Would this house interest you? ~ Lustron homes (sales, housing, prices)
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I like to look at local real estate just to kind of keep up on what's happening in my area, and today I came across a listing for a "Lustron" house.
Looks just like this one Davenport, IA Interior Photos
Had to look it up as I had never heard of it before. Only about 2500 ever came to market and they have an interesting history.
It turns out they are post WWII prefab houses made of porcelain coated steel panels on the interior and exterior. (Thinking old time gas stations here, lol.) Many of the features were built ins so if you were someone who liked to change up the look of your interior from time to time these houses probably were not meant for you.
I think they are unique and quirky and if I had some spare cash to invest I'd buy the one in my area simply for the novelty of it. They look like they would make a great rental home, no need to paint it ever!
So if you had the opportunity, would you invest in a unique house like this? Could you live in a house like this?
I like to look at local real estate just to kind of keep up on what's happening in my area, and today I came across a listing for a "Lustron" house.
Looks just like this one Davenport, IA Interior Photos
Had to look it up as I had never heard of it before. Only about 2500 ever came to market and they have an interesting history.
It turns out they are post WWII prefab houses made of porcelain coated steel panels on the interior and exterior. (Thinking old time gas stations here, lol.) Many of the features were built ins so if you were someone who liked to change up the look of your interior from time to time these houses probably were not meant for you.
I think they are unique and quirky and if I had some spare cash to invest I'd buy the one in my area simply for the novelty of it. They look like they would make a great rental home, no need to paint it ever!
So if you had the opportunity, would you invest in a unique house like this? Could you live in a house like this?
Invest? not sure. I'd have to do a boatload of research first. There is a reason they stopped building them. Not exactly in the realm of the Sears Roebuck "Craftsman" homes, or authentic Victorian era builds, that have stood the tests of time. I do remember those here and there throughout the country, seem to recall seeing them in CA in the 60's. Very unique, don't think I could handle all that "lustre" on the interior.
It would be interesting if you could post what the price was at the time to have one set on a lot. I'm guessing $5,000 ?? maybe.
Invest? not sure. I'd have to do a boatload of research first. There is a reason they stopped building them. Not exactly in the realm of the Sears Roebuck "Craftsman" homes, or authentic Victorian era builds, that have stood the tests of time. I do remember those here and there throughout the country, seem to recall seeing them in CA in the 60's. Very unique, don't think I could handle all that "lustre" on the interior.
It would be interesting if you could post what the price was at the time to have one set on a lot. I'm guessing $5,000 ?? maybe.
Excerpts from the website: "Between 1946 and 1948, Lustron received orders for 20,000 homes"
"Only 2,498 of those orders were filled before the Lustron Corporation declared bankruptcy in 1950." "Opinions vary, but Lustron’s slowness to equip its plant and actually initiate production have been cited most frequently. An inadequate or erratic steel supply may have been partially responsible for the firm’s demise. Marketing experts contend Lustron failed to establish an effective national distribution system to handle its high-volume sales." "Ultimately, the Lustron’s price may have been the deciding issue. In a prefabricated housing market with average prices ranging from $5,500 to $8,500 (excluding land), the two-bedroom Lustron Home model cost $10,000 to $12,000."
A bit pricey for the era from the sound of it. The one in my area has been built onto and is listed at 70K, which is a bit below similar sized houses in this area, but it's hard to tell the condition from pictures. Would love to sneak a peak into it somehow.
Thank you for posting that DubbleT; very interesting that they didn't have the marketing expertise and probably the finances. The housing market was booming at that point which would probably account for the high volume of orders, and they weren't prepared obviously for that. I agree that the price point is well above the going averages for homes that size in that era. My folks paid $5,500 for a 3 BR home with unfinished attic, one bath and no garage in 1949 in a "plat". Homes in the post war period that they couldn't build fast enough were the Levittown homes. PA & NY I believe. I would buy one of those depending on condition etc., they are true retro.
Maybe you could get the MLS number of the Lustron home in your vicinity and we could all view it online through Realtor.com or the Realtor's website. That would be fun !
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The kitchen is what initially drew my notice. I wonder if being metal it's more difficult to keep at a comfortable temperature year round.
Or if you scratch or somehow damage a panel is it even possible to fix, or are they nearly indestructible. Like I said, I just find the whole concept intriguing, in a Disney home of the future kind of way .
Bowling balls in the flower bed sounds like a perfect touch, throw in a tireplanter near the front door and I think we've got something, lol.
Last edited by DubbleT; 01-23-2011 at 06:35 PM..
Reason: MLS ID: 302758
Welcome to Blue Ridge Properties :: Search Details
The kitchen is what initially drew my notice. I wonder if being metal it's more difficult to keep at a comfortable temperature year round.
Or if you scratch or somehow damage a panel is it even possible to fix, or are they nearly indestructible. Like I said, I just find the whole concept intriguing, in a Disney home of the future kind of way .
Bowling balls in the flower bed sounds like a perfect touch, throw in a tireplanter near the front door and I think we've got something, lol.
Thanks Dubble for posting that link! Aaaah, it's up in VA, right over the NC line. Rt. 11 Lee Highway north to south (named after Robert E. Lee) has a lot of historic value, but the house ... not so much. There isn't much value in the land either, only 1/3 acre. That is pretttttty small. Concrete floor, and a heat pump. I don't see much value there. Other than curiousity.
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