Evening star., 1939-06-17
Pre- e-Fabricated Home
Is Discussed by
Architect
Many Problems Arise
Thut Detruct From
Possible Savings

Now that America is looking at
the World of Tomorrow" at the
Worlds Fair, what about the low
cost, pre-fabricated house of today?
What problems are still to be solved
in spite of the efforts of resourceful
manufacturers?
These questions, important to
millions, are posed by w. S.
Lowndes, director, Schools of Archi-
lecture, International Correspond
ence Schools. Some manufacturers,
1t is pointed out, apparently believe
that a complete house can be
wheeled out of the factory, dropped
on a foundation, ready for the
family to move in While this pos
sibility may sound intriguing, any
such conception disregards the es-
sential difficulty of transportation.
The fact still remains that about
the only pre-fabricated home that
has been successfully completed in
a factory and wheeled out ready
to go anywhere is the automobile
trailer. Delivery of complete
house to its site by truck or rail-
road car still offers many traffic
problems. Obviously, there is big
question mark as to the posi-
bilities of large pre-fabricated units
being made small enough to per-
NIT delivery and still keep to a
minimum the cost of assembly on
location.
Much Work on Location.
Even after the prefabricated house
Is successfully taken to the location,
a great deal of work remains. EXca-
vation must be completed for foun-
dation walls, platform, terraces.
sewers, gas and water. Floors and
chimney are to be built, just as for
any regularly built home. In addi
ton. the prefabricated units must
be assembled, bolted together Joints
made water-tight, roof bolted on,
piping and wiring connected, tie
house painted and papered. doors,
windows and drawers fitted with
hinges, bolts, latches and locks
In short, the pre-fabrication in
the factory is but part of the total
labor Of building a house. Accurate
comparisons show that even if erec-
ton time may be speeded up under
ideal factory conditions which dis
regard outdoor weather, there is be-
cause of other expert labor on loca-
ton, little actual net saving by using
prefabricated construction.
Another disadvantage to prefabri-
cation is stereotype design. The SIM
pie flat-roofed house is not attrac-
tive. and its durability has not been
time tested. Also to this is added
the relation of prefabrication to the
human personality. Families in mod
est circumstances are likely to OBJ
ject to living in community with
other houses as alike as shoe boxes
Surely, such an aggregate is not
beautiful, and time Is necessary to
develop lawns and attractive trees
to partially conceal the barrenness
of the formalized houses.
Some Variety in Building.
To obviate sameness and add va
riety and beauty. manufacturers are
offering gable roofs, garages, porches.
But each addition adds to the cost,
brings the total little less than for
residence built by the methods of
orthodox carpentry. In fact. the
greater the number of additions
and decorations, the less the ad-
vantage of prefabriacted over GUS
tom built houses
The trend today is toward glori-
hcation of kitchens, bathrooms,
Easements that offer recreation and
relaxation. With the dining room
becoming a diminishing necessity,
the size Of the entire home is shrink
ing. Even those able to do so hesi-
tate to build houses that by size re-
quire servants. Many manufactur-
ers are devoting their research to-
ward better materials, and many Of
these Improvements are now within
the range of the builder of a low
priced home.
But the low-priced portable house
that can be made in factory and
delivered in a few days still has to
solve problems of transportation,
variety Of design, and substantial
economy over the custom built
residence.