Prolific builder observes 25 years, more than 100 homes
Lake Panorama Times - September 2002

While many other builders have become chalk dust over the past quarter of a century, Bill Priestley still is standing tall at the blackboard, anxiously awaiting his next assignment.

Priestley Construction of Guthrie Center is observing its 25th anniversary this month.

"Yeah, I probably have built more homes at Lake Panorama than any other builder," said Bill when pressed for an estimate.

Although he said he quit counting when the number of new homes he's built hit the century mark, he guessed he's constructed over 110 during his years in business. A big portion, but not all have been at Lake Panorama. Besides this area, he's been busy in surrounding counties.

After growing up on a farm and graduating from Guthrie Center High School, Bill earned a building trades degree from Des Moines Area Community College. That's where he learned design. "I draw probably 90 percent of what I build," he said proudly. He attends home shows, reads and visits with suppliers and other builders to pick up new ideas.

While his most visible projects are 8 and 4 unit condos, Sunset Terrace and Sunset South, one of his most memorable projects was his first house, built for Paul Wagoner on Pistol Point south of Boulder Beach.

Priestley said building at the lake is more of a challenge than some other areas because of the terrain, trees and smaller lots.

He has several favorites among the many homes he's built. One lakefront home, in particular, he likes for its practicality. Others leave an impression for individual rooms, views, interiors, exteriors and overall looks.

A real compliment, he believes, is the fact he's had several repeat customers at the lake.

Since he started, Priestley said the biggest changes at the lake are the sizes and styles of homes. "My first few years, homes were more cottages then. They were constructed close to the minimum footage requirements of the LPA."

He noted a couple of decades ago, roofs all had similar pitches and window choices and kitchen designs were pretty basic. "Now most new homes have 3-car garages, more square footage, steeper roofs and better insulation. They're more energy efficient. And, there's so many different options for interiors, exteriors, windows, counters and cabinets," he added.

When he first got out of school, Bill worked several years for another contractor before striking out on his own. "When I first got started I was building hog houses and farm buildings," he recalled. Then he found his niche at the lake.

If there has been a downside to success, it's the fact that Priestley has developed a reputation as a builder of big homes. He finds that slightly irritating. "I don't build just large homes although I've done some. We construct homes of all sizes and we do remodeling jobs," he emphasized.

Bill and his wife Marcia, an elementary school teacher at Guthrie Center, are parents of two children, a married son Andy of Des Moines, and Ali, a student at Simpson College in Indianola.