Is the L.A. River Inner Tube Race a Bad Idea?

The following piece is an op-ed contribution. Squarely in the tradition of creative Angelenos using attention-grabbing approaches toward reclaiming the Los Angeles River, Kurt Braunohler and Lauren Cook recently launched L.A.zy River, an inner tube race to take place on the first weekend after a major rainfall. Tubing on the L.A. River? If all you…

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San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Celebrates One Year Anniversary

This week, the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument celebrated its one year anniversary, highlighting some of the extensive progress the mountains have made since President Obama designated the Monument in 2014. In the lead up to the Monument designation – when Congresswoman Judy Chu was spearheading an effort to establish a larger Monument via legislation…

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Chateau Montebello: One of the Oldest Timber Structures in North America

We just came back from this year’s International Log Builders Conference. This year was the 42nd annual conference and was held at the Chateau Montebello – Montebello, Quebec, Canada. The Chateau Montebello is celebrating over 85 years in the community and is one of the oldest Timber structures and largest full scribe log structures in North America. Constructing this now hotel, took over 10,000 logs and 500,000 hand-slit roof shanks.

There are many stunning features but the grandest of them all is the fireplace and lobby area.  This fireplace centrepiece is shaped in hexagon with a 6-sided stone chimney rising more than 20 meters (66 feet) from floor to ceiling. Soaring above are some incredible rafters stretching 18 meters, (60 feet) in length.

Standing outside the building you not only admire the craftsmanship, but appreciate the labour and hours that went into this building back in the 1920’s and 30’s during its construction.

Montebello is any log home builders dream to live. The community is extremely passionate about timber with numerous other structures in the area. Montebello has often been referenced as the log home capital of the world and after spending a few days in the area we can see why.

Just recently a local regulation was passed requiring every new municipal and public structure to have a portion of it built out of logs. It will be interesting to see how much the community grows and builds further structures to attract tourism and builders alike.

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Find Your Park Expedition Gears Up

This weekend, I’ll be joining seven other outdoorsy media types for the National Park Foundation’s Find Your Park Expedition. As part of the prep, they spent yesterday asking the internets some questions about their National Park experiences, why these places are important to us, and how we can help expand that experience to more people.…

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Help Protect California’s Desert

If you’ve ever spent time in the California desert, you know that it’s a special place. Vistas stretch far beyond the imagination, offering the humbling feeling of being a very tiny part of a very expansive world. Towering cliffs and plunging canyons provide history-soaked fodder for adventure. Coyotes howl in the night, jackrabbits dart around…

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Hike South Lake to Long Lake

Craving postcard-worthy Sierra views, but don’t have the time (or perhaps, the inclination) to haul a backpack deep into the wilds? Then you’ll likely enjoy this short, but insanely sweet jaunt to Long Lake via the Bishop Pass Trail out of South Lake, where you’ll find yourself almost immediately surrounded by massive granite peaks and…

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The Advantages of BC Log Home Builders

One of the things that we enjoy most about building log homes is the amazing people we get to meet around the world. British Columbia (BC) is home to some of the world’s best log home builders and is often a first choice for many families looking to build a custom home.

We know that you can find great log home builders anywhere in the world but here are some of the advantages to choosing BC builders.

Quality of Lumber

BC is home to some of the highest quality wood species including fir, pine, spruce and cedar. With a variety of log species to choose from, homeowners are able to find the right species of wood that is best for their project.

BC supports a vast amount of industries that rely on timber. From logging and farming to construction and furniture building, from traditional carving and arts to pulp and paper, the forests play a huge role in the BC culture and economy. For this and many other reasons, BC has regulations in place to help ensure that future generations continue to have a wide selection of timber—both new and old growth.

Western Red Cedar

Western red cedar is found primarily on the Pacific West Coast of British Columbia, and is considered the “official” tree of British Columbia. Western red cedar can help you achieve any style for your home from natural to rustic and simple to contemporary, making it one of the most desired types of timber.

Western red cedar has naturally occurring extractives that are toxic to decay-causing fungi which help the wood be resistant to moisture, wood rot, termites and decay, ensuring the longevity of your home.

The cinnamon-red and deep amber color tones give the wood a warm and cozy feeling. We tend to use this species of wood also because of the unique characteristics the flared butts of the wood provide, giving it that “artisan” feel.

Transportation Access

BC has a great transportation advantage, especially for builders located in the Lower Mainland. Sometimes transporting a log home can be a costly and time-consuming process. BC has easy accessibility to roads, rail and water, allowing multiple transportation options for logs and timber structures.

Growing Industry

We are proud to be part of a number of organizations including BC Wood, International Log Builders Association, BC Log and Timber Association and many more. These associations provide a great opportunity for log home builders to learn and connect with one another. We find better ways to build and design and work together to protect our environment. By collaborating with other BC builders and associations we can ensure that log home building has a sustainable future.

Want to know more about Log Homes? Check out our log Home Building 101 section.

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