Some see these homes as a relic of the past future that never materialized, while others appreciate their smart use . Luston homes are typically single-level, two-bedroom homes . I do not know what is wrong with the finish of the closet sliders. The company had a total of eight miles of conveyor belts, a bathtub press, and 11 enameling furnaces. Most of the homes were built in the U.S., in 36 states, except for a few houses built in Venezuela. There are some ceramic tiles made this size that might work as a vintage-looking replacement but it seems that if you want a bit less expensive option, you might try the 88 size as these cost 1/2 as much and actually seem to come in more colors that well, and fit the design of that house a lot better. As a result, the furnaces were often swapped out for a traditional forced-air system that used ductwork to heat all of the rooms evenly. Don't subscribe The pictures show that the stone patio, brick flower planter and large brick fireplace are no longer there. Lustron Homes also promoted their homes as being: Fireproof Rustproof Pest-proof The company also made claims that the homes never needed to be reroofed or repainted due to the design of the house. They spun off Lustron as it was Government funded. If youre not familiar, then youve obviously never gone to IKEA. All still have their original porcelain enamel exterior panels, and three original colors are represented: maize yellow, desert tan, and blue-green. As long as they look from the era (the ones we have are reddish brown), they would look at home. __________ These types of repairs require basic tools and materials, and do not require specialized knowledge or training in order to perform. I have a Lustron home. Comments are no longer accepted. Depending on the level of damage the roof has sustained, it is entirely possible to repair a roof instead of replacing it. All the steel had an enameled finish, and no homes ever built were so easy to clean. Also, you may consider contacting the Porcelain Enamel Institute --- www.porcelainenamel.com. Where holes exist, paint over a patch of plastic screening. Both the 02 and 03 standard designs were Westchester models. Lustron owners take such issues to body shops to refinish. I have loved Lustons for decades, and was thrilled to finally be IN one at the Lustron House Museum in Great Bend, Kansas. Less than 2,000 Lustron homes still exist in the United States, and Findlay is home to three of them. Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Urban affairs, investigations, consumer help ("SOS") In practical terms, this design means that for every house part that needs repairing, many more must be dismantled to reach it. Is this a third Lustron? But, if you cannot pay back the loan, the lender could foreclose on your home. Zestimate Home Value: $55,000. While the homes are very durable, the sliding doors are an issue because no one sells roof rollers for them. This is based on the lot value; it is assumed the new owners will tear the house down, as it's a prime lot in one of the hottest neighborhoods . ABOVE: More master bedroom. In 1947, that's what the Lustron Co. set out to do with its steel homes. Lustrons have garnered increased critical attention. Overall, the house has held up remarkably well, especially considering the rough weather it has endured. Ive never seen or heard of a Lustron before. I really like these houses. Between 1946 and 1950, the Lustron Corporation shipped approximately 2,500 Lustrons to consumers in 35 states. . I list two in Emporia, Kansas. 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 . Despite this history, the Lustron offers an abundance of useful experience, including some important successes, regarding the opportunities and pitfalls of architectural prefabrication. 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. The company went bankrupt shortly before 1950 and had completed about 2,680 Lustron homes in around 18 months. Two of the panels of roof are bent, it looks like 8 due to tile affect. Leon Brothers Roofing 69 Roofers Serving Oakland and the Surrounding Area Open Now Request a Quote Northbay Roofing & Gutters 23 Roofers, Roof Inspectors, Gutter Services Serving San Rafael and the Surrounding Area Closes in 16 minutes Saber Roofing 361 Roofers, Gutter Services, Waterproofing Serving Woodside and the Surrounding Area Open Now ABOVE: The divider between kitchen/dining. The companys lack of discipline in limiting the number of dissimilar parts significantly reduced both the speed of factory production and site assembly. Unfortunately, over the first 20 months of operation, the company lost money on each of the homes they built. ABOVE: Just behind the house is this way cool 1950s party pad, and with a room behind. The Lustron home skeleton was a steel frame, welded at the factory into wall sections and roof trusses. What is it about making a home together that creates so much stress? The 207-page book, delivered to each house site along with a truckload of parts, is one of Zeigers favorite aspects of Lustrons. A total roof replacement can cost well over $8,000. 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. Please look at my above post in which I mentioned that there are many websites out there dealing with Lustron maintenance. 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. 1931 H Street Any suggestions on selling the parts? Our kids have magnetic games they use on the walls, and it keeps them busy for hours. Not surprisingly, the whole house has a similar effect on Zeiger, but hes not complaining. For those mechanically-minded, you will greatly enjoy this page. Stiff! 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. [/caption] 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). The current national average of roof repairs in America is $950. 2 Thomas Fetters, The Lustron Home: The History of a Postwar Prefabricated Housing Experiment (London: McFarland & Company, 2002), p. 55. 1390 Ridgewood Dr, Salem, OH is a single family home that contains 948 sq ft and was built in 1946. The family is trying to determine if they want to tear it down or if the metal panels can be sold, etc. They are no longer made and are difficult to fabricate / repair. They are no longer made and are difficult to fabricate / repair. Current national average cost for repairs: $1,300. 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. If you arent sure whether your roof needs a replacement or could continue without replacement after repairs, contact a professional roofing company. Advertised as "a new standard for living," the Lustron Home was introduced in 1948 in response to the urgent need for housing for veterans returning from World War II and their rapidly growing families. If none appear, move to the right or left side of the penetration and let the water run over the area for . This family is approximately 400 miles away from an IKEA. I have many fond memories of the house and back building. If anyone has any ideas on locating one we would be very grateful for your assistance. It's through these stories that we connect. . The term prefabrication has meant many things and been applied to a wide variety of building types, sometimes including the single-family residence. This is my first of at least 10 before Im dead. And it can be yours for $49,000. 1st Response Roofing, Restoration & Repair. Good luck! Use enough water to mimic heavy rains. Lustron House, 504 S. Edgewood Ave, Lombard, IL (updated with composite roof, vinyl siding, and new windows) Lustron House, 1127 E Division St, Lombard, IL; Lustron House, 257 East Madison St, Lombard, IL; Lustron House, 321 East Madison St, Lombard, IL . But at least they are still in place. 275 Lustron homes were constructed in Ohio before the company folded. Concealed screws fastened interlocking panels to the steel framing, and permanent plastic sealing strips, compressed between panels, formed gaskets to make the walls tight and moisture resistant. During the companys last years in operation, they expanded their portfolio of homes to include a one-bedroom and a three-bedroom model. I think you will be okay from a weight standpoint but you could have an engineer review things. ABOVE: The utility room. will come along and realize my hope for this Lustron. A minor roof repair can easily become a major one if it is neglected or performed incorrectly. Current national average cost for repairs: $1,500. "The prior owners of our house told us it is a Lustron home," John said. 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? The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Home. TOPIC: I Have An Existing Metal Roof and Have A Question, Return to I Have An Existing Metal Roof and Have A Question. Id love to spend a vacation in one. . Today, there is a wealth of information available, notably at Lustron Preservation. . 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. Even the glass shades are original! 7 A variety of Lustron-related historical and photographic information resources are available on the internet, including: Things you want to know!, the Lustron brochure provided to buyers; Lustron Registry, A list of Houses Across America; Garage and Breezeway Variations with Lustron Homes (approximately 1950); Answers to Questions about the Lustron Home (Iowa Sales Brochure); The Lustron HomeA New Standard of Living; A Camera Tour Through the New Lustron HomeThe House America Has Been Waiting For (July 1948 company brochure); Camera Tour Through the Lustron Home, A New Standard of Living (December 1948 company brochure); H. Walton Cloke, Government Sponsored Housing Failure!, Stag Magazine, December 1949. Those additional measures will affect time, and a longer repair time will typically cost more money. Cool. This is one of the things I love about Lustrons: they were incredibly well thought out. They cost $10,000 to $12,000, making them pricier than their standard counterparts. Located in Chesterton, Indiana, this Lustron home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. And I would remove the awning. Several can still be found scattered in Silverton, Mount Washington, Sycamore Township, Wyoming, and Middletown. Whoee! High gloss, flat steel panels set in a rigid grid, gah! You couldnt even use nails to hang up pictures you have to use magnets. Projected site assembly times were similarly aggressive and were projected at 150 hours per unit, although typically under the best conditions the time usually amounted to 350 hours. Strandlund realized that G.I.s were returning from World War II and there werent enough homes on the market to meet demand. It contains 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. In 1948 $8500 is equivalent to $83,952 accounting for inflation. Sigh. Lake . Unlike the latter, it comes in paint cans. You can see the sky from the attic. Tile roofs come in clay, concrete and terracotta. Rare, authentic kitchen features include storage compartments, drawers, and shelves. We have a Lustron home (1 of 2) in Dowagiac MI, and the door rollers on the bathroom door have failed for the last time. People know they are historical, but when the grandparents pass, they also know the property under them has more value than the home, and, lets face it, if they could not give away like fifty-seven of these on the military base, how is one going to be fair(cue photo of scrapyard)? Same era, completely different vibe. ABOVE: Whoee! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Only seven were actually built. Small repairs are typically easy to DIY if you know what you are doing, cutting down on costs even more. While modest in size, the Lustrons design successfully integrated evolving concepts of modern convenience with traditional ideas about the single-family domicile. I would recommend to take this to the two Facebook groups. Information provided on Forbes Home is for educational purposes only. 626 S Fairfield Ave, Lombard, IL. Since these homes are often prefabricated in a factory, builders maintain a higher-quality standard and homes are erected faster. Did this company make garages? One of the main drawbacks of Lustron Homes is that there are no repair materials. Once an order was received, the materials moved from the warehouse and were delivered, literally in stacks, on the property. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers offers appear on the site.
