Enjoy browsing, but unless otherwise noted, these houses are private property and closed to the public -- so don't go tromping around uninvited.

TECHBUILT HOUSES

Albert Carl Koch was born in Milwaukee WI.  He was educated at Harvard and got a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard in 1937. After completing his education, he moved to Sweden where he worked for Sven Markelius for six months. There he blended his formal education with clean Scandinavian design.  He returned to the US and to design mostly houses for Edward Durell Stone, including a house for Koch's parents.

Later in the 1940's, Koch designed several affordable prefabricated housing prototypes.  He did the original Acorn House (1946), re-design of the all-steel Lustron House (1949), and Conantum, one of the nation’s first cluster housing developments, in Concord MA (1951). 

Launched in 1953, his Techbuilt House was wildly successful and would eventually be available in twenty-two models. When first designed, the Techbuilt House could be constructed (on average) for $7.50/square foot, as compared to $10/square foot for a conventional house and $15/square foot for a custom-built house. 

1957 - The Clifton H. and Juanita Kreps Residence, 634 Morgan Creek Road, Chapel Hill.  Sold in 1974 to Jay and Carolyn Judson.  Sold in 1991 to current owners David and Ruth Morgan. Garage added in 1994.

1959 - The John and Anne Spitnagel House, 515 Morgan Creek Road, Chapel Hill.  Photo by Dail Dixon.  Sold in 1965 to George W. and Barbara Selden Douglas.  Sold in 1967 to Robert M. and Mary Alice Griffin.   Sold in 1970 to Robert and Jewel Frary.  Sold in 1971 to Charles and Jean Vickery.  Sold in 1977 to Rodney and Nancy Barfield.  Sold in 1979 to Charles H. and Claudia Stephens, Jr.  Sold in 1994 to current owners Tom and Marsha Jepsen.

1961 - The Edward C. and Hazel Schroeder Bolmeier House, 1535 Pinecrest, Durham.  According to their daughter Jane, this is a Techbuilt house.  Sold in 1989 to Nancy and Samuel Hope.  Sold in 1996 to John Staddon and Lucinda M. Paris.  Sold in 2011 to Jacqueline and Gordon Bagwell.  Photo by Heather Wagner. 

1962 - The Thomas and Nancy Wilson Residence, 2721 Sevier Street, Durham.  Two beams run the full length of the house and there are no interior loadbearing walls.  The unique hot water heating system not only heats water but the entire house through a series of pipes and radiator fans.  3328 square feet.  Sold in 1998 to Deborah Rust. Sold in 2007 to Johannes Bouten and Leta Nutt. Sold in 2009 to Thomas and Wendy Edds.

1967 - The Walter Allen, Jr. Residence, 1 Davie Lane, Chapel Hill. 
Sold in 1971 to Samuel and Gerda Fillenbaum. 

Sources include:  Sally Greene, Virginia Faust.