Collier Construction to Certify Every New Home
Recent News | August 2011
Collier Construction has locked arms with area builders and developers in an effort to initiate the widespread adoption of Better Built – a local green home certification program.
Together, Collier Construction, Steve Birger Construction, Adamson Developers and Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise announced their commitment to have 100% of all new residential construction projects certified by the Better Built program.
“Collier is committing to have every new home certified by Better Built,” said Ethan Collier, President and CEO of Collier Construction. “The program is designed to make green building mainstream in Chattanooga, and we all believe this group effort will help give the program a foothold in the market.”
Better Built provides a blueprint and standards for environmentally responsible, high performance homes that lower costs for occupants and appreciate in value. It was created by members of the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment, Home Builders Association of Southern Tennessee, green|spaces and the Chattanooga Association of Realtors.
“Better Built’s mission is to provide a strategy for truly efficient housing,” said Brandi Hill, Better Built Program Director. “These contractors are meeting this challenge head on and are leading the way for sustainability in Chattanooga.”
“Better Built is an invaluable tool for builders and homeowners alike,” said Mr. Collier. “For Collier Construction, the program is a practical way for us to ensure environmental responsibility and high quality to our customers. And because it is a local program, we know that the certification process will be more efficient than with national organizations.”
The group has also launched an introductory video online. The video helps define the program and spotlights Better Built’s benefits and effectiveness. Homeowners and builders can learn more about the program online at betterbuiltchattanooga.org.
More News: Collier is Getting Muddy to Help Habitat
Along with a host of other volunteers, Collier Construction is helping Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga build and install the obstacle course for the 2011 Mud Run.
The 5K Mud Run will be held this Saturday at Greenway Farms, and things will get muddy at 9:00 a.m. Over 325 teams have already registered for Habitat’s hallmark event, and organizers are anticipating a dozen more will register in the next couple days.
You can register your team online here and compete against Collier Construction’s team for awards and glory.
And even if you don’t have a team, you can come out Saturday evening for the after party, or as they like to call it, the Swamp Romp.
So get muddy, have fun and support one of Chattanooga’s most important Non-profits while you’re at it.
Portfolio Highlights
It’s been a busy summer at Collier with lots of remodeling and renovation projects as well as two barns – one on Signal Mountain and another in South Pittsburg. We’re highlighting the progress of three of the more unique projects, so be sure to click on each one to check out their full profiles.
Signal Mountain Barn
We’ve wrapped up the construction of a beautiful new barn on Signal Mountain. The barn was constructed from large white pine beams and trusses, and it features a loft area, cupola, a screw-down metal roof and 1x8 board and batten siding.
Civil War Era Home Addition
A section of this Civil War era home was destroyed by a tree during the recent tornados. Now with the help of TWH Architecture and Collier Construction, the homeowners are expanding the home with a new master suite addition.
1930's Riverview Remodel
This 7,000 square foot 1930s Riverview home has been built up and remodeled. You can see where the existing roof was removed so that we could add a master suite onto the second floor of the home above an existing sunroom. Below the sunroom, a guest suite was built in the basement area. We also repainted the home's interior, refinished the floors, installed new windows and replaced the roof.
To view more of our projects, visit our portfolio.
COOL ENERGY SAVING TIPS
This summer has been brutal. Hot, muggy and for most folk, really expensive. When things heat up, so do your energy bills, and if there’s ever a good time for some cool energy tips, the time is now. So we’ve pulled together a few of the simplest tips and linked to more. Hope these reminders help your bills cool off.
Dial back the water heater:
If you haven’t already, now’s the time to turn your water heater temperature back a few notches – at least to 120º. And don’t forget to put it at its lowest setting when your gone.
Be cool with cold water washes:
Did you know that 90% of the energy used to wash clothes is due to water heating? You can save quite a bit of energy by washing your clothes in cold water whenever possible.
Give your thermostat a status update:
You knew we were going to say it, so here it goes: by turning your thermostat up 5 degrees (sounds unbearable), you can save 1 – 3% per degree for each degree the thermostat is set above 72 degrees. Still sound unbearable?
Become a fan of ceiling fans:
This works in tandem with number three, so if you don’t adjust your thermostat, think twice before using ceiling fans to keep cool air circulated throughout your home.
Unplug, turn off and power down:
The easiest way to save energy is to not use energy. It sounds basic because it is basically smart to unplug appliances when they are not being used, turn off lights when they are not needed and power down the computer when no one is using it.
Have more simple tips? Share them on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/collierbuild.
You can also check out other energy saving tips here:
INSPIRATION
To satisfy your taste for neat architecture, sustainable design and green building, we’re sharing with you just a little of what inspires us the most.
This time around, we’re branching out to curve your browsing toward social good – the Ethonomics section of Fast Company’s website: fastcompany.com/topics/ethonomics.
With equal parts inspiring, informative and intrigue, Fast Company’s coverage of all things social-good is a daily must-read for anyone inspired by the huge ideas that are changing our planet for the better – in ways big and small.
To get you started, we’re recommending a few articles we think you’ll really enjoy:
The Smart Grid’s Intelligence Could Cause It To Collapse
The Department of Energy Reveals The Light Bulb Of The Future
Infographic Of The Day: A Food Label That Actually Teaches You About Food
And you can get all of Fast Company’s normal stream of interesting and inspiring articles on Facebook and Twitter as well.
http://twitter.com/fastcompany
In Case You Missed It:
Here's what we've been up to at Collier this summer.
The Crash Pad Green Roof Installation
Ever wondered how green roofs are installed? Well the good people at The Crash Pad shot a video of their green roof installation. You can watch the installation while hearing from local sustainability advocates on how a green roof makes a difference to our buildings and our environment.
Watch the video here.
Chattanooga Green Festival
We were a sponsor of this year’s Green Festival at the Chattanooga Market. We had a great time talking to market-goers about green building and, of course, the TED Energy Detective that we gave away as the prize for this year’s raffle.
Being Social
What can we say, we like to share. That is, on social media where we share photos of projects, link to interesting articles and promote good ideas. So we’d love to share with you too. Here’s how:
Like us on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter.
Keep up on LinkedIn.
Contact us on Flickr.
Join us on GoWalla.
We hope to see you there!
