Could ‘Little Custom Homes’ be the key to future growth for rural Crittenden County?

Could ‘Little Custom Homes’ be the key to future growth for rural Crittenden County?

Revitalization of communities could center on low- cost housing in Earle, Turrell

news@theeveningtimes.com

Earle may partner with a Wilson homebuilder to build affordable homes on some of the city’s vacant lots in order to revitalize its neighborhoods and attract new residents.

Turrell Mayor Dorothy Cooper introduced the city council to Bill Joe Denton, a Wilson farmer who owns Little Custom Homes. Denton has built quality affordable homes in nearby Keiser and Bassett which have nearly doubled the population of those communities.

Cooper heard about the company and toured some of the homes they have built. She was so impressed by what she saw that she invited them to come to Turrell to possibly build homes there.

“As the mayor for my city, I have been looking for things to help us upgrade,” Cooper told the city council. “And one of those things is housing. I went to them and looked at their homes. They are beautiful homes. So I just wanted to share this with your community.”

Earle was hit hard by a tornado in 2008 which led to a massive decrease in its population and a shortage of good housing. Many residents never came back and much of the damaged homes are now overgrown lots or burned out shells. Denton started Little Custom Homes two years ago in his hometown of Wilson. Wilson has seen a population boom thanks to Gaylon Lawrence Jr., of the Lawrence Co., who has invested millions of dollars to revitalize the community, including bankrolling a private school and the Wilson Cafe, which is attracting diners from all over the Delta and even Memphis.

“I started a company because the demand for housing was so strong,” Denton said. “And when I was looking for places to put them, I looked at Bassett.”

Denton built 30 homes in Bassett and is now building them next door in Keiser.

The homes are pre-built in a factory in Osceola which employs about 60 workers.

“We build it inside a factory,” Denton said. “But they’re not mobile homes.

They’re not modular homes. It is not pre-fab. It is stick built. We use better quality materials and the craftmanship is better.”

The homes range from 720 square feet to 1,300 square feet, and sell for $60,000 for a one bedroom, up to $100,000 for a four bedroom

model.

The dwellings take about 40 to 50 days to build and are then transported to the building site, which in most cases was a formerly overgrown abandoned lot.

Denton said he used to hear stories from his grandmother about what a nice community Wilson once was, and decided that the key to revitalizing smaller communities in the Arkansas Delta was to build quality affordable housing.

“The demand for a quality, affordable home is huge,” Denton said. “And people will move from all over to buy these homes.”

Tim Sandusky, who is advising Denton, said the homes are particularly attractive to young people who are looking to simplify their lifestyle.

“They’re looking for something outside of the city,” Sandusky said.

“These are small houses.

But they are really nice.

They’re very spacious and the quality is outstanding.

They’ve got beautiful porches. When you look at the outside, it looks like our grandparent’s home that many of us visited or were raised up in.”

Denton said he believes Earle would benefit from these types of homes.

“We really like going in to communities where we can make it better,” Denton said. “I think these small towns are attractive. And I think there is an opportunity here. I drove around Earle and there appears to be a lot of empty lots and places where our homes would be real attractive.”

Denton invited officials to visit some of their homes in Keiser.

“The key to making it work is having support from the town,” Denton said. “Dorothy (Cooper) brought us to Turrell and they have a lot of these empty lots. We think Earle is a good spot.”

Cooper said they are looking to do two homes in Turrell.

“I just wanted to share this and that I am working with them,” Cooper said. “And I am very serious. I’m not getting anything out of this. I’m doing it because there is a need, and not just in Turrell.”

Mayor Sherman Smith said he likes the concept.

“The one thing we need in Earle is housing,” Smith said. “We’re going to look for some owners whose property we might be able to use.”

Councilwoman Jimmie Barham agreed and said she will definitely take a look at some of the homes.

“The idea sounds intriguing,” Barham said. “I hope we can go investigate and see some of the homes in Keiser. And I would encourage you to look at what we have to offer.”

By Mark Randall