The ‘i-house’ is a giant leap from a trailer park

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. From its bamboo floors to its rooftop deck, Clayton Homes' new industrial-chic "i-house" is about as far removed from a mobile home as an iPod from a record player.

Architects at the country's largest manufactured-home company embraced the basic rectangular form of what began as housing on wheels and gave it a postmodern turn with a distinctive V-shaped roofline, energy efficiency and luxury appointments.

Stylistically, the i-house might be more at home in the pages of a cutting-edge architectural magazine than among the Cape Cods and ranchers in the suburbs.

The layout of the long main "core" house and a separate box-shaped guestroom-office "flex room" resemble the letter "i" and its dot. But Clayton CEO and President Kevin Clayton said i-house stands for more than its footprint.

With a nod to the iPod and iPhone, Clayton said, "We love what it represents. We are fans of Apple and all that they have done. But the 'I' stands for innovation, inspiration, intelligence and integration."

Clayton's i-house was conceived as a moderately priced "plug and play" dwelling for environmentally conscious homebuyers. It went on sale nationwide Saturday with its presentation at the annual shareholders meeting of investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire-Hathaway Inc. in Omaha, Neb.

"This innovative 'green' home, featuring solar panels and numerous other energy-saving products, is truly a home of the future," Buffett wrote his shareholders. "Estimated costs for electricity and heating total only about $1 per day when the home is sited in an area like Omaha."

Maryville, Tenn.-based Clayton Homes, acquired by Berkshire-Hathaway in a $1.7 billion buyout in 2003, delivered 27,499 mobile or manufactured homes last year, a third of the industry total. Kevin Clayton thinks the i-house very quickly could represent more than 10 percent of its business.

Clayton Homes plans to price the i-house at $100 to $130 a square foot, depending on amenities and add-ons, such as additional bedrooms. A stick-built house with similar features could range from $200 to $300 a square foot to start, said Chris Nicely, Clayton marketing vice president.

A 1,000-square-foot prototype unveiled at a Clayton show in Knoxville a few months ago was priced about $140,000. It came furnished, with a master bedroom, a full bath, an open kitchen and a living room with Ikea cabinetry, two ground-level deck areas, and a separate "flex room" with a second full bath and a second-story deck covered by a canopy.

The i-house's metal V-shaped roof -- inspired by a gas-station awning -- combines design with function. The roof provides a rainwater-catchment system for recycling, supports flush-mounted solar panels and vaults interior ceilings at each end to 10½ feet for an added feeling of openness.

The Energy Star-rated design features heavy insulation, 6-inch thick exterior walls, cement board and corrugated metal siding, energy efficient appliances, a tankless water heater, dual-flush toilets and lots of "low-e" glazed windows.

-- The Associated Press