Custom & Spec Homes
Build with Branch & Beam.
From site planning and design decisions through construction and completion, we bring a builder’s discipline and a designer’s eye to homes in Central Iowa.
See Our Building Process
Central Iowa · Design + Build
Homes built
with intention.
Custom and spec homes shaped by thoughtful design, disciplined construction, and personal guidance—from the first plans to the details that make a home yours.
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Branch & Beam
Experience before the name.
Branch & Beam is led by a husband-and-wife team with complementary expertise in homebuilding and business—and residential building experience that predates the company.
Lera leads construction, design, and the client experience, drawing on a professional homebuilding career that began in 2018. Bobby leads business and financial operations, land acquisition, and sales, with field support as projects require. Together, they connect the decisions that shape your home with the planning and oversight needed to build it well.
2018Lera’s homebuilding career began
2020Founders' home completed
Central IABuilt for how people live here
A thoughtful home.
The support that fits.
Build with Branch & Beam, or bring our design guidance to a project with your own builder.
Design Consulting
Design guidance for your build.
Led by Lera Severtson, our consulting services bring clarity to selections and organize the details your builder needs. Choose a documented handoff or add direct design communication with relevant trades.
Explore Design Consulting
A builder with a designer’s eye.
Beauty and buildability belong in the same conversation. Lera considers light, layout, materials, and everyday function alongside cost and construction—helping you understand how each choice shapes the finished home.
The Name
Branch & Beam.
The name brings together two ideas we want every home to carry: life and structure.
Branch
Growth, stewardship, family, and a home that becomes part of the life lived inside it.
Beam
Strength, structure, craftsmanship, and the discipline required to build well.
Our Christian faith shapes the way we want to do business: serve people well, steward resources carefully, keep our word, and build with integrity.
Our approach
Good homes are built long before the finishes go in.
Site selection, estimating, design decisions, and trade coordination all shape the result. We guide you through those decisions with clear communication about cost, timing, and what comes next.
See Our ProcessFrom raw lot to finished home.
The Holcomb Residence documents the founders’ approach from site acquisition and planning through construction and completion.
Building with Branch & Beam.
One stage at a time.
01
Site & Planning
Lot, goals, feasibility, budget, and design direction.
02
Design & Estimate
Selections and detailed cost planning before construction.
03
Build
Scheduling, subcontractor coordination, supervision, and quality control.
04
Details
Finishes, millwork, fixtures, and the practical choices that make a home work.
05
Finish
Final walkthrough, punch list, and delivery.