Have you seen any of the stories about the new iHouse that goes on public display starting on October 31 at the Knoxville Convention Center? It’s very, very cool. I’ve been through it 4 or 5 times and I notice something new every time. Recycled and renewable resource materials. Energy efficient, including solar panels and a system to catch all the rainwater and use it for irrigation and other purposes. Bamboo floors. IKEA furnishings.
Perhaps coolest of all is that Clayton Homes, who we are proud to represent, developed the house. If any of us didn’t think Kevin Clayton and his team were forward-thinking and cutting-edge….well it means that Warren Buffet, who bought the company, was way ahead of us. Perhaps that’s why he’s a gazzlionaire. There are all sorts of interesting things at play here.
There’s the fact that Clayton is pushing the envelope. There’s the fact that local architects designed it. There’s the fact that craftsmen in Bean Station built the prototype. And when you see it and many of the other homes at the Clayton showcase you will realize that craftsmen is absolutely the right word. The biggest change of all may not be one of style, but one of far more substance.
Clayton is changing the perception of that entire industry. Once they were trailers. Then they were called mobile homes. Next came the phrase manufactured housing. Now it’s just home. And if you visit the show you’ll understand why.
OK…everybody back to work.
