Lustron House "We were revolutionizing a whole industry," said Richard Jones, former Lustron vice president of sales. "We were saying with our house: 'You put down a hammer and a saw and pick up a wrench.'" Though radical in its use of porcelain enameled steel, the Lustron house — a one-story, gabled-roof ranch with a bay window and side porch — looked much like other postwar-era dwellings. Behind its traditional façade, however, lay the hopes and expectations for a new era in American housing.
posted by goalyeehah on Sep 8, 2005 - 14 comments

Bobst Boy gets evicted. Sort of. Steve Stanzak is an NYU sophomore who supplemented his living expenses by living in the Bosbt Library. Stanzak has been blogging about this, and after his weblogging was discovered by NYU administrators, he was given housing for the remainder of the year.
posted by XQUZYPHYR on Apr 26, 2004 - 42 comments

"Visitors can imagine children sleeping in shacks infested with scorpions or snakes."

Come on down to scenic Americus, Georgia, and take in an eyeful of filth and despair! I've always been a big supporter of Habitat for Humanity, but is a poverty theme park really a good idea?
posted by grabbingsand on Jun 3, 2003 - 10 comments

Aladdin Houses. I was told when I bought my house it was one of these, but this is the first time I've run across information about the company. These were houses built from a kit, like the Sears Houses that more people seem familiar with. This site has lots of old catalogs scanned in -- as near as I can figure out, this one is mine. I can attest to the fact that they hold up pretty well. You can still buy prefab homes of course, but they lack the ye-olde excitement of age.
posted by JanetLand on Jul 8, 2002 - 11 comments

Brother Can You Spare a Prewar 7-Room Apt?
Will NYC ever be rid of a system that favors a select few, drives up housing costs for all, unfairly subsidizes vacation homes for the middle class and in general just doesn't work?
posted by nobody_knose on Jun 10, 2002 - 31 comments

Not your average mobile home. For the filthy rich among the MeFi crowd. Truly awe inspiring size... Residents will certainly need city guides. But will competition offer more affordable pricing?
posted by talos on Mar 9, 2001 - 10 comments