Collier Construction recently broke ground on six new homes on Harper Street in North Chattanooga. This is the general contracting business’s first sustainable urban development.
Although Collier Construction has just started the build process, the project has been in the works for quite some time. It got its start in 2007 when the land was purchased and the three existing homes were removed.
Two were recycled, rather than just being bulldozed, and one was in good enough condition to be moved. According to Ethan Collier, president and CEO of Collier Construction, environmental stewardship of land and materials has been and will remain a key element of the project.
“Just like our custom design-build projects, these homes will be very energy efficient, but we aren’t going over the top,” said Ethan Collier, president and CEO of Collier Construction. “We’ve been building custom homes for 12 years, and essentially, Harper Street will be the culmination of everything we’ve learned along the way.”
As currently planned, each home is between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet with a two-car garage and a center courtyard, a layout that offers a great deal of privacy in an urban setting. Windows are situated to take advantage of natural light, as well as heat during the winter. Each will have high-efficiency windows, appliances, and heating and cooling systems. Although the homes are very similar, no two are exactly alike, and each can be customized slightly if buyers get involved early in the build process.
“There are definite benefits to the practices we’ve been using to build custom homes, but custom construction may not be a reality for everyone,” said Mr. Collier. “I want to begin bringing the same types of benefits to a larger group of people in our community.”
The Harper Street homes will be priced in the low-to-mid $300,000 range and are scheduled for completion in mid-2014. Mr. Collier hopes this will be the first of a number of similar future projects. He explained that he is already looking for new urban and in-fill properties to build on and that he will not be doing any greenfield development.
“My biggest concern and interest is in taking properties that are currently underserving this community and maximizing their potential,” Mr. Collier said. “Because of our familiarity with Chattanooga and its residents, I think my team and I are well positioned to accomplish that goal.”