Lustron Homes: Post-War Houses Made of Enameled Steel | Living St. Louis

[@Ladypavs]

To be honest it was the video game Fallout4 that first introduced me to this style home and to find out their actual history I have fallen in love with them.

[@DaRealRoachDoggJr]

Same!

[@wcg66]

I'm just learning today the FO4 houses were based on a real thing! Amazing.

[@donovandelaney3171]

There's a parallel universe where Lustron Company didn't go out of business until the 2000's.

[@linkus96]

haha yeah, the war of 2077 was crazy! thankfully this timeline doesn't intersect with that one. oh wait... unless this is the timeline where the original moxie factory burns down in 2026. if that's the case the next 80 years we will see world wide destruction due to nuclear fallout

[@TBoy1247]

Only id there is a parallel universe where our Government is not corrupt.

[@RetroRockGamer]

Affordable houses like this are exactly what we need right now.

[@ItsJustJayla]

They sorta remind me of manufactured homes we have today just way more sturdy lol

[@plmn93]

These weren't affordable compared to other options, that's why the company failed.

[@user-qr7ee2cp4y]

I'd be happy if any new entry level homes, condos, townhouses, we're built for sale... now, all the entry level stuff is leased. No one gets ahead renting.

[@PsyckoSama]

Agreed. Just design them in a manner to fit inside a standard 40ft cargo container and you'd be set. And these days you could use plastic in place of metal for many of the parts drastically lowering the costs.

[@MistaTofMaine]

Lol, did you watch the video they specifically state the homes were expensive. Also if you think wood is expensive go buy some metal.

[@crossarmkid42]

It's a shame the company didn't last; these were perfect homes. Virtually maintenance-free for life, and if they ever needed to be moved, they can be easily disassembled and rebuilt. Also, if one had to be demolished, there would be very little waste, as nearly every part can be recycled.

[@Unique77783]

That's cool that some are still standing. I wish they still made them.

[@GhostFirefx48]

It would be nice is they brought back this type of housing.

[@rongendron8705]

I'm 77 & remember the late 40's & early 50's, as a child! In the late 40's, J. Levitt built hundreds of "fast-built" homes on Long Island, NY, to be known as "Levittown"! These homes, (still standing today), cost about $7,000 to $9,000. new, including the lot; lot prep & sewage! "Lustron" homes cost $10,000.& required the owner to already have a building lot & lot prep! Anyone could see that "stick-built", "on-site" homes were a far wiser choice, for the future!

[@GothGuy885]

I remember an older friend who lived through the 40's and 50's telling me about Omar homes. they were built for you, as far as the outside walls, roof and floors, windows & doors . but it was basically a large empty shell of a house. then you had to finish the inside of the walls,cabinetry, and plumbing such as sinks, toilets, and showers/baths and decoration yourself. not sure if electrical and plumbing were included in the part the company did tho... since you would be deciding on and doing the floor plan/ layout of partition walls yourself.

[@sjhoff]

Can you imagine never having to get a new roof. I don't even think modern metal roofs last that long. We are stuck with hoping a shingle roof lasts 20 years.

[@s0nnyburnett]

It's great but god help you if it ever gets damaged. There's a reason standard cheap things endure like asphalt shingles, they are always available and always someone local who can and knows how to do the work.

[@user-qr7ee2cp4y]

That was a phenomenal idea....

[@JV-pu8kx]

Standing seam or slate.

[@momkatmax]

​@@s0nnyburnettI watched a video where they are repairing a Lustron using techniques from the car body industry. Bondo and buffing!

[@hhjhj393]

@@s0nnyburnett A lot of modern metal rooves are pretty easy to work on aren't they? They are just large sheets you can swap out as needed.

[@DayanAnderson]

Our Lustron in Marlborough is featured!

[@kimoandrews5802]

What is it like to live in? Is it insulated effectively? How are maintenance costs? Very cool!!!!

[@DayanAnderson]

love living the Lustron life, ours is well insulated and all windows have been replaced. Roof work was a challenge took a long time to find someone to work on ours. @@kimoandrews5802

[@Hardworkandrealestateprofits]

I would be interested in the heating and cooling costs to.

[@DayanAnderson]

@@Hardworkandrealestateprofits our house has an addition added, and windows and doors replaced - actually less expensive that our prior larger square footage home.

[@Hardworkandrealestateprofits]

@@DayanAnderson Thank you for your answer. Have a great day👍

[@MrPhotodoc]

There are like 6 or 8 of these fabulous homes in Macomb, Il. I came THIS close to being able to buy one.

[@Rolexor]

My grandfather and his brothers were the dealer or whatever for their area in Kansas. It’s cool to go back there and see all the homes they built still there and looking good.

[@Hardworkandrealestateprofits]

There is one of your grandfathers homes that he sold then close to me in Leavenworth Kansas. It looks to be in great shape still to this day.

[@nilawarriorprincess]

Do you know if they just sold doors? My apartment complex on the Kansas/Missouri border has all metal doors. I've always wondered about them.

[@donovandelaney3171]

They kept selling Lustrons after the company collapsed. They stopped selling them in 1959.

[@nilawarriorprincess]

Thanks, I live in an art complex with all metal doors. They must have come from Linstrom. They look almost identical to the ones on the house that was featured.

[@mizv4043]

we need to get back to inexpensive but good prefab houses that can be built with 3 tools

[@dave1956]

I remember living in a temporary house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was up on cinder blocks and my father said that on a windy day you could watch the linoleum wave. Once my mother’s coat froze to the wall in a closet. It was heated by an oil space heater in the middle of the house. Ah, the good old days.

[@vitameat]

The 2nd Empire Strikes Back channel...the owner's dad is restoring a Lustron in St. Louis city. It's been on the channel at least 2-3 times. (Pink hippo in the front yard)

[@jeffbarber3525]

We have lived in the "deluxe" 3 bedroom Lustron since 1960, still own it, but the house and land is for sale in Meade county SD...this one's still fairly original

[@Noneyasauce]

We have these in metro Detroit. Very derelict buildings now. Still standing and occupied, but it's called shacktown by locals.

[@Hardworkandrealestateprofits]

There is one of these homes not far from me in Leavenworth Kansas. I’ve always found it interesting since I found out about it.

[@Frank-t7n]

Barton County Historical in Great Bend Kansas. Has a Lustron at their Museum. It is open most all year long. Also Great Bend had a larger Lustron dealer. The dealer building was made with the Lustron panels. It is till in use as a carpet dealer.

[@NinePBS]

How interesting! You truly never know when you're going to end up in a Lustron.

[@Frank-t7n]

I was on my local PBS board for around 20 years. KOOD Bunker Hill Kansas.

[@vickilindberg6336]

There were two of these homes, side by side, in Minneapolis, on the west side of Cedar Ave, just south of Minnehaha Parkway. One has been painted.

[@bawintermage8351]

Having grown up in a mid century modern home, I can attest to their economy in design I've never heard of a Steele house though. Thanks for this video.

[@byMatthewSmith]

There are a few nice samples in Des Moines, IA, on the east side of 63rd Street, north of 235.

[@experimental0000]

It'd be cool to see this come back using modern production and materials so that it's more economical and affordable to manufacture and purchase. Affordable homes are a pipe dream to the point that you'd have better odds of being struck by lightning while being eaten by a croc that was being eaten by a shark than getting a house right now.

[@plmn93]

That depends entirely on where you insist on living.

[@InkanSpider]

There's this amazing KZbinr from St Louis who's dad owns a house like this, and they are currently renovating it and restoring it to its former glory. The guy himself owns a Victorian house, the Brown house, and is also renovating that one. For anyone interested, the name of his channel is The 2nd Empire Strikes Back

[@krazedvintagemodel]

@@InkanSpider the Brown house, as in Molly Brown's house?

[@InkanSpider]

@@krazedvintagemodel No, as in Charles S. Brown, one of the founders of the Hall and Brown Woodworking Machine Company

[@Johnnybananass-_]

I just built a sleepout thats a prefab design with enamled steel with a polystyrene sandwiched between . it all sort of Tonge and grooves together and rivets and makes for a great small dwelling ,

[@Sadler2010]

Inspiration for some of the home designs in the newer Fallout games...

[@benjochs]

I find these homes fascinating. There are several in my city. I’m not sure if I’d want to live in one or not. The all metal concept would take some getting used to and might feel trailer-y? But I like the idea for many reasons. Maybe a combination of steel frame & exterior with a more conventional interior finish would be a best of both worlds.

[@JayYoung-ro3vu]

The factory still exists. It is the DSWwarehouse on the southside of John Glenn/Port Columbus Int'l Airport. The Ohio Historical Society had/has one on display. The nearby City of Whitehall took parts from three models to repair their model. There are several examples around the area. They are Westchesters in maize yellow.

[@tomiossi8092]

Had a few in Davenport, iowa and only seen a couple here in LaSalle, IL. Unique.

[@GothGuy885]

they could have saved the trouble of shipping all the parts on a truck and just built smaller versions that were built on top of a truck bed, and they would have had single wide mobile homes. just tow it onto the lot, set it up and viola!

[@s0nnyburnett]

it would never be close to square

[@DanL57]

No rot or termites. Paint the roof instead of replace it.

[@TheyRiseBand]

Today, houses are built from twigs and cardboard (looking at you, DR Horton).

[@davidcox3076]

I wonder how much buyers would want steel interior walls. But enamaled steel exterior walls and roof? Sounds like a great idea, even today. Might be expensive but if they hold up for 75 years or more, that's quite a ROI.

[@maryaltshuller885]

I've seen a bunch of these houses in Brentwood and wondered what they were made of. But ... how much does it cost to heat or cool a Lustron? Are they well insulated?

[@nilawarriorprincess]

Oh, my stars! My apartment complex has all metal doors, I'm on the Kansas/Missouri border. I wonder if Lindstrom made them. Our doors look almost exactly like hers & they're definitely hollow & magnetic. The only issue is the doors are too hot to touch in the summer (the push plate's made from a heat resistant metal). I was really hoping to hear about heating & cooling. Is it more difficult to keep the house warm/cool? From my experience with our doors, I'm very curious.

[@Lawman212]

There's at least one of these in Durham North Carolina.

[@user-zx8de8op9l]

Well done

[@paulgregoryrodriguez7920]

Wouldn't they be cold and prone to rust? On top of that, wouldn't they also be drafty?

[@neonnoir9692]

I saw Codsworth floating around out there!

[@Cookie-Dough-Dynamo]

I love this! Thinking outside the box. Why doesn't the FHA accept a single wide on piers anchored to purchased land as a home? Why do they expect our generation to fork out 400k for the same sticks, just put together on site? My acre and 1100 sf single wide were purchased for 97k in 2020.

[@LucidDreamer54321]

I want to build a house from steeled enamel.

[@ApothecaryGrant]

I always wondered how they expected to ward off the inevitable failure of the enamel to protect against rust ? Was there a process for rejuvenation decades after ? I cannot blame anyone for not having faith in steel homes . I know some still stand today but most do not . I just worry about the enamel chipping cracking and flaking . What service industry exists to deal with such a problem . How affordable could it be ?

[@Hardworkandrealestateprofits]

I can’t answer all your questions but there is one of these homes close to me in town and from the outside it’s still in great shape.

[@tannertolson]

Did they hold up pretty well ?

[@john_barnett]

they're made out of steel with a protective enamel coating, if they don't get their coating damaged they would last pretty much indefinitely

[@bulbigood6558]

You could easily replace any damaged or rusty panel. But their production had stopped a long time ago. =(

[@hhjhj393]

Well something happened cause there is only 13 of them left..... The one in this video looks nice but it could be survivorship bias. If only 13 exist now for some reason no they didn't hold up well compared to other houses lol.

[@michaelcap9550]

There was also Cardinal Industries in Columbus. Same assembly line scheme. Killed by 1986 tax reform.

[@neonnoir9692]

Back when society was clean, safe, and classy.

[@justmejo9008]

Omgoodness! So interesting

[@FPfreddyyy]

Shrewsburry? You have Shrewsburries in the USA? I thought only the English had a Shrewsburry in Shrophire. Do you have a shropshire too?

[@WelshAnimist]

Most place names in America originate from the UK but also mainland Europe such as France, Spain and so on

[@FPfreddyyy]

@@WelshAnimist So is there a Shropshire? Shrop...shire?

[@WelshAnimist]

@FPfreddyyy If there is it'll be in New England probably otherwise I'm unsure sorry

[@miriamalonso3959]

Ready to time travel

[@crash_test_dummy_1]

Too bad it's all about the real estate investors now, rather than building homes average people can afford.

[@stoveguy2133]

Grew up 300ft from one.

[@WeTravelOnlyByNightAsItsSoHot]

With the Fallout Series popularity those houses just became collectible items.

[@mistypowell1212]

Wow so cool

[@momkatmax]

I think of these homes as non mobile, mobile homes!

[@ScottMcMaster-er4xj]

Built to last, but they have a serious rust problem.

[@TBoy1247]

Lustron homes could be shipped on one truck and assembled in one day. Of course they were fabulously economical and would have been a huge success if it wasn't for greedy, corrupt politicians. Politicians began demanding kickbacks from Lustron and that components be made in their state. When that didn't happen, they called the loan right when Lustron was taking off. A monumental failure in U.S. government. See HUD for further examples.

[@bawintermage8351]

One point to remember was that the most of these post war developments and homes were off limits to Americans of African heritage. The pride of America comes with pain. Remembering ensures that the sins of the Father wont get repeated and truly Americans can live together in peace, equality and harmony

[@MattyJ83]

Carl is my great uncle😎

[@TheGravygun]

Millions of returning veterans?

[@plmn93]

16 million Americans served in WWII.

[@paiddj3397]

I still don't understand this whole "the war was over and they were coming home". Where did these people live prior to the war. It makes it sound like we had new people moving to the states after the war.

[@plmn93]

Probably with their parents or renting. Married men with children were exempted from the draft. So most men returning would be looking to start a family and the GI bill gave them the means to buy a home that they otherwise may not have had.

[@greggv8]

@@plmn93 a large amount of young men married shortly before going to Europe or the Pacific with the military, and came home to a son or daughter that was usually theirs. The young women either lived with their parents or if they had a job, rented an apartment. But when their husbands came home from the war they needed a house.

[@nilawarriorprincess]

They were most kids looking for their 1st home. Think 18-21 year olds.