GREEN I-HOUSE

From its bamboo floors to its rooftop deck, Clayton Homes' new industrial-chic "i-house" is very different from traditional homes. Architects at the country's largest manufactured home company use the basic rectangular form with a distinctive v-shaped roofline to make energy efficiency and luxury homes, which look like the homes in architectural magazines.

Yet, Clayton CEO and President Kevin Clayton said "i-house" is more than just a house. "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."

"This innovative 'green' home, with solar panels and numerous other energy-saving products, is truly a home of the future," said one of the partners of the company. "Costs for electricity and heating will be only about $1 per day when the home is sited in an area like Omaha."

The "i-house's" metal v-shaped roof combines design with function. The roof works as a rain water catchment system for recycling; it supports solar panels and gives a feeling of openness.

The final product will come in different exterior colours and will allow buyers to design online, adding another bedroom to the core house, a second bedroom to the flex room or rearranging the rooms in the house.

"We thought of this a little like a kit of parts, where you have all these parts that can go together in different ways," said Andy Hutsell, one of the architects.

Susan Connolly hopes to be one of the first buyers. She's seen the prototype and has been talking to the company. "I have been interested in green construction and the environment in my own personal life," she said. "It is nice to have a group of people that have thought of everything. Where you don't have to shop around and go to different places ... to find the products you want."

"I think it is smart. It is fresh. It is especially for a new generation of green-thinking homebuyers," said Stacey Epperson, president and CEO of Frontier Housing. "You know a lot of people don't see themselves living in traditional housing, but a lot of those people would see themselves living in an 'i-house.' I could live in an 'i-house,'" she said.