Newsletter
December 18

By Cathy Collier | December 18, 2007
Hello Everyone, I recently joined the staff at Collier Construction and am thrilled to have this opportunity to create a way for Collier Construction to communicate with all of our friends. Ethan would like to continue a relationship with each of you and an email newsletter is our way of sharing with you our growth, experiences, and a monthly Home Maintenance Tip. It is hard to believe that Collier Construction is in its fifth year, we’re excited about the big and small aspects of providing you with a great building company.

We wanted to let all of you know that Collier Construction offices have moved. We actually made the move in March 2007 to 250 Signal Mountain Road. We love our new building as it provides a conference room, staff meeting room, kitchen, and an abundance of individual office spaces. We would love for you to stop by to say hello and receive our “first class” tour of the new space.

Over the last year and a half, Collier Construction’s staff has grown considerably. We have been able to hire six new employees. Jason Lentz is our Estimator and regularly updates our website: www.collierbuild.com. Matthew Layne is our Project Manager, overseeing our 30+ project sites. Darnell Bice and Bryan Youngblood are our Project Superintendents. And Don Wallis is our new Sales Manager. We welcome them into our Collier Construction community.

We also wanted to let you know that Ethan and Mary Collier have completed the adoption process and are the very proud parents of Caleb Benjiman Collier. As many of you know Ethan and Mary were in Kazakhstan for eight weeks. They appreciate all of your generous support and encouragement throughout the last year of their lives. Thank you .

Home Maintenance Tip

By Cathy Collier | December 18, 2007
The secondary purpose of the Collier Construction Newsletter is to also provide ONE useful Home Maintenance Tip each month. Without question there are hundreds of Home Maintenance issues to take into consideration but one stands out as the most common safety issue in homes. That is the presence of Carbon Monoxide. Fortunately, you can easily test for the presence of CO in your home. CO is an odorless, colorless, poisonous gas produced by the incomplete burning of solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels. Appliances fueled with natural gas, liquefied petroleum (LP gas), oil, kerosene, coal, or wood may produce CO. Burning charcoal produces CO. Running cars produce CO.

This test is easy and should only require thirty minutes of your time. At your local hardware or building supply store, purchase a passive CO test kit (detector badge). Write the date of the test on the front of the test badge. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, place the test badge in a location where you are concerned about CO gas. These areas could be the furnace room, basement, near a gas fireplace or the garage. Make sure you locate the badge away from direct exposure to sunlight, ammonia, solvents or cleaners. These may prevent an accurate reading. Check for CO within 15 minutes the badge will darken if it detects any carbon monoxide. Even if the badge changes color slightly this is a problem. If the badge changes color at all detecting any carbon monoxide, immediately find the cause and correct the problem. You may have to remove or dispose of items causing the problem or you may have to contact your local gas company. If no CO gas is detected, you can leave the badge in place for 60-90 days as recommended by the manufacturer or install a CO alarm. Further questions reference About.com:Home Repair

Featured Project: Thomas Residence

By Cathy Collier | December 18, 2007
Yet another aspect of sharing with our friends is the chance to feature one of our current projects. One out of five of our current projects off of Main Street in Southside Chattanooga stands out in our minds as a premier project. A beautiful traditional EarthCraft residence nestled in the urban setting off of Main Street, the Gavin Thomas home is a 4 bedroom, 2 and a half bath, 2400 sq. ft, example of green living. With two spacious porches, a gable roof, and front bay windows this home feels open and airy. Green features include the Energy Star windows with high end insulated low-E glass. Advanced framing techniques, a rain screen system behind the exterior Hardi plank siding. The emphasis is on energy efficiency, building an airtight home from the ground up, but within a mid-range account. We see our greatest strength in this project as the ability to build green within set boundaries. Our experience of growth is marked in the satisfaction of the relationship we have with the homeowners and their community.

A Note from Ethan

By Ethan Collier | December 18, 2007
Like my sister Cathy, I too am thrilled to have this opportunity to reconnect with my old friends and further develop a relationship with my new friends. Creating a Collier Construction monthly Newsletter has been a project I have wanted to see come to fruition for several years and now it is happening. I do not believe much of the “happening” in my life has come from my own strength alone. A huge portion of you who have known me from before the beginning, know how much and how often I have been built up by you my friends. Collier Construction Company will be turning five this year and I know it is past time for me to reach out and thank you each for supporting me and the future of Collier Construction. In business change happens instantaneously, everyone knows this. One of the most exciting things for me this year was a personal change, one of becoming a father. I, with my wife Mary left Chattanooga and Collier Construction for eight weeks to be in Kazakhstan. In a matter of two months my life changed forever, and it has been incredible. In business though, change can be just as incredible. Change means growth. Change took me to Chicago to the Green Builder’s Conference, change has given Collier Construction projects in the revitalization of Main Street and in the Southside of Chattanooga; growth reminds me of the days of fixing leaking roofs and broken pipes. The smaller projects are still just as important to me. If the need is there Collier Construction will provide the best in maintenance and repair because I still care. Change is good, but it could push me to forget what Collier Construction is founded upon, and I do not want to forget about you. Thank you, Ethan Collier