Is it possible to build a truly affordable modern, sustainable home? Wes Boyd, AIA, and Andy Hutsell have tried their hand, designing for Maryville, Tenn.-based manufactured home builder Clayton Homes a modular housing framework known as the i-house (www.claytonihouse.com).
Conceived to offer flexible indoor-outdoor living within a small, simple footprint, the i-house comes in two basic models that can be customized into 14 different configurations. The one-bedroom/one-bath “i-house I” and two-bedroom/one-bath “i-house II” have base prices (including delivery and installation) of $74,900 and $93,300, respectively. Options include a separate “flex room,” which adds supplemental living or sleeping space.
A central design feature of the i-house is its butterfly roof, which accents the house’s exterior, facilitates rainwater harvesting, and creates dynamic interior spaces within the main volume. Each home will be built to Energy Star guidelines, with both standard and optional green upgrades available.