Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-02-06
HOUSES F. O. B. THE FACTORY
BY Frederic ). HAskin

make only few pins n 6ny, while
now tho daily product of a workman,
assisted by modern machinery, IL IS,
100000 pins complete and stuck lu
paper. The same thing can be done
in regard 70 houses. II IL being done.
From now on, people can buy their
houses in the same department stores
where they buy pins"
This is not quite the case as yet.
even in New York where the demand
for tho readyrnadc house is so vgor-
ous, but you can choose your homo ~
mail through the aid % a catalogue.
Most OF the real estate agents have
these new house catalogues. and tho
New York P1kljo Library did have a
large collection which has almost dis
appeared owing to frequent thofts. The
prices OF the houses range usually
from $500 up, according 20 tho num-
Der Of rooms and the elaboration or de-
tail. In the light. so-cailed portable
type there can be obtained anything
from two-room shack TO a large
Sunday school building or a garage.
The portable structures are partio-
uIarly desirable for use on property
which is tied up by litigation. Placed
on untransferable lots. thoy can be
rented at a good profit and as soon
az tho property is free. they can be
taken apart and easily removed To
another location.
Obe Of the most interesting of ths
new types OF factory houses II
solid poured concrete house. nnaf-
On the unit plan. and delivered COM
plete 60 the purchaser By means os a
huge, ten-wheeI truck which carries
the house on a structural. steel crsfis
and is equipped with hoists and other
4 machinery for lifting Il gently on and
!. Off. 1t Is said that two men can load,
deliver and set up such a house com
plete within a radius Of 50 miles II
the factory in one day.
0ne-PIece Concrete Houses.
| The ARCHITECTURAL features OF ths
house are even more amazing. Tbs
+ one-unit, which Is the smallest type.
; for instance, IS described as possess
: ling a front door which opens into A
e little vestfbule, with a coat-ciose-.
2 The center Of the house is occupied
1 by combined dining and living room
e although ordinarily there is no hint
/, that It is used for meals. a large
. mirror on the wall, when swung down
Z and rested on two folding legs Be-
e comes the dining-roon1 table. This
6iscloses, behind the mirror. revoiv-
ling server which communicates with
the kitchen. When the meal n fin-
" ished, the dishes are piled on the
server and when this is revolved they
are transferred 20 the kitchen az ths
= sink. The kitchen contains besides
= the sink, four-burner gas stove and
. oven. refrigerator and electric wash
'e er. Opposite the kitchen door II the
e bath, fully equipped.
at on end OF the house. on ths
living room. is a small sun room with
- a built-in wondow-seat. Communicate
" ing with this is a email DRESSING
% room. At the other end OF the house
IA a den. with Identical arrangement
! ! In each Of these rooms full-sized beds
disappear into the ceiling. the bottom
, of the bed serving as a large section
'e Of the ceiling. These beds are lowered
IA by means Of a crank IN the dressing
room. and at night one END rests on
= the window-seat and the other on two
folding legs.
- THE heating plant Is a small stove
- in a fire-proof alcove on the hallway
'e and this has been found sufficient =
~ heat the house in the coldest weather
y The coal bin, waich IS on the roof
oe oa holds two tons and IS arranged -
w that by pulling a lever the fuel drops
u> directly into the stove" o."
no All OF these novel appurrenencs-
a, come with the one-unit az price o.
: 81 1900. Two units. consisting OK al
ne rooms and with even more slaoorst'
We furnishings. cost $4,000. ana 50 on a;
the scale until you have an accurnu
lation OF units which approximate
ne In size and architectural grandeur
- Fifth Avenue palace.
st The factory house Is only IN Us in
ne fancy, but enthusiasts assert tha
n there is no limit to It's future expan
ne sion.
he