RSS FeedMay 25 2009
Clayton Homes – A Big Company To Build Tiny, Green Homes
How serious is the building industry about tiny homes and going green? Well… a giant corporation like Clayton homes is now involved in both building tiny homes and building green homes.
Tiny and green seem like they are both here to stay. You might not be familiar with Clayton Homes but they are gigantic, one of the Wal-Mart’s of housing construction. This massive company has built over 1.5 million homes since 1934 many of them mobile homes and modular homes. They have 12,000 employees, which they call “team members,” and have 35 different home building facilities. They also have a big hand in the financing of homes as well. So who owns Clayton Homes? A guy by the name of Warren Buffet. Maybe you’ve heard of him.
The i-House is the concept by Clayton Homes which mirrors much of what we have seen with tiny home and green home pioneers in recent years. The i-House uses solar panels, energy efficient windows compact fluorescent lighting and energy star appliances to cut down on energy cost. On the health front, the i-House uses bamboo floors and no V.O.C. paint, both a common fixture in the tiny house and green home movement. They have even incorporated water saving features such as a tankless water heater, low flow faucets and dual flush toilets. Additional water is saved via a rainwater catching system. Interesting.
They have several layouts of i-homes to choose from with catching names like “Layout A,” which is 723 square feet, “Layout B,” which is 991 square feet, and yes “Layout C,” also at 991 square feet. The homes have a very slick and modern look that will no doubt remind many small home fans of other tiny homes and green homes they have seen.
Having a giant corporation like Clayton get in the tiny home game could be a great thing for the planet. Clayton produces a lot of homes on an annual basis, and if they were to go green it would have a profound impact on the environment and the housing industry. Let’s hope the ideas of the i-house are for real and not just pr, as this would be great for all involved.
Related posts:
How serious is the building industry about tiny homes and going green? Well… a giant corporation like Clayton homes is now involved in both building tiny homes and building green homes.
Tiny and green seem like they are both here to stay. You might not be familiar with Clayton Homes but they are gigantic, one of the Wal-Mart’s of housing construction. This massive company has built over 1.5 million homes since 1934 many of them mobile homes and modular homes. They have 12,000 employees, which they call “team members,” and have 35 different home building facilities. They also have a big hand in the financing of homes as well. So who owns Clayton Homes? A guy by the name of Warren Buffet. Maybe you’ve heard of him.
The i-House is the concept by Clayton Homes which mirrors much of what we have seen with tiny home and green home pioneers in recent years. The i-House uses solar panels, energy efficient windows compact fluorescent lighting and energy star appliances to cut down on energy cost. On the health front, the i-House uses bamboo floors and no V.O.C. paint, both a common fixture in the tiny house and green home movement. They have even incorporated water saving features such as a tankless water heater, low flow faucets and dual flush toilets. Additional water is saved via a rainwater catching system. Interesting.
They have several layouts of i-homes to choose from with catching names like “Layout A,” which is 723 square feet, “Layout B,” which is 991 square feet, and yes “Layout C,” also at 991 square feet. The homes have a very slick and modern look that will no doubt remind many small home fans of other tiny homes and green homes they have seen.
Having a giant corporation like Clayton get in the tiny home game could be a great thing for the planet. Clayton produces a lot of homes on an annual basis, and if they were to go green it would have a profound impact on the environment and the housing industry. Let’s hope the ideas of the i-house are for real and not just pr, as this would be great for all involved.
Related posts:
Great looking home. According to their website it’s not available in Minnesota. I wonder if it’s rated for harsher climates? Regardless, good for them.
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I overhead some people yesterday at a graduation celebration family gathering talking about the i-homes. There had been an article in the local (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) newspaper about them. Thanks for doing this write-up, Steph!
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Steph Reply:
May 25th, 2009 at 7:34 am
Actually, Lynn was the one who did the write-up I heard about these homes for the first time a couple of days ago. It’s good to see the word getting out there.
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Gregory Johnson Reply:
May 28th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Ah! I forget you have a multi-authored website.
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Popping in to say that – while I am very glad that these folks are building these kinds of homes for all the reasons you mention, and by no means do I wish to diminish the importance of this – I will not buy from Wal Mart, I won’t give folks like Warren Buffet my hard earned dime … so, while not wanting to diminish the positive aspect of this reality – that the Clayton existing is much better than these folks building CarbonChokers with poisony glues and all – and that it may indicate a tipping point? (such cautious language)
… given the opportunity, I would still take my money to someone like Jay’s Tumbleweed Homes, or a Tortoise Shell / Galapagos off grid model, Brad’s Tiny Texas Houses – or even cross the border to Canada if I desired something more visually in line with the Clayton house. (I clearly forgot the name of that company, sorry. Mini Home?)
So, yes: it’s a good sign if it’s real and they actually start switching over more and more of their production to reflect green. But 95% percent of my groceries come from non-chain grocers, I shop in person/no internet at indie book and record shops, I go to the same Mom and Pop magazine store for all my architecture and design needs …and if I ever am lucky enough to own a home of any size: I’m just not buying it from Wal Mart.
Kinda funny how you can look at something and say “Allright, that’s the way we wanna head” and then at the same time think “I sure hope you sell a lot of ‘em without diminishing the dimes going into the folks we’ve known and admired for some time now.”
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