Prefabrication experiments - 71 - The FHA small house planning guidelines

The federal housing administration (FHA) was established in 1934 as part of the post-depression Housing Act during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration as part of his New Deal for the United States. The FHA aspired to expand accessibility and to renew deteriorating housing stock. The depression had severely crippled America's housing economy leaving many ill housed or unable to respect mortgage engagements. The FHA guaranteed existing mortgages and underwrote vast housing projects propelling the American economy and the consumer toward new standards for housing. As part of its mandate the FHA attempted to regulate both supply and demand for an acceptable dwelling type. The small house planning guidelines published by the FHA were a major part of its symbiotic strategy that promoted an economic model, a lifestyle, a house type and a construction method (the basic wood balloon frame) in favour of homogeneous territorial development.

The small house guidelines presented a variety of strategies built around simple square plans, traditional pitched roofs and straightforward spatial options. The basic house consisted of a one-floor living space with no basement and no attic.  The small house prototypes shared a square plan, 2 bedrooms, closed kitchen and bath and an open relationship between the entry and the living area. The house’s wood frame stood on a concrete slab while the roof was built up from standard wood rafters or king post type triangular truss construction. The small living area's horizontal and vertical spans reduced costs and simplified construction. This standardization was in line with American building culture. The balloon frame and vertical two by four stud construction was an ideal system for these small houses as the components were continuously produced and already a major constituent of the American building industry. 

The wood framed buildings employed standard sizes, spans, arrangements and components, which simplified construction and material procurement. Assembly lines were set up directly on tract housing development sites. Process staging and modular standards for foundations, framing, services and finishes contributed to a veritable theatre of construction management both in terms of industrialization and prefabrication of certain sub-assemblies (kitchens, baths). Systems were simple and customization minimal. The FHA guidelines were a major ingredient of America’s post-war territorial development.

Excerpts from the FHA «Principles of Planning Small Houses»