A House Built Like A Car?! The 50s Home Of the Future! Tour Time!

Introducing "The Lustron" The Home of the Future. This Retro futurist Mid century home is a rare breed with only around 1200 left in existence of the around 2500 built. This house is one of the survivors and will be receiving a full restoration. So lets take a tour and see the past's home of the future as it stands today. Enjoy!

#midcenturymodern #lustron #diy #restoration

[brianbrians]

They look strikingly similar to the prewar houses in the Fallout 4 video game. I wouldn't be surprised if they were used as reference material for the game. Really cool!

[brandonschultz]

70-year-old exhaust fan that still works! This is what we mean, "They Don't Make'm Like They Use To".

[donnakitt]

We have 2 in our community. One yellow and one a blue. I met the owner of one a few years back. She and her husband had it built. She showed me her photo album with all the pictures of it being brought in and set up.

[jameshammann]

Hi, Thanks for featuring and preserving another Lustron Home. I own and live in serial #1237. I purchased it as my retirement home and actually it is the most comfortable and convenient home that I have owned. The blue and yellow painted cabinet in one of your bedrooms was actually originally in the bathroom. I am so happy that you have found another Lustron to supply many of the missing parts that you need. Lustron sent a crew from the factory along with the specially designed truck to erect the houses, after the slab was poured according to the plans supplied to the buyer. One of the reasons that the kitchens are usually heavily modified is because the dishwasher/ clothes washer combination was an absolute disaster and broke the dishes. So, it was the first thing to go along with the counter and cabinets. All best wishes with both projects.

[LegitCheckers]

This project deserves a YouTube channel dedicated for it.

[jerrytraub]

Hat's off to your Dad for taking on such an interesting project. Cant wait to follow along. In case you dont already know, that television will need a full electronic restoration by a skilled repairman before you run it. The original capacitors were made out of wax, and go bad over the years. You will risk ruining the set, and possibly causing a fire if you run it without restoring it. BTW It is from the early 1950's and not a 1949. The picture tubes were round in 49.

[Excitable]

A friend of mine grew up in one of these houses in Skokie, IL. I got to go to it once. It was wild. Just used magnets to hold posters and things to the walls.

[colinmcknight]

we have a couple of small neighborhoods of lustrons here, including one home that was in mint condition and occupied by the original owner until a few years ago. She had a lustron one car garage, and had the original built in tv in the livingroom. There was a volunteer effort a few years ago to track down all of them and include them in the registry. We have lost a couple that i am aware of, but the bigger threat is insensitive remodeling, replacing windows, vinyl siding, etc. Given the popularity of mid century modern, it amazes me that the homes in original condition aren't in greater demand, and make people think twice before making inappropriate changes. A huge issue, though, is figuring out how to insulate them. If your dad comes up with a good strategy for that, make sure his solution receives significant publicity. it will help preserve the remaining houses.

[KrisanthiaMum]

This is so COOL!!! I lived my entire childhood+ in a 1960s “Dubl-Wide” Roadliner. It moved everywhere they stationed my Daddy. “Rolled” in and out over 7 times… traveled up and down the highways from California to Florida, Arkansas, back to Florida, to Virginia and 2 moves in Alabama. It was amazing watching Daddy crank that monster up after we packed and moved everything to one side of it. Then he would hire a big rig, they would hook it up and down the road we’d go. It still stands today 🤯 They surely don’t make them like they used to. One of the original pop outs.

[missysatke]

I had to laugh when I saw the house. I drive by it everyday to and from work. It will be fun to watch the progress everyday. Congrats and good luck to John. Looks like a great project.

[MuricaTurkey]

Oh wow! They clearly modeled the houses in Fallout 4 after these. That's pretty neat. I just assumed they had made those up.

[beachbumetta]

Im currently staying at my daughter’s house which is one of the old Sears’ craftsman kits put together sometime in the 50’s, i think. Just weird to think people bought DIY kits from Sears, or other brands with the parts all ready cut and ready to build their own houses.

[erinhatt]

I lived in a Lustron during my teen years. What I wouldn't give to live in one again.

[mrnapolean]

These houses scream Fallout to me. I WANT ONE!

[pitsnipe]

I lived in a steel home for five years, only we called it a ship. 😊 You and your dad are a two man restoration machine!

[kken]

So excited that your Dad is restoring this house! My best friend in grade school (back in the late 50's early 60's) lived in a Lustron home! I thought it was the coolest house but it was small. She had a sliding door to her bedroom and to a 11 year old that was pretty cool. The house is still standing with the original exterior and an addition. It is in Clarion, PA.

[Crazyguy_MC]

Ha now I see where the houses from Fallout 4 got their inspiration from. The houses in that game share an almost exact layout, same window design, same roof style, the metal siding, and the metal futuristic cabinetry. Its neat to see where the devs of that game got their inspiration.

[bigguy]

There was a great little documentary on PBS several years ago all about history of Lustron and how they started. There is a Lustron home just a few blocks away from where I live. I pass it pretty much every day on my way to work. It was originally that that light beige color, but the painted it a really bright teal color. Kinda weird! Great video btw!

[LJB]

These houses actually started in the 1940's. My late boss talked about these houses because father (Wilson Wyatt) was Truman's Housing Administrator who pushed for these houses as quick builds for returning WWII soldiers. We had a Philco tv when I was a kid in the 50's. Great video!

[heru-deshet]

Super nice house. I went to a Lustron house sales website where they have them from under 35K for fixer uppers to 300K. You may want to find a sheet metal shop that can duplicate missing parts, cabinets and doors for the house that you don't have or can't find. Have fun with the restoration!