Deconstruction Project Photos

[jesse_the_k]

When I was a kid I played with my Kenner Girder & Panel building set, delighting in the mysteries of cantilevers. Taking it apart and putting it together again was very gratifying. I was amazed today to see a full-size girder & panel set on the way to the library.

Lustron homes were mass-produced, all steel with baked-on porcelain finish inside and out. Designed to meet the post-World-War-II demand for housing (financed by the racist G.I. bill), they arrived in a truck and could be erected in a week.

Of the 2500 prefab houses made before the company went bankrupt, 16 were in Madison, most in neighborhoods near my house. The owner of the nearest had no success renting it, and sought a demolition permit. The city asked that he take the house apart and make it available to other Lustron owners. and that’s why there’s a small-house construction set on Chatham Terrace.

Use http://www.lustronlocator.com to see if there’s one near you.

Comments

[sonia]

Wow, that's cool! (Except for the racist GI bill part...)

It seems like such a good idea. I wonder whether the company went bankrupt because something in the idea was unworkable, or because it got shut down by more traditional construction companies.

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

I'm thinking the coating application or some other fabrication issue made their units per day lower than needed. Could have been labor shortages/mismatch of what they thought they needed and how the process conflicted with established practices.

Something to look into!

[jesse_the_k]

At this point, I shouldn't be surprised that the internet is full of people with theories of why Lustron failed.

A half century later, speculation about the events leading to the demise of the company remains. Were Strandlunds homes too far-fetched and expensive to be commercially profitable, as the government claimed when it called in $12.5 million of loans and forced the company into bankruptcy? Or was the Lustron Home the victim of political ambitions and trade union greed as a film by Bill Kubota, Ed Moore and Bill Ferehawk suggests?

Whatever the reason for the Lustron Company's failure, the claims of durability and ease of maintenance of the steel homes have stood the test of time. Many of the Lustron homes left standing after 50 years still bear their original siding and roofs as well as many inside features such as built-in cabinets.

http://www.oldhouseweb.com/architecture-and-design/lustron-homes-part-1.shtml

[wordweaverlynn]

Fascinating!

[jesse_the_k]

<3

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

Wonder how long and with how many people of what skills it took to disassemble the building. Sounds like if it goes as a whole, versus being a donor to other survivors, they'd want to use a modern insulated slab with radiant tubing and some sort of run of that or heat wrap of the plumbing.

Pretty sure there are options. Funny thing, 1000 square feet would have been palatial compared to 1920s modest homes. Not sure how more 'quality' two story homes of either time would have stacked up. Have you read up on the Sears and Roebuck homes? I'm been in one, no longer a residence, it's set up a bit as a demo.

[jesse_the_k]

At one point I knew more about Sears kit homes -- quite common in my part of the state -- and the data has dripped out my ears.

Yep! Add radiant flooring and widen doorways and this could be a great solution for accessible housing -- a number of the remaining ones in Madison have level entrances.

[yourlibrarian]

The city asked that he take the house apart and make it available to other Lustron owners

Huh! Interesting solution. Hope it ends up being useful.

[jesse_the_k]

Looks more like wistful thinking on the city's part -- the stack of Lustron-parts is still there, while the owner had 2 months from August 2019 to get rid of them.

[tarasacon]

If it interests you, I watched a bit of video this morning on current modular/small housing options in various countries. It’s sadly short on the details that interest me but I like that some of them look like they could be made wheelchair accessible.

https://www.bbc.com/reel/playlist/homes-of-the-future?vpid=p05jr2c6

[jesse_the_k]

Ahh, the 7-story bamboo house in Indonesia is where I'd like to be right now!

https://www.bbc.com/reel/playlist/homes-of-the-future?vpid=p06sns2b

In what field of interest do the missing details play?

[tarasacon]

I haven't watched the bamboo house one yet. I'm saving it! But the one on tiny apartments in Tokyo was fascinating, and somewhat horrifying, too, from an accessibility point of view.

[tarasacon]

I used to be interested in tiny houses. That's morphed into more of an interest in affordable/ accessible/ sustainable housing, and ending homelessness. So I would like details about scalability, everything fry the price point, how specialized the equipment is that makes them and how long that takes, how flexible the modular units are in terms of how they can be joined or arranged, what's required for shipping, and where they fall for meeting building codes. Can they be heated in cold weather climates or cooled in hot ones? Will they hold up to storms? Etc.

In practical terms: could a region that has experienced a disaster put together a neighborhood of dozens of them? Could a city with a high rate of homelessness okay them for vacant lots? What's involved in their being hooked into power, water, and the sewer system?

All those sorts of things. Plus floor plans!

There's the crucial question!

[jesse_the_k]

In practical terms: could a region that has experienced a disaster put together a neighborhood of dozens of them?

Given the many times US residents have needed this, it's sad how little info there is.

Re: There's the crucial question!

[tarasacon]

Disasters are not going away. There have got to be better options than moving in a bunch of mobile homes after a hurricane or wildfires or tornadoes. I would like to see a national or regional organization that can swoop in and create durable housing, communities that include a base for social services to work with the people moving in, space for community gatherings, and other choices centralizing aid and flexibility.

Once the people displaced by disaster are able to move on, the housing could be reallocated as transition housing for the homeless, children aging out of foster care, etc.

Each region would have its own production facilities for whichever modular homes best suit the climate in that area. Regional availability would increase speed of response after disasters. These factories could also be used to create jobs for an area.