Landsted moves office, sees improvement in the market

• Mark and Karin Erickson at new Landsted Company location

Mark and Karin Erickson are in the new home for Landsted Company, the business Mark started in 1986. Photo by Margaret A. Ontl

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Hudson native, Mark Erickson founded Landsted Company in 1986 and until two weeks ago maintained a presence in downtown Hudson. Today, they are in a brand new location at 900 Crestview Drive, Suite 110 which is handicapped accessible.

“Originally I started it because I saw a need for a quality custom design firm on this side of the river,” said Erickson, whose companies have built hundreds of single family homes since and earned dozens of Reggie Awards from the Builders Association of the Twin Cities.

Today, as in the beginning, the heart of the business is their design build system.

“The process is great and it is a win, win for our clients,” said Erickson. “We stand behind it from the beginning to the end.”

While Erickson is the first to admit, the downturn in the market hit hard.

They still provide all of the services they did before, including design, remodeling, new home construction and interior design services.

“It does seem to be improving. It is an excellent time to build,” said Erickson. “Lot prices have come down and so have building costs. Because we have been here for so long we are very familiar with the lots that are available.”

Today, the idea appealing to most customers is quality not quantity. Baby boomers want to downsize and first-time owners are looking for a manageable investment. As a result the footprint for homes, including those built by Landsted, is smaller than at the height of the housing boom.

Landsted is also turning to building ‘green’ homes which have earned the energy star certification. Erickson has also attended LEED training and is eager to merge that knowledge with customer’s needs and wants.

While they are not downtown anymore, Erickson, along with his wife Karin, is very much still in business and offers a wide assortment of services and samples of everything from cabinets to carpeting at the new location.

To contact Landsted, call (651) 248-7343 or (715) 386-5555 or visit their website at www.landstedco.com.

Tags: business, development, home