1941 Prefabricated Partial House Assembly - How It Was Built Years Ago

www.homebuildingandrepairs.com... click on this link for more videos about homes built in the past as well as new house construction. Here's an interesting look into the past. A 1941 prefabricated house being assembled or should I say at least being partially assembled through a video slideshow.

[@kiplarson4469]

My grandfather built something like this as a prefab kit in 1958 that was being sold door to door in rural North Dakota. One of his relatives bought the same plan but my grandfather upgraded with indoor plumbing and electrical and installation and a basement. He had extra carpentry skills taught by his father who immigrated from Norway who was a ship builder who became a farmer. My great-grand father built one of the first churches in the area on his donated land and still stands and is used for weddings and funurals now. The house has been lovely taken care of and is now the home of his 3rd generation and the farm is still being farmed today. Thanks for the great video.

[@gregvancom]

Can you imagine that today, someone selling prefabricated homes door-to-door? That would've been an interesting conversation to listen in on.

[@Woodlawn22]

Very interesting! I wonder where those homes were built and for whom. When my husband and I built a rural home I drew the plans and it was built in panels (inside a factory and out of the weather). The walls (complete with windows, doors and sheathing) , floors (8 large sections) and rafters arrived on two semi trucks and the parts were lifted into place with a crane to be positioned on the foundation we had had poured. In a day and a half we had our starting point for plumbing, electrical, insulation and roofing. My husband was all smiles as he told me how square everything was after the first day he had worked on installing flooring. I very much appreciate the skill and care it takes to be a great carpenter but it is not always possible to find one nearby or to house one for the duration of a project. So panelized construction does have its place though the quality seems to have improved since the ones shown here!

[@gregvancom]

These homes were built during World War II and I'm guessing for soldiers, but it could've been for a government housing program also. Like most things, panelized construction has become better and more efficient and as you said, when you can find experienced construction workers, homes like these might just be the answer.

[@gibsonbuilds4841]

Thanks for posting! I'm a general contractor in southern eastern pa and did renovation work to a similar home. Mine may have been a Sears kit home. The wall framing was built in 4 ft panels and had painted ID numbers on the old pallet wood sheathing. Long clapboard siding installed on site made a clean look outside. Also worked on a levittown house. They had a pretty neat roof truss detail. Thanks again

[@gregvancom]

You're welcome and thanks for the insight. I actually watched a documentary on Levittown and what a site that must've been. I think the biggest job I ever worked on was about 150 homes being built that once, but the way it sounds, they were building them by the thousands.

[@bdento59]

My parents’ builder used tongue and groove 1” cedar for walls and 8’x8’ prefabbed floor joist squares for support. The 1” cedar was doubled up in exterior and other load bearing walls with a piece of tar paper between the layers. No insulation anywhere. This was in 1964 in the Pocono mountains of PA.

[@gregvancom]

Interesting and thanks for sharing.

[@moofushu]

What I find interesting is the size of the floor joists look under sized for the span of those piers. I would think the piers would have to be a lot closer together to support that thin of joist. I heard about how back in the day it was possible to order a house from the Sears catalog. When you did order one, it arrived in pieces and I guess this is how they were put together. Craftsman homes I believe they were called.

[@gregvancom]

Yes, the floor joist and other parts of the building probably weren't going to meet today's standards or building codes and you're right there were plenty of companies that sold prefabricated homes, including Sears.

[@Jay-tk7ib]

I've only built one or two prefabricated houses, but it was just the wall frames that came prefabricated. We had to square and sheet the walls, so I guess it was just a partial prefab. I much prefer stick framing.

[@gregvancom]

I think I would agree also and it's probably the reason why most home builders choose to stick frame.

[@espnmk]

city bureaucracy wouldn't allow any of those simple techniques fly now a days that just to bad looks like back than there was a housing shortage just as there is now. to build simple

[@irey1978]

Those house without insulation in AZ must have been uncomfortable.

[@jasonn2284]

Homes today are built better however older homes have better wood.

[@markofthenorth9512]

Glorified campsites by todays standards. So cool to see.

[@gregvancom]

Isn't that the truth.