THE MIAMI DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, June 29, 1948; p. 11A

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'TREND HOME' MADE OF ALUMINUM

Los Angeles, June 29. – Angelenos are flocking to what might be the answer to housing costs – the Trend Home being shown here to benefit a Memorial Cancer center and featuring 914 square feet for a total cost of $5,250, not including ground.

Built primarily of aluminum and glass, the house is an example of industrialized housing, an advanced approach to a completely functional dwelling. It is built of materials available today and is efficient and functional, yet it is not so radical as to meet much resistance.

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The house is not prefabricated, but it lends itself to mass production and handling. Aluminum is used because it is comparatively plentiful, strong, and durable. Though it's more expensive than wood, the over-all cost is lower because of the economy in mass handling, precision cutting and reduction of man-hours of labor. Only through mass production can the house be a success. Present plans call for a factory to be built in Southern California in the near future along the line of an automobile plant where many units assure low cost plus quality. This would be first, with other plans to be erected in areas of dense population at a later date.

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The house is so flexible that windows may be placed anywhere. Walls can be moved out to make larger rooms. After a four-inch concrete foundation is laid, the house can be erected in only eight hours; that is, 10 men, 80 man-hours. The entire house weighs less than 5,000 pounds. In the two bedrooms are closets two and one-half by 10 feet, with sliding doors, drawers, line cabinets, mirrors, and extra storage space.


The front of the living room, which measures 13.5 by 16.5 feet, is devoted to windows eight feet in height. The kitchen and dinette, seven and a half by 10.5 feet, contain a sink, closet for cleaning supplies, spice cabinet, window space at the sink level, and fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent lighting also is provided in the bathroom. Probably the world's smallest hallway, 32 by 32 inches, serves four rooms – the two bedrooms, bath and living room.

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A sheltered side patio (which can be converted into a car port) and front patio extending around to the side, are paved with colored concrete blocks. Plumbing, wiring, and heating system are all included in the price of the house.

The inside walls are aluminum but treated to eliminate any metallic appearance. Floors may be masonite, asphalt tile, wood, or carpeted. Walls are insulated on the inside surfaces with fire-resistant and sound-deadening material. The same coating is used on the inside surfaces of the ceiling and roof skin.