Building outside the corridor towns
Most custom builders stick to subdivisions inside Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty. We don't. About a third of our completed work has been outside any incorporated town — on rural acreages, in county subdivisions, on lake lots. That's a different kind of build than a corner lot in a platted subdivision: different well and septic considerations, different driveway and grading work, different inspections through the county instead of a city. We've done it three times and we know how it goes.
Solon
Solon sits on the north end of the corridor, about fifteen minutes north of North Liberty and right next to Lake Macbride. It's a small town with strong schools (Solon Community School District), a tight community feel, and access to some of the best lake and outdoor living in eastern Iowa. We haven't built inside Solon city limits yet — but it's a community we serve and would build in tomorrow if the right lot and right family came together. If you're thinking about building in Solon, that conversation is open.
Cottage Reserve — two lake homes
Cottage Reserve is a private county subdivision built around a small lake in Johnson County. We've built two homes there. Both were custom designs shaped around their lake lots — the way the house faces the water, where the deck and screened porch sit, how the lower level relates to the lake. Lake builds aren't just regular houses on different lots. Every decision is about what you see, where you sit, and how the house lives with the water.
See the Cottage Reserve builds ›
Rural acreage building
We've also completed a build on a rural acreage in unincorporated Johnson County — the kind of property where the nearest neighbor is a quarter mile away and the build process runs through county inspections rather than a city. Acreage builds have their own set of considerations: well placement, septic system design, road and driveway access, easement work, sometimes utility extensions. We've been through all of it.
Finding a lot anywhere in Johnson County
One of the advantages of building outside the towns is that lot options open up considerably. Acreages, lake lots, rural subdivisions, private parcels. As a licensed Iowa realtor, the owner of RK Development Group has direct access to lot inventory across all of Johnson County — including off-market parcels, lake lots that move fast, and rural acreages that often sell before they ever hit MLS. If you're looking for something outside the corridor towns, that lot search is part of what we do.
Our process for Solon and Johnson County homeowners
Building on a rural acreage or county lot is similar to a town build in many ways and different in a few important ones. The first conversation is where we walk through what's different about your specific property and what to expect on the timeline. No charge, no pressure.