Customer Focus:
Planet Productions
Started by owner Martin Dillingham in 1976,
Planet Productions has become a unique, highly sought after home contractor in Middle
Tennessee.
"The great majority of our work is in restoring old houses to their original
beauty," explains Martin. "Because that involves so much customization, we've
been asked to build some very special, made-to-order new homes. Our methods and materials
are not like typical new home construction."
In January of 1996, Martin was selected to begin such a project: a large, Colorado Rockies
style vacation home for the CEO of a large corporation headquartered in Nashville,
Tennessee. The 10,000 square foot home was to be built on a 25 foot wide hilltop
overlooking a lake near Smithville, Tennessee.
The first challenge was adapting the hillside into a usable site.
Martin's team cut the hillside down several feet to produce a level area and a driveway
down to the site. They then built up the site using reinforced retaining walls and several
thousand tons of stone.
"We came to Rogers Group because we needed several types of crushed stone to compact
and stabilize this site," Martin describes. "What we didn't expect was such
great service -- Christy Poss was so focused on our needs, she would call on Fridays to
see if we needed material the next day."
"Sometimes they needed a Saturday delivery or a product from Sparta," says
Christy, Liberty Quarry. "We're not open on Saturdays, so I'd arrange delivery from
Sparta to keep them supplied with what they needed for this job."
"We had a field engineer testing compaction every day, so the timing of deliveries
was crucial," Martin continues. "Christy was very helpful."
The site preparation was only the first major challenge on this
project, according to Richard Kelton, Superintendent. This home is built with 200 tons of
kiln-dried red oak timbers and about 250 tons of special stone from four different
quarries in Colorado. The house features a large main hall with a stone fireplace and
timber arches, kitchen, dining area, master bed and bath and nursery on the main level. It
has five bedrooms, several bathrooms, and a large family room on the lower level. Dozens
of windows, several patios, and a screened porch take advantage of the view of the lake.
Cedar shingles and copper cover the roof. The heated three car garage has another living
area above it.
"The clients and our subcontractors have been great, which makes doing such a unique
job worth the effort," says Martin.
Martin's early training in designing and building theatre scenery and
sets seems to serve him well as he works with clients and architects on major home
renovations and new homes like this. While Martin is the creative force behind Planet
Productions, he relies on Steve Johnson to handle the financial management of the company.
They share Rogers Group's commitments to team work and safety.
Curious about how Planet Productions got its name? Martin is from California and some
visiting friends noted years ago how very different life is in Middle Tennessee compared
to Los Angeles. One friend drew a sketch showing the Dillingham family home and
surrounding community as "a different world," which led to the home being dubbed
The Planet, which led to Planet Productions.
Planet Productions can be reached at:
Planet Productions
P. O. Box 101
Fairview, TN 37062
Phone: 615-292-8613
