The total wealth of the nation had doubled in just four years. Millions of families who never even dreamed of home-ownership suddenly found themselves in the market for a new house. And, you know what? And, no money for repairs. Some expansions are so extensive that it is had to tell that there was once a humble Cape Cod under the pile of add-ons. They wanted to build large new streets to accommodate traffic. In less temperate climes, the atrium was often enclosed and climate-controlled to better handle scorching summers and frosty winters. Large windows invited plenty of natural light and sliding glass doors opened onto exterior living spaces, especially patios and decks. Of particular note was California-based builder Joseph Eichler, who's ranch houses brought a fresh, modernist approach to the ranch-style, elevating it to something of a period icon, much admired and widely copied. They wanted three bedrooms rather than two and a little more space. By then the simple post-war colonial had undergone a number of major transformations. It's just that there are not that many of them. (For more about Victorian influences on modern housing, see The Victorian House Styles: Queen Anne, Italianate, Gothic & Eastlake.). In an era in which comprehensive building codes were uncommon, the VA's detailed regulations for GI Bill housing became the de facto construction standard in many localities. But, at the start of 1946, it was a bright new world. Planners wanted to change cities. The popularity of the ranch blossomed with the wide-spread growth of casual outdoor dining and recreational activities such as the pool party and barbecue, [W]hat was lost in the massive building boom was not quality. It was not until the late 1970s when land began to become increasingly expensive, that the ranch-style started seeing a decline. Decent housing of any kind was hard to find. Any two-story house that did not fall easily into another style classification automatically became a "colonial". Orbit House was built on the site in the 1960s before it too was demolished and replaced by Will Alsop’s Palestra building. They were envisaged by war-time prime minister Winston Churchill in March 1944, and legally outlined in the Housing (Temporary Accommodation) Act 1944.. By. Watch Queue Queue. Like most industries during wartime, Levitt and … Photograph: Getty Images/Bryn Campbell/Rex. By March 1957 post-war building in the borough totalled 1,065 including buildings rebuilt after war damage, 683 of them by the borough council, 33 by housing associations, and 349 privately. Prefabs (prefabricated houses) were a major part of the delivery plan to address the United Kingdom's post–Second World War housing shortage. Like the Spanish Missions that were in part the inspiration for the style, The houses opened into a central courtyard or open-air atrium which provided light and ventilation. A small number of these houses were built in 1943 in the Alderwood area of … Altogether 156,000 prefabs were assembled using innovative materials such as steel and aluminiumand proved a successful and popular house … Adjusted for inflation that comes to about $120,000 today. Borders were redrawn and homecomings, expulsions, and burials were under way. Over 800,000 new homes were built between 1946 and 1951. William Levitt served as company president, overseeing all aspects of the company except for the designs of the homes they built, which fell to William's brother Alfred. The Government attempted to solve these issues by building over 1.2 million new homes … Downhill [Lane] 33, there it is. How did the Labour Government deal with the problems of the time? But even after the recent downturn … Then came the World War. Architectural Digest took notice of the new style of house as early as 1934, and the notoriety allowed May to build more California Rancheria houses over the next five years. The poor were not catered for making them slaves to greedy landlords who milked a virtual monopoly situation. The Levitts did not invent the Cape Cod style. But, by that time the style has lost many of the elements that had originally defined it. Electricity and natural gas-powered the post-war furnace, not coal or wood. Normandy Beach Normandy France Beautiful Ruins Beautiful Castles St Lo Battle Of Normandy Dresden Germany Medieval Town Historical Images. Almost as soon as the paint was dry on the original house, homeowners turned to making it bigger and better — finished basements, new gardens, gar­ages, por­ches, decks and, for the very ambitious, bedrooms in the attic or whole new additions. 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