Our Business

At Terra Southeast, we build structures you will be proud to own, that will take care of you for decades to come. We bring to Tennessee a 50-year history of building single-family, multi-family, and light commercial buildings in nine states. Today, we are focused on energy efficiency and universal design. In fact, Terra Southeast is the first Certified Passive House Builder in Tennessee, attaining certification in 2021. Call us at 615-898-9115 today and let’s start working on your building together.

Energy Efficiency

Terra Southeast is the first Certified Passive House Builder in Tennessee. Passive House is the most stringent energy standard in the U.S., and it can be applied to any building, not just houses. A passive building is a very well-built building that is highly energy efficient, promotes the health of its occupants, and enables them to remain comfortable year-round. The adherence to building science principles in a passive building make for a structure that will last for potentially hundreds of years, far longer than ordinary code-level construction.

Passive buildings are very well insulated, promoting comfort.
They are airtight, which keeps the outside out and the inside in. This keeps harmful water vapor from damaging the structure and prevents conditioned air from escaping.
Passive buildings use very energy efficient windows and doors, which allows the building design to contribute to energy savings.
Passive buildings take advantage of balanced heat- and moisture-recovery ventilation systems, along with minimal space conditioning systems, to keep occupants healthy and comfortable.

Using Passive House principles, a building will use half or less the energy it otherwise would, if it was built only to building-code standards. If you choose to add solar panels or a wind turbine to your building, you can easily achieve a zero-energy building. Now, the fact that we are Passive-House certified doesn’t mean every structure we build needs to be certified. That’s up to you. Whether or not you certify, the concepts remain the same.

For more information on Passive House principles and how to apply them to your home or other building, please give us a call at 615-898-9115.

Home Energy Efficiency

Universal Design/Aging in Place

Commercial buildings are built with some accessibility in mind: easy transitions among levels, wider doors, and the like. But what about your home? We want you to fall in love with your home and enjoy it as long as you want, even well into old age. We will build you a home that accommodates your needs today and takes care of you in the future. We use three levels of Universal Design, also referred to as designing for aging in place:

Level 1 applies to being able to visit all the parts of the home. In other words, how easy is it for the homeowner to get to all the spaces he or she needs to get to? Doors and hallways should be wide enough, thresholds low enough, and ramps shallow enough. Also, level 1 takes into account support for future grab bars, lever knobs, and the position of switches and controls.
Level 2 design issues delve more deeply into the plumbing and electrical systems, bathrooms, appliances, and converting cabinets from regular to wheelchair accessible.
Level 3 design issues deal more with technology, using it to solve problems and aid the homeowner. Think smart home and functional lighting. Level 3 choices also extend functions at entrances and enhance circulation throughout the home by using different colors.

For more detail on these levels of universal design and how to incorporate them into your home, please give us a call at 615-898-9115.

Home Universal Design

Services

General Contractor

Transparent Budgeting

We will work with you to build your structure from the first turn of the shovel to handing over the keys. We will develop the budget for your project together, with no hidden fees or charges. We'll also make friends with the locals.

Homes, Apartments, Mixed-Use

Energy Efficient
Universal Design

We've built hundreds of homes and thousands of apartments across nine states. We have the expertise to build something you'll be proud to own.

Outdoor Living

Maximize the Fun

Let us build for you the outdoor kitchen and/or living area you've always wanted. We'll help you with pavilions, fire features, grills, bars...whatever you need to make your outdoor spaces a feature of three-season entertaining.

Safe Rooms

Keep Your Family Safe
From Severe Weather

Here in Middle Tennessee, we live in a tornado zone. Also, there is very little soil between us and the bedrock, therefore few homes are constructed with basements. Our custom concrete safe rooms will weather the storm, keeping you and yours safe inside.

Concrete Components

Coming Soon

We will soon be producing custom concrete countertops, garden boxes, posts, and architectural molded pieces like corbels, column bases and capitals, and medallions. Let us know if you have a special project.