the little oval tag that all Lustrons display in their utility areas, inscribed with a serial number and the advice: Call your authorized Lustron service person. Zounds! Comments are no longer accepted. In total, Lustron Homes received over $37 million in loans that they never paid back. ABOVE: I would love to see a Lustron restored to this look. If none of these sounds quite correct for your roofs situation, you may simply need to get your roof cleaned. seems someone on ebay(as of 04/10/2017) has what looks to be a whole roof of them? Truly the home of the future. Thanks we will be waiting with our fingers crossed. Please look at my above post in which I mentioned that there are many websites out there dealing with Lustron maintenance. Then I would have had immense fun carefully recreating a distinct circa-1950 period decor not Deco nor Atomic-age but that wonderful in-between aesthetic which has no name. Specializes in repairs . Lustron houses are unique examples of the nation's response to housing shortages following World War II. Its estimated that each home had 3,300 unique parts that were put on trailers and delivered to a building site. A Metal Mushroom Factor ft.) two bedroom house was priced at an affordable $7,000 and included built-in fixtures throughout. Zeigers Lustronlocated in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, a state parkis one of these buildings. An advertisement in the July 16, 1948, Des Moines Tribune said it was the first Lustron house in Iowa and the fifth in the nation. Back then, people were trying to fix Victorian and Italianate porches before there were publications like Historic Preservation Briefs or OHJ. It often takes some innovation to get the job done, which Zeiger says usually happens through a process of sleuthing, first figuring out how things work together and then finding a way to fix the problem without destroying the houses integrity. The enameled-steel design was promoted as a structure that didnt require painting and would: Lustron Homes made use of mass manufacturing, with a steel framing system that allowed for: Strandlund wanted to construct gas stations initially, but due to regulations on steel, the Truman administration would only allow the builder to obtain steel if they agreed to build residential units. It really shouldnt take three months to decide that taupe and lavender is the absolute perfect color combination for the room with the water heater.