Kieley here!
Sorry for disappearing from blog world over the past week! I’ve been in the process of moving and in case that wasn’t enough, I picked up a cold and have been trying to get well.
In case you’ve been following Michelle and Amanda’s blogs, you’ve noticed that they finished Job #8 last week. I am on the slow and steady track and am just starting Job #7 this week. Why? Well, family is very important to me so I took a family vacation earlier in the summer and last week I got sick and needed time to rest up. What’s the lesson here? This program is incredible, but it would be foolish to work different jobs like a madwoman and sacrifice my health and time with my family.
Alright, so to get back on topic, let me share my job for this week!
This week, I’m in Knoxville, Tennessee! I’ll be working with the United States’ largest home building company, Clayton Homes. Clayton homes is known for their high-quality manufactured and modular homes, but more recently for their I-House. This week I’m joining the I-house team to learn more about modular prefabricated homes.
What is the I-House?
The I-House is a new (released in 2009) house that is environmentally friendly, reasonably priced, and beautifully designed.
Here’s a picture of the model I-House to give you a better idea:
Why did I pick this job?
I’m a curious person and since a young-age, I’ve been fascinated by architecture and modern houses. After stumbling upon Dwell Magazine, I discovered prefabricated houses. I love the idea of custom designing a house and then having it built in a factory and delivered to the site. It’s mind-boggling that a house can be factory-built! The I-House is fabulous because it combines energy-efficiency with modern design.
My boss for the week is Brandon O’ Connor, the head of the I-House team.
I learned a tremendous amount about this industry in just one day at the corporate Clayton Homes office. After having a brief meeting with Brandon to discuss my schedule for the week, I met Beth Walker. Beth works as the I-House Specialist, a unique customer-oriented position that allows her to interact with people interested in the I-House. It’s impossible to know every detail about the house, but she sure knows a lot. Here is the I-House manual, which could basically be called the “I-House Bible.”
I spent most of the day sitting with Beth and listening in on calls with prospective I-House buyers. It might sound boring that I sat in a cubicle for the majority of my day. It was the opposite of boring! Each phone call was unique and required good people and problem solving skills.
I had looked at the I-House website before this week, but I learned way more during my time with Beth actually listening to questions that prospective buyers ask. I realize now that people really get excited about custom designing homes and the process of building a manufactured home is well worth it.
So, what questions do you have about the I-House or about manufactured homes? I would love to receive honest comments with your feedback on this industry and your opinion on this type of house.
Stay tuned for interesting updates all week. Tomorrow I will be heading to the Clayton Homes Center, the place where all their different model homes are on display for people to physically walk through.
Please comment with your questions and thoughts about prefab houses.
Thanks,
Kieley Best