LeClaire’s Corson Construction excited to help build hometown

LECLAIRE — Carrie and Travis Corson fondly recall growing up in the cozy confines of LeClaire in the 1980s and 1990s. “There were woods we played in as children, where there were paths and trails to walk or ride bikes,” Ms. Corson remembered recently. “Out here, it’s so safe, we were able to just wander […]

LECLAIRE — Carrie and Travis Corson fondly recall growing up in the cozy confines of LeClaire in the 1980s and 1990s. “There were woods we played in as children, where there were paths and trails to walk or ride bikes,” Ms. Corson remembered recently. “Out here, it’s so safe, we were able to just wander around for hours.” Now, those childhood woods are a neighborhood full of family homes, allowing dozens of more children the idyllic experience of residing in a community where kids can safely walk or bike with their friends to and from school without adult supervision.

The Corsons – who both graduated from Pleasant Valley High School in the late ‘90s, had their first date in a LeClaire eatery and later married on the river banks of their quaint hometown – are doing their part to bring the joys of small town living to a new generation of kids and families in LeClaire. Their company, Corson Construction, is the preferred builder on the new Johnson Farms Estates development on the western edge of town -- less than two miles south from Pleasant Valley Junior High School on Wisconsin Street, the nearly 50-acre project’s southern border. Corson Construction, which specializes in custom homes, is nearing completion of its first model house at 104 N. 15th St. Mr. Corson said Phase I construction plans call for the completion of the first 80 homes in the 183-house development in the next 2½ years. The corner of Holland Street and North 15th Street marks the project’s northeast edge – near where the homestead for the Johnson Family Farm stood for generations. The project not only carries the name of the family that formerly farmed the land, but Ms. Corson said the new streets will be the names of Johnson family members. “We are extremely excited and honored to have the opportunity to build our hometown on a larger scale than what we have done in the past,” said Mr. Corson, who has been in the business since he began as a framing carpenter at age 18. “We definitely take pride in what we do – and we certainly believe in this town. This is a great place for people to live. This is a great town for kids to grow up. Our son has to go to school in this (PV) school district — so we certainly want to make sure that everybody is pleased with what we do.”

Development details

The Corsons were brought in by developer Bealer Family Builders, located across the river in Coal Valley. Johnson Farms is surprisingly the first Iowa project for the nearly 70-year-old, multi-generational company. Mr. Corson said a mutual acquaintance — who now works for the developers — recommended his company. After doing some private work for the acquaintance, he founded his own company 15 years ago in 2007 and boasts 26 years of experience in the industry. “Travis has built a lot of homes – and spec houses – including some for other contractors,” Ms. Corson said, noting he can do everything involved with building, siding, and roofing a structure. “But this is a big opportunity — our biggest single project yet – and it’s also in our hometown, so we’re really excited about it.” Bealer began legwork for the development last year – working through city approval and infrastructure needs before acquiring the land. Road construction began in February 2022, according to the City of LeClaire’s website. “Originally, we were interested in (buying) some lots and getting prices and instead they just brought us in as a preferred builder” in April, Mr. Corson said. His company is enlisted to build custom homes for those buying an available lots from Realtor Connie Coster of Ruhl & Ruhl in Bettendorf. However, people also can hire their own homebuilder if they wish. “For instance, there are a few lots that have holds on them where the people do already have a different builder lined up,” Ms. Corson said. “And that’s perfectly fine — some people already have somebody they’ve worked with before and have a good relationship with.” Mr. Corson said both the Bealers and his company have multiple house plans available for customers to choose from and currently are working on pricing each plan out so customers “have an idea where things will land.”  Generally, he estimated the target cost in the low to middle $500,000, “although you can probably get one under ($500,000),” he said.  The development only includes single-family homes, with most of them including three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an option on a finished basement. Designs also include multiple bedrooms in the basement if desired. “This is the biggest investment anybody is ever going to make in their lives,” he said, adding  “So we definitely want to give them something that’s special. We want to make sure that everybody is getting the most for their money.”

Building challenges

Supply chain shortages have made securing building materials difficult for contractors since the pandemic shutdowns as well as caused an industry shortage of workers returning to the trades after COVID-19. Interest rates for new mortgages also have risen steadily alongside inflation, which exponentially has made everything cost more. However, the Corsons hardly had to think twice about joining the project. “We’ve always wanted to get into building more and more homes,” Mr. Corson said. “We wanted to take it from three or four a year to 10 or 12 a year. But with this opportunity, it could very well be 15 or 20 a year. “I don’t know how many we’re going to end up doing, but we have geared up in terms of labor. I’ve got a good number of employees on several projects working outside of the scope of this development to keep them going so that when this does start to take off, we will be ready to hit the ground running.” Rising interest rates has been the biggest hurdle, Mr. Corson acknowledged, translating into a recent reluctance by some home -buyers. “But once people get a little more accustomed to the newer interest rates, I think things will start to take off a little bit more,” he said. “I think a lot of people are still under the illusion that they’re going to come back down in the near future, and I just don’t believe that’s going to happen till 2024 at least…” He points to the many plusses for the project including a new bike path installed on Wisconsin Street. “We’re very insulated from some things here – and quite honestly, with a lot of people working from home in this day and age, I think you’re going to see more people moving toward the interior of the country and away from the coasts in order to get more house for their money,” he said.  For more information about Corson Construction, call (563) 271-2446 or visit corsoncustomhomes.com. To contact Bealer Family Builders, visit bealerfamilybuilders.com or call (309) 781-7879. To reach Ms. Coster at Ruhl & Ruhl, call (309) 292-1881