Hiking Valley of Fire

Arriving at the Valley of Fire at sunset leaves no question as to how the valley got its name. Spectacular red sandstone formations, glowing at golden hour, rise in sculpted shapes from the desert floor. The features are solidified shifting sand dunes from the age of dinosaurs. Of course, they’re also impressive in the morning…

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Best Log Home Builders in British Columbia (Reviews/Ratings)

If you are considering building a log home, chances are you are doing a fair bit of research. In doing so, you’re going to research different styles and builders to find the builder that best fits what you are looking for. While we can help to build beautiful custom log, timber frame and post and beam homes and walk you through every step of the building process, we understand that you still may want to explore other options before making your final decision.

It’s common for us to hear, “What other custom log builders do you recommend?”. So that is why we have put together a list of some of the top 8 log home builders in British Columbia, Canada.

We want to provide an honest and transparent review of each of these companies as we have become friends and worked alongside many of them on projects in the past. We want to help you make the best decision possible, so let’s dive in!

Pioneer Log Homes: Located in Williams Lake, B.C., Pioneer Log Homes has been building homes for over 40 years. Best known for their hit HGTV TV series, Timber Kings, Pioneer has helped to put log home building back on the map. They specialize in luxury log homes and ship all around the world.

Norse Log Homes Ltd: Established in 1975, Norse Log Homes has been around for a number of years, currently located in Lantzville, B.C. on Vancouver Island. Norse specializes in full scribe log homes and cabins.

Brian Moore Log Homes: Over the last 30 years, Brian Moore has built over 400 homes including timber frame and post and beam. Located in Abbotsford, B.C. they specialize in log and timber frame homes.

Log Homes Canada: In Chilliwack B.C., you’ll find Log Homes Canada. They’ve been building for over 30 years and focus on building with Western Red Cedar. They offer a list of services including log home kits.

Cascade Handcrafted Log Homes: Another staple in B.C. log home building is Cascade Handcrafted Log Homes.They have been around for many years and focus on both residential and commercial designs.

Lake Country Log Homes: Specializing in log cabins, Lake Country Log Homes has been in business for many years as well and is located in Salmon Arm, B.C.

West Coast Log Homes: Similar to most of the previous builders we have discussed, West Coast Homes builds a variety of styles. Their speciality is pressure washing the logs rather than peeling them.

Sitka Log Homes: One of the first log home builders to build a home on site, then put it into containers and ship it to it’s final location. Sitka has been in business for many years and specializes in high-end custom log homes.

There are our 8 suggested log home builder in B.C. to consider. We also thought that you might want to look at some of these helpful resources:

• Best Logs to Build a Custom Log Home
• The Difference Between Full Scribe vs Post and Beam vs Timber Frame
• How Much do Log Homes Cost
• Log Homes 101

Also, here are a few associations that provide additional resources and tools about log home builders, designers and other trades:

B.C. Wood: A non-profit organization that represents builders and manufactures of wood-products in B.C. They help ensure a sustainable wood industry in B.C. and Canada offering education, training and promotion of numerous trades.

International Log Builders Association: A non-profit society, the ILBA writes and distributes educational materials on log construction to individuals, institutions, and industry. In addition, the association provides educational services related to the craft of log building, develop and disseminate educational material and programs related to the craft, and establish operating trust funds for scholarships and educational purposes.

B.C. Log and Timber Builders Association: B.C. Log and Timber Builders Association is dedicated to improving business opportunity, craftsmanship, and profitability for British Columbia’s log home and timber frame building industry.

As always, if you have any questions feel free to drop us an email info@artisanlog.com and we would be happy to help you out!

 

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Jim Morrison Cave Closed Indefinitely Due to Vandals

File under: Why we can’t have nice things. Just one day after we had to inform a group of Stanford Alumni that taking spray paint and sharpies into the Santa Monica Mountains to “leave their mark” was probably not the best of ideas, we have just received word from California State Parks’ Angeles District Superintendent…

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Gear Review: Hilleberg Kaitum 2 GT 4 Season Tent

Intended Use: All-Season/4-Season Mountaineering Weight: 8lbs 3oz (packed weight) Pros: Easy pitch, super high-quality materials, giant vestibule Cons: A little heavy, difficult to hang dry due to design Best for: Extreme weather camping Retail Price: $1020   “There’s no such thing has bad weather when you have the right gear” is an axiom common among hikers for whom a storm,…

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Which is better: Western Red Cedar or Yellow Cedar

If you are considering a custom home there are numerous decisions you have to make including what type of logs and timbers to build with? When building a custom home, it’s very important to select the best wood species for your project in order to maximize overall durability, while minimizing cost. Today we are going to look at two of the most popular types of cedar, Western Red Cedar and Alaskan Yellow Cedar. Known for their rich aromatic and being highly decay resistant We will look at the advantages and disadvantages of building with each and the costs associated.

Western Red Cedar

A premium slow growth timber and the most abundant cedar tree available in Western Canada, Western Red Cedar primarily grows in British Columbia and is our preferred choice for many of the custom log home and timber frame structures. Although it is one of the lightest in weight of all commercially important softwood species, Western Red Cedar is very decay resistant and it can yield a larger variety of dimensional lumber. Its abundance and favorable properties make it the dominant choice for building and exports, especially in Europe since it does not have to be heat treated before exporting; and being twice as stable as other softwood species, Western Red Cedar is highly durable and weather resistant. Its natural oils are insect and decay resistant, and left in its natural state it remains beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. Western Red Cedar dries readily with very little shrinkage and has excellent working qualities, machining to a smooth, satiny finish.

Rich in texture, with a unique tactile grain, Western Red Cedar combines visual harmony with stability and durability, making it the common choice for a number of projects such as: siding, decks, fences, planters, screens, and garden furniture. Given its ability to withstand the elements, if you are looking to build your log or timber frame home in an area where extreme weather dominates we would be most inclined to recommend Western Red Cedar.  

Western Red Cedar is also known for their flared butt ends that offers a unique character to many log homes both inside and outside. If you like this type of look and feel for your home western red cedar may be the best type of timber for your home. If you don’t particularly like this look you can still use red cedar without flared ends.

Alaskan Yellow Cedar (also known as Cypress)

The slow growing Alaskan Yellow Cedar is a tough, solid tree and the hardest known cedar in the world, while also boasting exceptional longevity. Due to its straight grain and yellow colour, Yellow Cedar wood is very valuable commercially. It is used extensively for paddles,  boat building, as well as other exterior projects such as bridges, decking, stairs and landscaping. Similar to the Red Cedar, it is highly decay resistant and strongly aromatic when freshly cut, due to its natural oils. However, it’s interesting to note that the Alaskan Yellow Cedar is not in fact a cedar tree, but a cypress tree.

Considerably harder when dry than most commercial softwoods, and therefore much stronger, AYC has excellent strength and wear properties as well as great impact resistance. It is suitable for all types of joinery and carpentry due to its appearance, durability and easy working characteristics. This wood is so easy to work that it has become prized for applications such as joinery and carpentry, decorative panelling, furniture, mouldings and cabinetwork. It also withstands constant wear and load impacts without forming ridges or splitting, and does not splinter.

One of the disadvantages of Alaskan Yellow Cedar is the ability to sourcing large diameter high quality wood. For this reason many builders choose red cedar over yellow cedar.

Cost Comparison: Western Red Cedar vs Alaskan Yellow Cedar 

This chart compares the average cost of Western Red Cedar vs. Alaskan Yellow Cedar depending on the style of timber home you choose:

	Western Red Cedar	Western Red Cedar w/Flared Ends	Alaskan Yellow Cedar
Full Scribe	$55-$75	$65-85	$50-$60
Post & Beam	$40-$65	$45-$70	$35-$55
Timber Frame	$55-$65	N/A	$40-$55

We hope this has given you a better understanding of the differences between the two cedar options available, and why we choose Western Red Cedar. If you have any specific questions we would be happy to discuss them. Please feel free to email us: info@artisanlog.com.

If you would like to know more about the cost associated with building your custom log home you may want to read these articles as well:

• What are the best logs for building my log home?
• How Much Do Log Homes Cost
• How Much Does It Cost To Transport and Export a Log Home
• The Difference Between Timber Frame, Post and Beam and Full Scribe Log Homes

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Stanford Alumni Group Reverses Planned Graffiti Outing

If you’ve been a longtime reader of Modern Hiker, you know that outdoor graffiti and vandalism is an issue that is near and dear to our hearts. We’ve written extensively on the topic and although the high-profile National Park cases tend to get the most attention, graffiti can also have a hugely negative impact on state…

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Product Review: Peak Design CapturePro Clip and Camera Cover

If you’re reading this article right now, chances are you are an adventurer like me. Whether it’s wilderness that calls to you, or travel and culture that inspires you, adventure is most often at the forefront of your mind. Perhaps you are a creator, or someone who is always looking for new ways to bring your…

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