The post war need for housing resulted in an explosion of prefab homes. One of them was a $15.000 home designed by the National Association of Home Builders. The 1953 "Trade Secrets" has 1.340 sq. ft. of living space, 3 bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms, a big fireplace, a flexible, open-floor plan. By the end of january 1953 it was already being built by 23 builders in 14 states.
(above) Main living sections of the house, behind a bank of windows, face away from the street onto a terrace and backyard which is screened by a redwood fence. Two sections of the window slide open to provide access to terrace. Red brick outdoor fireplace and low red brick wall match the brick chimney. Roof overhang and the chimney wall which extends past the house shade the windows.
(below) Entrance view shows side of house facing street. Siding is redwood; roof is white marble chips. Roof overhang makes sheltered path to front door, which opens on entrance hall. Family entrance leads from carport to kitchen; just inside is mud closet for wet and muddy clothes. A small garden covered by an open roof and enclosed by a louvered redwood fence shields master bedroom and children's room from street. Both rooms have glass doors leading to garden.
(above) Living room, seen from the brick fireplace, shows sweep of the open floor plan through into family room used for dining, viewing television, children's play. The length of room is actual house from fireplace to hobby-storage bar is 34 feet. All floors throughout the house are black terrazzo. Most of the interior walls are preassembled storage units. Interior decorator for model house was Oscar O. Widmann, who used Herman Miller furniture and fabrics, Waite carpet.
(below) Night view from terrace looking into the living room shows brick fireplace (right), dining area (left) and kitchen behind the serving bar. In back at right is library with a folding door which makes it possible to open the library wide into the living room for greater space or close it off and use it as a private third bedroom. Center hall elads to master bedroom and to children's room at front of house. Special lighting effects were devised for the house by Thomas S. Kelly.
The floor plan of the "Trade Secrets" house shows how space has been organized for easy family living. Storage walls provide far more storage space than average house. There is additional storage space in carport for bicycles, gardening tools. The open kitchen keeps the housewife in easier touch with her family than the enclosed kitchens. The family room for television, games, sewing or ironing keeps the living rooms clean and uncluttered.
Planning committee, from left to right: Leonard Haeger, Martin L. Bartling Jr., Alan Brockbank - president of NAHB, Ned A. Cole, Andrew Place, David Slipher.
Storage walls arrive on a truck at the "Trade Secrets" house being built in Dallas. These walls are fabricated in a factory to save time and labor at the site. Occupying less floor space than average closets, they hold more things.
Dayton, Ohio, builder Ales Simms installs the pipes (water, waste and heating pipes that can also carry air conditioning).
Shreveport, Louisiana, workman is smoothing terrazo with mechanical trowel. Builder Frank Zuzak
Denver, Colorado. Workmen tilt wall in place. Sections are assembled on "deck" of house before they are pushed up. Windows slip into exact place in walls so that no extra fitting is needed above them. Builder: Franklin Burns.
Lima, Pennsylvania. Workmen swarm over house. They are setting in windows, tossing up and nailing down roof sheathing, all simultaneously. Builder: Wallace Arters.
Wichita, Kansas. After roof trusses are quickly lifted and secured in place, plywood is spread over them. Workmen are shown putting down layers of felt roofing paper. More asphalt is applied and then white marble chips. Builder: Ken Stowell.
Dallas, Texas. Finished house was sold for $16.750 with land, to Bonnie and Warren Leslie III, shown with young Warren after paying a visit to see how their new house looks when lighted. Builder: Leslie Hill.
South Bend, Indiana. Built in six weeks by Place and Co., this was the first "Trade Secrets" house finished. Nancylee and Lawrence Cramer bought it for $15.000 including the land, the lowest price yet put on a finished "Trade Secrets" house.
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