Random Thought: Prefab Homes

[pmulcahy11b]

It seems that in T2K, if you can get your hands on a prefab home factory, lot, or dealership, you might have a bit better living conditions. Or perhaps those companies who sell those metal workshops or sheds that one or two people can put up in a weekend. Thoughts?

[Abbott Shaull]

I would tend to think that most of these places would of been well picked over during 1998-1999 as people start to realize they are on their own no matter what the government may try to them.

[Adm.Lee]

Too bad this outfit is long gone. Lustron house-- the Cadillac of pre-fab housing! They could be transported on a very few truckloads, and assembled on a concrete pad. Much nicer than a Quonset hut.

More realistically, there's likely enough skilled construction workers around that putting up housing wouldn't be a problem. Finding the materials, and getting it to the site, and then paying the crew, that's a problem.

[Webstral]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

It seems that in T2K, if you can get your hands on a prefab home factory, lot, or dealership, you might have a bit better living conditions. Or perhaps those companies who sell those metal workshops or sheds that one or two people can put up in a weekend. Thoughts?

It would be a great industry, though. I anticipate that during Operation Manifest Destiny MilGov will end up resettling hundreds of thousands if not millions of Americans. Pre-fab homes of any sort sure would make the welcome mat much more welcoming than some of the alternatives.

Webstral

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Webstral

It would be a great industry, though. I anticipate that during Operation Manifest Destiny MilGov will end up resettling hundreds of thousands if not millions of Americans. Pre-fab homes of any sort sure would make the welcome mat much more welcoming than some of the alternatives.

Webstral

For that matter, refurbished trailer homes might be useful, and lead to several scavenging adventures for the PCs. Non-PC-adventure-wise, Quonset huts at their simplest are fairly easy to build (and that could even lead to PC adventures as materials are scrounged up).

[Targan]

Here in Australia the mining industry makes extensive use of prefabricated transportable buildings called "dongas". They fit on the back of a truck so they are not all that big but some of them can be quite luxurious inside. They are used for all sorts of purposes including site offices and accomodation. I'm sure my fellow Australian forumites will know dongas well, in fact I wouldn't be suirprised if they have all stayed in a donga at one time or another. I have and they're alot better than some alternatives I can think of.

Here a couple of links as examples of what dongas are like:

http://www.hollingconstructions.com....ange.php?id=13

http://www.demountablesaleshire.com....tos/index.html

[Legbreaker]

Prefab building in my experience are made to order. Therefore it's not like you're going to have a lot of them just lying about waiting to be used.

If there are any available, or any of the demountable or portable type buildings, you've still got the problem of moving them without much in the way of useful heavy machinery.

Far better to simply build onsite with whatever materials are locally available - this could be recycled bricks, rubble to build walls, scavenged or freshly cut timbers, etc.

Whatever is used, don't count on quality being anywhere near that of prewar housing unless you're lucky enough to have a good supply of materials and decent number of skilled tradesmen.

[headquarters]

Wouldnt prefabs be made modular so that they can be transported in pieces and then assembled on site if necessary ?

I mean - the reason that they dont assemble on site is probably that sending guys out to do it costs more than hauling it out in one piece and dropping it off?

If you found a lot with supplies for such business ,maybe it could be possible to take parts of it by T2K transport - carts etc

I did stay about 18 months in a prefab once .While not roomy , it did keep my dry and reasonably warm in the winter with an electrical oven .

Quite hot in the summer though...A standard fan blowing at full tilt only partly alleviated the baking of yours truly .

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Prefab building in my experience are made to order. Therefore it's not like you're going to have a lot of them just lying about waiting to be used.

If there are any available, or any of the demountable or portable type buildings, you've still got the problem of moving them without much in the way of useful heavy machinery.

Far better to simply build onsite with whatever materials are locally available - this could be recycled bricks, rubble to build walls, scavenged or freshly cut timbers, etc.

Whatever is used, don't count on quality being anywhere near that of prewar housing unless you're lucky enough to have a good supply of materials and decent number of skilled tradesmen.

[avantman42]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

Or perhaps those companies who sell those metal workshops or sheds that one or two people can put up in a weekend. Thoughts?

I'd have thought the problem with a simple workshop/shed/garage used as living quarters would be insulation. I lived in an old caravan for several months - I baked in the summer and froze in the autumn (luckily I got out before winter proper set in).

One other option to add would be trailers from articulated lorries (apparently known as semi-trailer trucks elsewhere in the world). Refrigerated trailers are insulated, so would be particularly useful for this.

Of course, without a working truck, you'd not be able to move them

Russ