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Big White
The tree is nature's building block. It can be used whole, milled into lumber, or Some of these logs were salvaged from the ocean off the The Pioneer artisans have selected these logs and put them on display in a home that will stand and be enjoyed for hundreds of years. The attention to detail used in this structure created a sculptural feel as one walks through these beautiful spaces. These craftsmen are committed to retaining the natural beauty of the wood, from the forest to the finished showpiece. The building of this magnificent structure was spearheaded by master builders Peter Arnold and Joel
Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, Norwegian stave churches were the precursor to the skeletal architecture that later became known as post and beam construction. This type of structure allows for flexibility in design as well as allowing for a variety of infill materials between the vertical posts (ie: wood siding, stone, or glass). A house built with log and timber, with the attention to detail shown here will be around for many, many generations to come. "Little Hall", a timber house in southwest Suffolk County, England has been continuously occupied for over 600 years. Alden House, near Plymouth, Mass., was built by Mayflower pilgrims in 1653. Over the years the house changed to fit the times, and is now a museum. The sleep house, built in New Hampshire in 1773 is today in use and perfectly preserved, another example of the beauty & durability of a well-crafted wooden home. Starting in the forest and finishing with this magnificent home, the craftsmen of Pioneer Log Homes of British Columbia have helped define the meaning of timeless.
Don Gessinger (designer) Williams Lake, April 2009
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cut and shaped to fit a variety of needs. This unique structure, built by Pioneer Log Homes of British Columbia, is constructed of Western Red Cedar logs (it is interesting to note that Western Red Cedar is the species used by North American west coast natives for their totem poles as a carved pole could stand out in the weather for a hundred years and withstand the elements). These logs were hand-picked by the master craftsmen for their individual characteristics (as well as length and diameter), with a specific location and orientation in mind. Often a single tree will be cut into two or more lengths and used in appropriate locations with no waste, and with each section finding it's own individual place in the whole.
Bella Coola coast, while others were salvaged out of the Bella Coola valley, and some of the other trees were sourced out of Vancouver Island sort yards where Pioneer has a history of selecting unusual and irregular pieces as well as the prime straight logs required in some locations. Logs with bends, burls, cats eyes or many knots have little value in the world of high-speed lumber production, and would be sawn into utility type boards or ground into pulp for paper products. Or, as I have personally witnessed on Vancouver Island, mashed under the tracks of a D8 Cat to create a temporary roadbed. Many of the logs in this house are too burly for today's sawmills and might have ended up as a privacy fence or the like.
Roorda of Pioneer Log Homes, working with a team of extremely talented woodworkers. All are local B.C. trees, and all have been hand-felled and babied like a new child. After transportation to the Williams Lake site they were rough peeled of their bark and allowed to air dry for a year or more. This process allows air flow to the sides of the logs as well as at the ends, and aids the air drying process. The logs were then finish-peeled when selected for a position in the house. The hand shaping was finished with slicks, drawknives, chisels, axes and other specialty tools. Sometimes a log will have a scar too deep to drawknife out and that scar, a part of the life story of the tree turns into part of the houses story.
This building took approximately nine months to construct in Williams Lake. Every log was then numbered, disassembled, trucked to the site, and then reassembled on George and Sherry's property in Big White, British Columbia. There is over 1,000 cubic meters of wood in this house that are to live on basically forever. It is a Western Red Cedar log post and beam structure with a Douglas Fir timberframe roof system. Pioneer has modified traditional post and beam design to create a "fusion" between full-scribe log and classic post and beam. This can be appreciated when looking at three rounds of full-scribed log work that sit above the log posts.
