7 Things to Know If You Are Considering a Career as a Log Home Builder

We recently received an email from a fellow who had just lost his job as a journeyman iron worker due to the economy. He wondered if training to be a log builder would be a wise choice. Here are his questions answered by our general manager, Walter Bramsleven.

1) How does some one get into the industry?
A firm would have to hire you first and then become indentured into the apprenticeship program in BC.

2) Do the training programs that are available really make a huge difference in someone’s chances for employment?
To some degree, but log building varies from yard to yard. Basic carpentry skills and good math skills are good things to have to get into this field.

3) Are there schools that you would recommend and / or not?
There are some schools out there, but we are not sure if they are familiar with the log builders program recently completed by the Government of BC, which would be the preferred curriculum.

The Residential Construction Industry Training Organization of British Columbia (RCITO) promotes,   develops, coordinates and manages the delivery of effective and efficient industry training and trades qualifications in the BC residential construction industry by responding to the skills and training needs of employers and workers. It is a consortium of industry groups including the Log and Timber Building Industry Association.

4) Do you feel that you're industry is in danger regarding finding new contracts and keeping your current employees busy?
Our industry has been affected by not only the recession in the US and Canada, but also the dollar exchange as we previously were the beneficiaries of a weak Canadian dollar as compared to the US. Now the exchange rate is almost at par and this trend will continue for the foreseeable future. This will affect all exporting industries in Canada. Therefore we would not anticipate sales levels experienced previous to the last 2 years. However, due to many firms in the US shutting down, the Canadian market share in the US has increased significantly and when the economy recovers to some degree in the next 2 years, the industry will once again be vibrant, but not to the levels seen from 2003 to 2007.

5) Have you hired any new personnel in the last year? What was their average experience?
We have not hired any new personnel in the last 2 years.

6) What do you think the probability of having to hire anyone in the next 6-8 months looks like? Good, Not sure, or none.
Not sure, but perhaps one or two positions may open due to attrition via retirement from the industry or change of occupations.

7) What specific attributes would be most needed to be successful in this trade?
See response 2 and also add that one must be in good physical condition. Most builders enter into the industry at a young age, usually early 20s. Once into their late 30s or early 40s, bodily wear and tear becomes a factor and they either move up into a management or supervisory position or pursue another career. Running a chainsaw all day cutting notches and lateral grooves is very physically demanding. And to get into this field, one must work in this area for several years before progressing with enough knowledge to work on post and beam log work or accent work, which is less physically demanding, but requires exceptional mathematical skills as well as scribing and fitting skills.

Bonus question:
Is it a good field to be in - Do you love what you do?
We love what we do and believe it to be a good field to be in. Like most other industries right now, times are tough and we must get through this next year or two to get through the economic turmoil. Once signs of recovery begin to surface, it will be a good field to be in.
~Walter Bramsleven

Walter Bramsleven is the General Manager at Sitka Log Homes and coordinates every aspect of each project from design to shipping. He works very closely with clients to ensure a smooth and enjoyable building experience.  He is also currently the President of the BC Log and Timber Building Industry Association.

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Whatever Happened to Canada's Famous Log House After the 2006 Winter Olympics

Bidding on, then designing, building, and re-constructing BC Canada Place in Torino, Italy is to many of us here at Sitka Log Homes a career highlight.  Personally, I feel a strong emotional tie to that project for many reasons.  Lots of memories and some great friendships were made because of it and so when this article in the Vancouver Sun was brought to our attention, I was left feeling a little sad.  I sure hope this special log house can once again be enjoyed by thousands of visitors. ~ Bonnie Johnson

Money squabbles derail gift; Club looks for more funding to complete move of former B.C.-Canada pavilion from 2006 Turin Games site to spectacular mountainside location

Vancouver Sun
Tue Oct 20 2009

The Bella Coola tree trunk that graced the centre of the B.C.-Canada Place pavilion at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics is back in its rightful place. But only just.

The thousands of tourists' hands that ran over the smooth yellow cedar trunk that forms the centrepole of the large log house have dispersed to the four corners of the world. But whether thousands more will ever touch the tree or get to enter the pavilion now depends upon whether politicians and a small group of volunteers succeed in finishing a grand scheme, both a monument to Canada and a gift to Italy.

"Casa Canada," as it is now called, has run out of money just as it was to be finished, and there is faint hope there will be more. What started out as an ambitious project to leave an iconic piece of Canada in Italy after the Olympic and Paralympic Games has become an expensive political headache.

Once the centrepiece of a $6-million effort by B.C. and Canada to leverage Canadian-Italian business and cultural relations, Casa Canada -- built from pine beetle-killed wood by Sitka Log Homes of 100 Mile House -- languished in Turin for nearly three years as politicians haggled over who should pay for moving it to this town at the foot of the Piedmont mountains.

"It is a very sad story, really," said Giorgia Zerboni, a press officer with the city of Turin. "There was much argument over this."

So far, more than $800,000 has been spent by the regional, provincial and city governments around Turin in trying to relocate the log structure to its new mountain perch under Rocca Sbarua, a popular hiking and rock-climbing area. Turin itself gave the chalet to the Alpine Club of Italy, along with $80,000.

Volunteers with the Pinerolo division of the club, which now owns the pavilion, need at least another $320,000, according to Silvio Farinetti, one of those involved in the project.

"The local mountain governments have turned us down, and we are still waiting for word from the Piedmont regional government," he said on Monday.

Where the money went is unclear. Farinetti said much of the work was done as in-kind services provided by contractors, moving companies and a bank.

The chalet was only moved to the area in the summer of 2008, and workers hastily finished the exterior before a record snowfall dumped three metres on the mountains.

On Monday, Farinetti and a translator, Cristina Bianclotto, offered a tour of the unfinished chalet. It has been reassembled under the imposing face of Rocca Sbarua, a jagged set of granite teeth that tower over Pinerolo.

Officially, it is known as "Casa Canada Rifugio Giuseppe Melano", a "refuge" that replaced the first hut of the same name. But it is hardly a remote, rural area. From where Farinetti and Bianclotto stood they pointed out several climbing parties on the faces of Rocca Sbarua. Turning around, one could see the houses of neighbours just down the valley.

With a few minor changes, the building is the same as it was when it sat in Piazza Valdo Fusi, a grey and worn parking plaza tucked away in Turin from the other Olympic-related celebration sites. The log pavilion is largely unfinished inside, and there is still much to do. Gone is the rock fireplace where politicians and commoners alike gathered when B.C. held hospitality nights. The kitchen, dining room, two 12-bed dormitories and equipment room for the local search and rescue group have yet to be finished.

Also gone is the set of ornately-carved doors carved by Squamish First Nations artist Aaron Nelson-Moody.

B.C. insisted on repatriating the doors -- works of art, really -- back to Canada after the Games to be displayed at its provincial pavilion during the 2010 Games in Vancouver. In their place were set a pair of pine doors to which no one can seem to find the right keys. So visitors have to climb in through a back door.

But its new home is a vast improvement over its last one. During the Olympics, Piazza Valdo Fusi was the place for thousands of Italians to experience Canada's hospitality, but it has since reverted to a grubby plaza filled with grafitti. Many of its granite pads are broken, surrounded by barriers, and no one goes there to linger.

"I do not like coming to this place," said Marina Delpiano as she walked quickly through the plaza. "It was so much more beautiful when Casa Canada was here."

At the end of the Games, the building was supposed to be moved to its site in the little town of San Pietro Val Lemino. But almost instantly the local and regional politicians began fighting over who should pay for moving it. For the next two years, it sat right where it was in the decrepit square, the target of vandals and grafitti artists.

Cesare Vaciago, Turin's city manager, nodded his head when asked about the troubles. "Yes, there has been some problems, mostly about money," he said. Farinetti admits the alpine club could probably have built a new hostel for much less -- especially since it had to build a rough and steep gravel road to get the massive logs in the last half-kilometre to the site.

But Canada's gift is a magnificent one, he said, and Italians everywhere are proud of it. After word spread that the building had been relocated, the club was inundated with requests for reservations, he said. It is the only one of its kind in Italy.

Bruno Giay, one of the first volunteers to work on the project, said they don't regret receiving the chalet, despite the deep political problems the gift created.

"No, no, no," said Giay. "We love Casa Canada. It is because of politics that this has happened."

Farinetti said most of the major work to be done involves running water and electrical lines from a point just above San Pietro."We know people want to come and stay there. It is a beautiful building. We are hoping to maybe open it next year but that won't happen if we can't find the money."

jefflee@vancouversun.com
Page: B5
Section: Canada; World
Byline: Jeff Lee
Dateline: PINEROLO, Italy
Source: Vancouver Sun

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What’s so great about building during a recession?

I know I know...we are all being bombarded by all the recession talk out there. Unfortunately it is a fact of life for so many of us now. Like it or not.

The log and timber home industry here in BC has been feeling the effects for over a year already.

This may be bad news for our building industry but if you are in the market for a new log or timber home it is great news to you.

Times like these tend to weed out the weaker companies that you may not want to encounter leaving behind only those companies that are stable and have proven their worth over time.

The price of lumber has dropped considerably, there is an abundance of labour out there, all trades are anxious to negotiate with you and the selection of available trades is better than ever. Contractors and builders are definitely more responsive in this market. Take advantage of all this!

I know from the email I get that there are many out there who have been planning and saving for their dream home for quite a while now. What a great opportunity for you at this time. You not only get the best value for your money, you’re also in control of attaining the best quality.

See! There is a positive perspective to all the bleak recession talk.

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Handcrafted log homes vs. Milled log homes

This title usually gets a lot of attention from log home builders because each of us is sure that our way is the best way. The truth is that “the best way” depends entirely on what the future homeowners are looking for.

At Sitka Log Homes our specialty is handcrafted log homes, meaning, we can only explain handcrafted log homes to you. We have displayed at many log home shows where other companies have displayed their manufactured/milled log homes beside us and there is no denying that there is a huge difference to the look of each log home. Ultimately though, it is up to the customer to decide which look they prefer.

Basically, a manufactured log home consists of logs that have been milled to uniform size and profile.

Here is a brief account of what to goes into the making of a handcrafted log home.

First, the bark is hand peeled off of each log with a tool known as a drawknife.


The average log is 30 to 35 feet long and weighs about 700lb. There are generally about 60 or 70 of these logs in an average home.

Each log is scribed to the log beneath it by using a scribe tool which resembles a large compass, like the ones found in our high school geometry kits.

A pencil mark draws the contour of the log below it onto the one above which is then cut precisely along that line so that it will fit snugly against the log it lies on top of.

A chain saw is used to cut along the line on an angle.

The same is done on both sides of the log so that when both lines are cut you end up with a V groove through the lateral length of each log.

A chisel is also used to tidy the line and ensure accuracy.
The corners are scribed and cut similarly. The corner method we use is called the Norwegian shrink fit saddle notch.
Doors and windows are cut according to each home’s blueprints.

Roof components are generally pre-built on the ground and then erected on the house to ensure a proper fit.
At this point the home is sanded with buffing pads before each log is numbered tagged and then the log home is loaded piece by piece onto a truck for transportation to the home owners lot, where a Sitka Log Homes rep will meet it and assist with the re-erection.
From start to finish, a 1,000 – 1,500 square foot log home generally takes about 10 weeks to complete at our construction yard before it is transported to the home owners site.

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Hybrid Log Homes

What is a hybrid home? Simply put, it is a house made of different kinds of building styles or materials. In the case of a hybrid log home or timber frame home, it is usually a mix of regular 2 by 4 framing and log or timber accents. It may be a regular framed home with timber trusses and posts incorporated. Wood accent pieces can be built into the design of your new home or they can be added to an existing home that you would like to update.
Log and timber frame accent pieces can include structural and/or non-structural log trusses, posts, rafters, floor joists, log siding, stairs, purlins, structural decks, handrails, mantles...and the list goes on.
Sitka Log Homes has provided the wood accents for various renovations of older tired looking homes that are transformed with amazing results after adding the log or timber accent pieces.

Existing buildings with log and timber accents added

Recently there has been a noticeable trend towards incorporating log or timber accents into the design of new homes. In this way people can enjoy the rustic feel of log and timber in their home without having a full log home. The contrast between regular frame walls and the wood pieces is usually dramatic. Often a home finished with log siding looks to most people like a full log home…until they go in and see the inside walls are drywall.

Log siding on outside of regular framed home with log accents

The home featured on the cover of Log Home Living (October 2008 issue) is a hybrid log home that Sitka Log Homes provided the log work for. It was designed by AllenGuerra Design Build of Colorado.

Click here for more pictures of this home.

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Small Log Cabins

The romantic vision of a cozy log cabin in the woods is what inspired many people to dream of owning a log home. Cozy log cabins as vacation homes are often found around lakes and at the base of ski resorts, but they are not so small anymore and aren’t always just vacation homes. Large elaborate log homes began to replace the simple plans.
More and more architects are designing really large complicated designs for log homes now. This has often been exciting for us. It has pushed us to expand and learn new techniques. Building some of these complicated designs has been challenging but invigorating. The end results are always something to be proud of and they show very well. This is why most of our projects on our web site are of large custom homes. They simply photograph well.
Those homes are great, but the small cozy log cabin has not been forgotten and is still very popular. Small designs often incorporate clever ways to get the most out of a small space.
This is the case with the 14 small cabins that we built in Whistler, BC for the Riverside RV Resort and Campground. A Kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom and even a loft for the kids to sleep in, all amazingly fit into only 400 sq.ft.
This is one example of a very small cabin, but as custom builders we are able to accommodate any design that will work best for you.
Click here to download the floor plan for the Whistler cabin.
Email us if you are interested in pricing or if you would like us to offer you a quote on your own small log cabin design.

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DIY Log Homes

A few years ago we had a call from a woman named Karen in Georgia wanting us to quote on a log home plan. She explained that she and her husband had decided they would build their dream log home themselves with all of the timber they had on their large tract of land. They began harvesting the timber and hand peeling it all themselves. Her husband had found a video on how to scribe and notch the logs and he studied it carefully. They began building the large home one log at a time and, after many months, had gotten only a few rounds up in one section of the home when they began to run into problems. Their logs all had various degrees of taper to them and the grain wasn’t always straight. They just weren’t fitting together very well and they realized they had a long way to go before they got to the roof components. At this stage, because of all the hard work they had already put in, they weren’t too keen on the idea of giving up but Karen was curious to see what we would charge to do all of this hard labour for them.
We quoted on their plan and it wasn’t too long before Karen and her husband Mike called us back to say “Yes! Please build our log home for us!”

These people are two of the hardest working people we’ve met and their building knowledge is great. Although they both had full time jobs and toddlers, they still wanted to do most of the work on the home themselves. They realized that it would be far better to have us handcraft their log shell and then they could carry on with all the finishing themselves…which is still a lot of work.

We were able to build their log home shell within a few months and helped them re-erect it on their home site in Georgia. If they had continued on the way they were going they may have had some serious structural issues and been years away from a finished log home.

Mike has since become a good friend and champions our company. He has volunteered at about four of our set ups since his own log house has been built and he’s even come along to a home show to help promote our company. Such is his love of log homes.

Many people over the years have built their own log home from scratch from the timber they have on their own property…it is definitely doable. This is, however, a huge undertaking so make sure you really are up to the challenge.

We have the right equipment, the skilled labour and a huge inventory of different species of wood to choose from which is already dried and ready for building.

If you decide you are not up for the job. We would love to build your log shell for you!

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