 Collins lived at 38 Brookvale Road in Highfield, Southampton from 1930 to 1973, and a commemorative English Heritage blue plaque was installed there in July 2004.During his time living there, Collins was responsible for the design of Swaythling Methodist Church in Burgess Road, built in 1932.In an effort to contribute to the post-war housing efforts, Collins submitted a suggestion to the July 1945 edition of the journal "Architectural Design and Construction" regarding constructing bungalows from rammed earth combined with a small quantity of cement; his suggestion was repeated in "The Architects' Journal" in 1946.