Inside This Issue

ILBA Road Tour Sponsors

page 2-3
Log Building Association of
New Zealand 11th Biennial
Conference page 5
Networking and symbiosis
page 6
Celebrating 30 years of
educating builders page 8
A Phoenix Rises from the
Ashes...page 10
Black and white and
handsome! page 11
Why do we have standards?
page 12
TechTalk page 13
Foundation Options
page 15
Advertisers in this issue
page 15
GLLCA annual meeting
page 17
International Conference
in Latvia page 18
Tour Norway-Sweden
page 18
Log Home Construction
Financing
page 20
ICC Update page 22
Classied Ads page 24
New and Renewing
Members page 25
Summer of 2005 is one of ILBA's most exciting ven-
tures yet! We've travelled in the name of the ILBA
since the end of May 2005 and with ILBA signage
covering both truck and 5th wheel we are constantly
approachd by countless people seeking information
about the ILBA and the industry. Those who were
once strangers to the ILBA are logging onto our web-
site and providing feedback, after seeing the website
en route so the getting out there concept is work-
ing as planned. Although we would like to visit every-
one, its a huge spread to cross, and we are now
turning the rig around and starting our way West,
taking a different route. The idea is to never cross the
same road twice, thus seeing and meeting new peo-
ple all the way. We have now crossed the US/Canada
border four times with little interruption, raising the
interest of border crossing guards as well!!
We initially traveled northeast leaving the Okanagan
Valley of BC bound for Edmonton, avoiding the steep-
er slopes of the Rogers and Kicking Horse passes, and
at the same time touch base with Dalibor Houdek of
Forintek, our past Vice President. From there we head-
ed South East on the Yellowhead Highway, making
our way to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and from there,
south towards Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
We stopped in to visit the staff at Schroeder Log
Home Supply Inc.. It was great to see their facility in
Grand Rapids where we were able to learn a bit more
about them (they have four warehouses across the
US. Gary, Kathy and their staff were great and wel-
comed us with open arms.) From there we spent a
few days with Mark & Evie Bookey of Pine Ridge
Handcrafted Log Homes, visiting their worksite as well
as a potential future conference site nearby. Another
afternoon was spent with Ron Brodigan from the
Great Lakes School of Log Building, it was great to
nally meet him after all these years and it was a real
treat to tour this area as well.
From here we made our way to the GLLCA meeting
in Siren, WI, where we stayed onsite in our 5th wheel
at a parking lot beside the Lodge it was great to be
so close and take part in all the action during their
pre-conference building project. Our schedule was
tight leaving Siren enroute to Quebec City for another
meeting at the Forest Products Society meeting, but
with a few long days of driving (and nights) we made
it in time and again ran into ILBA members, ICC com-
mittee members as well as newly subscribed members
from this meeting, and had the opportunity to discuss
some great networking ideas with this Society. A few
nights stop over near Sherbrooke, Quebec, with Jean
and Nancy Rodrigue was also wonderful where we
NEWS
May/June 2005 Number 55
Agreement Number 40707514
continued next page
On the Road Again by Cathy Hansen
An incredible log sugar shack near Sherbrooke,
Quebec
Visiting Schroeder Log Home Supply's staff in Grand
Rapids, MN
Support
LO
G
BUILD
IN
G

STAN
D
ARD
S
- - - - - - -
Voice your
com
m
ents online
today!
See ICC Update
page 22
before August 1
had a chance to tour more log work and nalize this newsletter.
Our next stops will have us visiting builders in Montreal/Ottawa
area, as well as the offices of CMHC and other government agen-
cies, followed by our demonstration at Le Chateau Montebello in
celebration of the 75th anniversary of the construction of this
incredible log structure. We look forward to seeing members at this
event and working with those who have already stepped forward to
assist. More photos of this and other stops will be included with the
2 LogBuildingNews May/June 2005
R.C.M. CAD Design & Drafting Ltd.
Exclusively designing log homes
& Post and Beam since 1994
Bus: (604) 702-1188 Fax: (604) 702-0022
E-mail: rcmcaddesign@shawbiz.ca
Web Page: www.loghomedesign.ca
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sofrod@logworks.ca
Toll Free 1-877-564-4667
Contact
John Boys
at Nicola
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for more
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I LBA ROAD TRI P S PONS ORS :
Baron Insurance
Canadian Log Home Supply
CBR Products
Del Radomskes Okanagan School of Log Building
International
GRK Fasteners
hsbCAD/StrucSoft
International Codes Council
Nicola Logworks
RCM CAD Design
The Sansin Corporation
Samples of the incredible work underway at an International
Sculpture competition we visited North of Quebec City.
Jean Rodrigue,
ILBA director
and member,
took us on a
great tour of
local log work
in the
Sherbrooke
area during
our stop over
at his building
yard.
Nat ural l y Perf ect

next newsletter.
On travel note some memories that will be engrained forever
include the storms which followed us East. Most mentionable
include the mini tornado which hit our 5th Wheel in Quebec
City, ripping the awning straight into an upright position and
wiping out our campsite but we survived! The biggest road
challenges to date were the 13% grade and narrow roads we
encountered in Quebec, when climbing hills in rst gear at 5km
per hour almost saw us going backwards (all 55' of us with 5th
wheel in tow); and we thought we had the mountains of BC
and Oregon beat! Of course the trip
wouldnt be complete without men-
tion of the late night we
attempted a hair pin turn in
someone's driveway, but hey
we saved camping fees. Many
thanks to the folks who
grinned and bared this experi-
ence with us!
We have now reached our halfway point and upcoming travel
will see us through Quebec,
Ontario, then dipping down
Stateside again and heading
home through Wyoming and
Montana.
We look forward to seeing you
along the way should our respec-
tive schedules coincide! We are in
constant contact with the office
and most days you can reach us
by email as well drop us a line!
Thanks for all the great wel-
Number 55 LogBuildingNews 3
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At Evie & Mark Bookeys site in Grand
RapidsRobert on the work site; the
Bookeys in front of their replace.
Thanks for the tour and the hospitality!
continued next page
4 LogBuildingNews May/June 2005
comes, positive comments, encourage-
ment, and sponsorships we have received
to assist making this outreach project a
reality.
LogBuildingNews
May/June 2005
Issue #55
Published six times a year
2005 International
Log Builders Association
P.O. Box 775
Lumby
British Columbia
Canada V0E 2G0
Toll-free: 800-532-2900
Phone: 250-547-8776
Fax: 250-547-8775
www.logassociation.org
Cathy Hansen, Executive Director
cathy@logassociation.org
Melody Irmen, Accounting
melody@logassociation.org
Ann Miks, Administrative Assistant
ann@logassociation.org
Robrt Savignac, Executive Director
robert@logassociation.org
Contributors to this issue:
Ingrid Boys 250-378-4977
Ron Brodigan 218-365-2126
Chris Dancey 877- 877-0086
David Drown
GLLCA 651-464-6506
Doug Groff 717-285-6632
Ron Hann 705-649-2780
Vic Janzen 604-858-4135
LBANZ 643-484 -7949
Log Building News Editor
Cathy Hansen
PO Box 775
Lumby, BC
Canada V0E 2G0
1-800-532-2900
cathy@logassociation.org
Robert manning our booth at the
Forest Products Society meeting in
Quebec City. It was great to see ILBA
members there and network with
many from around the world.
A late night water ll at Garden River
Fire Station was greatly appreciated,
thanks to the wonderful reman on hand
and our new friend Gilles Boucher whom
we met at the GLLCA meeting and later
encountered enroute to Quebec City. This
also included a tour of the rehall for us
all at midnight life is an adventure!
LEFT Spec home built by Pine Ridge Hand-
crafted Log Homes on Sugar Lake, MN
BELOW A log home under construction by
Bob Matschiner at Bissonett Log
Construction yard in Ely, MN
A neat little dovetail
designed for a campsite
office where we stayed
one night at Brownlee
Lake in Ontario.
Number 55 LogBuildingNews 5
The Devon Hotel was an ideal place for
the get-together and Friday night was a
catch-up with old friends and to meet
new friends over a few drinks.
Next morning the AGM was well
attended by those at the conference.
Some lively discussion followed on topics
that are currently affecting the association
at present and into the future.
After lunch, Rick Taylor a well known
Dargaville wood turner and Kauri retriever
regaled us with tales of retrieving 3000
year old Kauri and extracting its beauty by
a lot of cutting, sanding and polishing.
With his nished wood turnings and pol-
ished slab pieces of beautiful kauri, with its
many shapes and colours, it was a very
interesting talk, from a very colourful char-
acter, who was built like a Kauri and must
certainly have the patience of one, by
looking at his work.
Next up was Matt Newton, a profes-
sional helicopter pilot. A real down to
earth kiwi, a true hard working farm boy,
who took the bull by the horns and set a
big goal to y a helicopter. From crop
spraying to a stint in Tasmania and
Taranaki tourism; everybody in the room
was spell-bound and enjoyed every
minute. After his initial contact from Tom
Cruise, coming over to lm The Last
Samurai in Taranaki, Matt found himself
more than a helicopter pilot, but a New
Zealand organiser for Tom Cruises family
and contingent, where to go and what to
do on their time off, plus carting his girl
friend to the lm set for a surprise meet-
ing etc. Matts speech was done in typical
kiwi style, slap happy and very humorous.
Graham Mould was next to speak about
his and Robert Chambers company,
Natural Log Homes, log building in
Geraldine, the falling US dollar against the
kiwi dollar and how it has affected the
business. Graham told that they have a
good number of log houses to do here in
New Zealand and that they are diversify-
ing into cut-it-yourself log
homes.
Louis van der Heyden then
did a very professional and
interesting PowerPoint presen-
tation on the business and
achievement on his Australian
log home building company Great Bear
Log Homes. The building environment is
very different in Australia than in New
Zealand. He showed this in the different
species of logs they used and how they
approached various aspects of preserva-
tion and foundation design. A very
informative talk that was well received.
Later that evening we all climbed in the
bus for a trip to the Tree House tavern. A
very well made Derek Mullooly building.
Most impressive. After a few beers and we
saw the Bay of Plenty Steamers get their
rst try against the Lions, we went on to
the New Plymouth Sports Fishing and
Underwater club for a meal and our auc-
tion. A very nice meal and heaps to eat.
We then settled down for our auction.
Louis van der Heyden was our guest auc-
tioneer, ably assisted by Justin Long and
Graham Mould. An excellent range of
donated articles created for a lively, noisy
and successful outcome. There were t-
shirts, caps, wood preservatives, hot water
cylinder wrap, hand painted mirrors, holi-
day hideaways, stuffed baby emus, and
the big one, a Husqvarna chainsaw
bought by John McCosh. We raised just
over $2,200 a top result.
Sunday morning dawned ne and cool
as we climbed back on the bus for a tiki
tour. Our rst stop was at John Reumers
brothers place, who demonstrated how
to make earth bricks with just a bit of
straw and no cement. He had photos of
the earth brick house he had built in
Perth, Western Australia which was very
impressive. Im sure it gave every one
there some good ideas.
Then onto the Tawhiti Museum near
Hawera. The area is steeped in history
from the early days of the Taranaki Maori
wars, bush felling, saw milling, coal min-
ing through to dairying. From the intri-
cate dioramas of bush railways, Maori
PAs, early dairy scenes to full size models
with old saw mills, shearing hay making
and a display restored tractors of all differ-
ent types, including some early hedge
cutting contraptions. Fourteen foot long
cutting blades like airplane propellers
mounted on the side of an old tractor
with next to no protection, truly scary. An
extremely interesting place.
After lunch and an old train ride, we
were off to John and Brenda Reumers
home. Built by John after a course with
Graham Mould, he bought his Japanese
cedar logs off his brother-in-laws farm.
Designed by John and Brenda, the home
is a beautiful and practical building. The
workmanship and nish would be among
the best in New Zealand. Being owner
built it exudes a character that a commer-
cial built home hasnt. Wonderful ideas
through the totally nished home left
everybody, bar none, full of praise for the
job well done. We all admired their home
and surrounding garden landscaping.
After a group photo and later a huge
meal put on by Brenda and her helpers,
we said our goodbyes and thanks very
much and headed back to the hotel for
our nal night.
Monday morning and our nal farewells
bought to an end a very well run week-
end and we headed our own ways until
next time. Roll on 2007, back down to
the South Island. Where will it be?
Log Builders Association of
New Zealand
11th Biennial Conference & 16th AGM 2005
New Plymouth, New Zealand
6 LogBuildingNews May/June 2005
If ever your travels cause you to drift into
the Fraser Valley near the southwest corner
of British Columbia, hugging the forty-
ninth parallel, you might want to exit near
Chilliwack and explore the rain-drenched
cedar forests of the region. Freeways just
dont tell the story of local geography.
If you follow the tourist markers to
Cultus Lake, you will nd yourself on the
banks of a bottomless lake surrounded by
mountains and forest of cedar and
Douglas r. The native Sto-lo people gave
the lake its name meaning evil since
bodies lost there seem never to reappear.
The Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
that is still there in remnant was a sacred
tree since it provided shelter, clothing and
the wherewithal to execute artistic carv-
ings, sleek dugout canoes and other tra-
ditional commodities. Therefore the tree
had a sacred cachet to the First Nations
people.
Nearly a decade ago, I designed a log
house for Tom Moul, a commercial yer
in my neighbourhood. We kept in touch
over the years with me doing odd bits of
modication on his house with a spectac-
ular view of Cultus Lake in south-western
British Columbia. Finally, after employing
a CAD techie to revise my India ink on
mylar drawings, in recent months, he
was ready to go ahead and do the proj-
ect.
He had a xation on Western Red
Cedar and asked me for a builder that he
could trust. I recom-
mended Marcus
deHaas and Dan
Coulter who work
out of my geo-
graphic area. This is
where symbiosis
comes in. I had
known each of
these builders in
other worlds.
Marcus had been
my student for two
years in forestry
technology and Dan
and I had met in
theological circum-
stances. A component of my forestry pro-
gram included the harvesting of log
building timber and shake bolts. Both
apprenticed with Werner Reimer there-
after in his thriving log building business.
After many years of working with Werner,
the two went off on their own to estab-
lish their own business.
So, when Tom was nally ready to y at
it and build his house, he called me for a
recommendation. I gave him Marcus and
Dan and they entered into an arrange-
ment of trust and good will between
builder and home owner.
Ten years in the planning of a home is a
long time and it would be easy to write off
an early call of this sort. Today the building
is up nonetheless. The
view of the lake is glo-
rious. Marcus and
Dan have executed a
lovely building. Tom is
happy to pay the bills.
On my last visit,
Tom had the BBQ
red up and was serv-
ing grilled hamburg-
ers, washed down
with beer from a local
micro brewery. The
log building crew
numbered a half-
dozen guys. The lift
operator was included
as was the nish carpenter and the opera-
tor of the excavator. All feasted on burgers
and beer.
It is easy to write-off the customer who
drifts into the office and is silent for a long
time thereafter. But, who knows? He can
re-appear at any time, having sorted out
Networking & Symbiosis
by Vic Janzen
Tom Moul at his home site.
Number 55 LogBuildingNews 7
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his private life and his nances. And it is always great to build a
thousand-year house for someone who appreciates the craftsman-
ship.
Since Tom had specied Western Red Cedar, Marcus and Dan
chose to design wall projections with radical are-butts to reinforce
the essential characteristics of this speciesto allow the species to
sign its own signature. The photos demonstrate how well this cele-
bration of the species has worked out. Staggered projections with a
huge variety of taper can be a nightmare, but the master builder
can make this
work.
Again, the art
of the log builder
often surpasses
the vision of the
owner and the
designer.
Western Red Cedar radial are butts reinforce the
characteristics of this species.
8 LogBuildingNews May/June 2005
Celebrating 30 years of educating builders
by Cathy Hansen
We had the fortune on this road trip to visit with many ILBA
members, one of which was Ron Brodigan of the Great Lakes
School of Log Building in Minnesota. After driving past his off-
the-beaten-trail location, turning the unit around was well worth
the effort. We toured Rons school site complete with rustic cab-
ins for students to stay in, sauna, and more. We were treated to
some wonderful moose brauts for lunch and then visited a
house built by his son, and another 4000+ square foot home
under construction
by one of his stu-
dents.
His school began
in 1975; it was April
15th, and his class
had been advertised
with an option for a
two-day, or a ten-
day, session. Sixty-
ve people showed
up with forty-ve
cars and forty-ve
dogs. Two days later
twenty-ve students
stayed on for the ten
day course and Ron
hasnt looked back
since. His school site
(which moved short-
ly thereafter) was
transformed into a
mud pit and the
response was over-
whelming, I wanted
to run into the woods, laughed Ron. Prior to this he was teach-
ing special needs handicapped adults, so his years of teaching
go beyond his own school program.
His experience also saw him teaching a
month long course at the B. Allan Mackie
School in Prince George, BC, back in
1983. He also attended one of Allans
graduate classes, I should have gone
earlier, he is such a great guy to be
around and very stimulating said Ron.
He also found the school site to be full of
great examples.
Rons school has been located on the
same site near Isabella, MN, for many
years now. Ample evidence of earlier
styles of construction is located around
the property, some structures dating back to the seventies. All of
them make great accommodation for students and also serve as
examples of construction styles and techniques through the
years, and how they with stand time. He teaches eleven log
building courses a year, each one lasts for ten days, thus there is
a course running every month but December. His masonry
courses are six days long, and he runs two of these per year,
typically the rst week in May and rst week of June. Part of his
program also provides support for the student after the session
is over, Im always there to answer questions or refer them to
the resource says Ron. The focus and goal of his classes are,
assuming the students accomplish the required course work and
internalize the many skills with scriber, saw and other tools, to
enable them to build their own house or other buildings.
After working with them for ten days, he encourages those
who are obviously heading toward log building as a profession,
to attend a longer course with Del
Radomske, Pat Wolfe, or Allan Mackie,
or to apprentice themselves to a profes-
sional builder.
Ron has also designed a safety shirt
which students must wear, along with
standard safety gear. We had several
prototypes designed before coming up
with this denim shirt style which pro-
tects the front torso and arms said
Ron. This shirt is available for sale
through Scott at the Log Home Store,
who are also members of the ILBA.
In the seventies the classes were larger,
now the average is about ve or six
A glimpse of a portion of the school site.
A view from one of the on-site residences
provided at the Great Lakes School of
Log Building and Masonry.
Ron Brodigan with student David
Drown who is now building a
4000+ beautiful log home over-
looking Lake Superior thanks to the
tutelage of Ron.
Number 55 LogBuildingNews 9
people, with about 1/3 women, with lots of couples attending
as well. The average age of students in the seventies was 22,
now Ron estimates that to be about 45. They come from all
walks of life, but Ive never had a stewardess or a priest laughs
Ron perhaps one day theyll come together. Students come
from around the world including Germany, Japan, New
Zealand, Canada, as well as various parts of the USA. Classes are
$1150USD for ten days and $1000USD for those coming from
outside the country, which includes a rustic cabin for accommo-
dations. Students need to supply their own tools, safety gear,
food and bedding. College credit can be obtained through an
alliance between Great Lakes School and Vermilion College
in Ely.
I warn people about log building, it is a disease and obses-
sion and there is no cure and support groups laughs Ron as we
head to see David, one of his students who has undertaken the
construction of a 4000+ house overlooking Lake Superior.
Davids wife has taken the masonry course with Ron and the
mansory work is also spectacular in their new home, as seen in
the photo on page 23. Although this couple continues to work
at their full time jobs, they head to the construction site two
days a week and between the two of them are doing all of the
work solo. David has also been inspired to begin creating jigs
for various jobs, some of which are shared with you in this issue
of LBN.
As we head off to the Great Lakes Log Crafters meeting in
Siren, Ron stays behind as he will be mentoring more builders
into the industry. For your knowledge, years in the industry and
your home, thank you Ron.
Cathy Hansen & Ron Brodigan stand outside his classroom
which displays log and masonry work, which are both
taught on site at this facility.
10 LogBuildingNews May/June 2005
continued on page 16
In 1988, just about everything went well for me. Prosperity, adventure and, yes, I met Wil while I was
attending the B. Allan Mackie School of Log Building near Prince George, BC. We traveled together on the
west coast for a couple of months and then Wil attended Allans school for a month long course. By
Christmas, we were living in Germany and soon Wil was working for one of Europes rst companies that
specialized in natural, earth-friendly homes.
Fast forward ten years and we were living in our log home that we had been
custom building for the past nine years. We thought we were building it to last for
centuries, so we spared no expense with time or money. We wanted quality vs.
quantity, so our home reected our love of craftsmanship.
November 26, 1998 our belief that every thing happens for our highest purpose
was put to the test. We were both away when our home burned to the ground.
Community support and lots of love kept us sane, as we cleared away the charred
remains. With repair, our custom-built, re brick, masonry heater and root cellar were
all that was still useable. We tried to see how to make this tragedy into a positive
experience. Im the last person to say it has been easy the past six and a half years,
but I do believe that our disaster is having a positive outcome.
Even before the re, Wil and I were experimenting with industrial hemp hurd (also
called shives) as the aggregate with a variety of natural binders. We used clay from
our farm and local hydrated lime, but my search for a North American, natural,
hydraulic lime was unsuccessful. We, therefore, focused on clay as a binder and did
hemp/clay inll experiments in two small buildings. We were impressed, but we
realized that our process would never be acceptable to anyone but a fanatic hemp-
ster with more time than money.
Then, one day the phone rang and it was Gabriel Gauthier. He was picking up a
load of HempChips from our local industrial hemp processor, Hempline Inc., and he
wondered if he could come by for a visit.
A Phoenix Rises from the Ashes by Chris Dancey
Number 55 LogBuildingNews 11
Black and white and handsome!
by Ingrid Boys
Last week we invited three Wandergeseller (Wandering Bachelors), into our lives
at Nicola LogWorks. These three timber framers are members of an ancient
German guild that requires them to travel the world employing and sharing
their skills for a minimum of three years plus a day. (They may not go any closer
than 50 kilometers from their hometowns during this sojourn).
Traveling light, they wear the clothes on their back and carry a set of work
clothes the traditional guild dress code is a carry over from another age
white shirts, black vests and hats. Wide bot-
tomed leather trousers protect them while
using the sharp tools of their trade and
keep sawdust and debris out of their boots.
Stefan Poth hails from the town of Kirn,
close to Oberhausen, Joseph Mayr from
Billenbach, and Tobias Legat from
Sauerlach.
The log home builders at Nicola
LogWorks will share our knowledge of log
home building in exchange for skills and
techniques of traditional German joinery.
Of course these gentlemen like to play as
hard as they work the left hand photo
shows them in full regalia winding up for
their rst night on the town. Lock up your
daughters!
Jean Rodrigue and Robert Savignac
provide a log building demonstration to
interested participants during the 75th
anniversary celebration at Le
Chateau Montebello.
12 LogBuildingNews May/June 2005
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LEASING
Throughout our travels across the continent, we have had the
pleasure of visiting both building yards and the nished homes
of both ILBA members and non-members alike. There has been
considerable discussion, further to the meeting on Standards
held during our last conference, as to the appropriateness of
ILBA Standards, and whether or not our Standards are a reec-
tion of our builder practices, as a consensus, and whether or not
these same Standards, once reviewed, revised and adopted by
both the Standards review committee and by a vote proposed
at our next AGM, should be accepted as a mandatory compliant
condition of membership to the ILBA.
The Standards are referred worldwide as accepted Industry
Standards, and it is incumbent upon us, as a collective, to
review and revise our
Industrys Best Practices
in Building with logs,
both handcrafted full-
scribe and chink-style
log structures: the ILBA
Log Building Standards.
Along the road, we
have taken a few snap-
shots of buildings we
have come
across (the
ones taken at
60 mph dont
really do any-
one justice!).
You decide if
we need to review the standards and insist on compliance! For
more information and to give feedback on proposed standards,
see ICC Update on page 22.
Why do we have Standards?
a why should you abide the ILBA Standards?
Robert Savignac
visits with B. Allan
Mackie during his
log building course
held near Chase,
BC.
Number 55 LogBuildingNews 13
TechTalk
S PI NDLE HOLDER / / CHAI NS AW BAR ATTACHMENT / / ELECTRI CAL BOX
by David Drown
T
E
C
H
T
A
L
K

T
E
A
R
O
U
T

F
O
R

Y
O
U
R

J
I
G

B
O
O
K
Bar attachment for chainsaw to
cut radius curves and arches.
Jean Rodrigue's building yard has some great organizational
ideas, right down to the log ends and slabs which are piled in
bunkers obtained from an old mill. I only want to move the
wood once, says Jean explaining that this method works well
because he has the proper equipment to move these crates
once they are loaded with heavy wood.
If you are
hand-peeling
spindles, this
extra "grip",
made from
mower blades
and scrap iron
will give you
that "extra
grip".
Round brass electrical boxes are
easy to install.
Hand hewn Easern White Pine of
this diameter is hard to nd now a
days. This 1860's building is
currently being restored at the
Glengary Museum at Dunvegan,
Ontario.
Glengarry Museum
14 LogBuildingNews May/June 2005
by Robert Savignac in conversation with Ron Hann
Hooked to your hip, your tape measure, as an umbilical to your
work, is an indispensable tool reminding you of the sacred adage:
Measure twice, cut once! Besides pulling out its yellow tongue to
stretch out along required lengths, the tape measure, as a whole,
is a handy jig itself to reference required gauge depths for rough
notches, scarf bottoms, and also act as a feeler-gauge for estab-
lishing scribe settings and nding the widest gap in establishing
scribe settings. Slid along on its end you can use the tape
measure as a feeler gauge to set your rough notch scribe settings.
The average tape measure has a 3" body, and stood on end,
extending the tape up to the underside of the new log will give
you a precise rough notch setting, read off the tape measure,
leaving you with an approximate 3" nal scribe (more, as you
determine your widest gap and amount of required cover and
lateral groove width. OK, its really the long groove, or longitu-
dinal cove, since in fact lateral refers to the side of a body, or log
in this caseshould it then be called the ventricle groove, and
then if you double-scribe, is the upper v-cut now called the
dorsal groove?)
Ron Hann, of Northern Comfort Log Homes in Goulais River,
Ontario, is married to his tape measure. I like to cut my rough
notches to within 1.5" of nal scribe; so I lay my tape on its side
on the lower log, open my scribers to the underside of the new
log, and voil: my rough notch setting! Since I know I am going
to open up my scribers approximately another inch, once I deter-
mine my nal scribe setting away from the rough notch depth, I
immediately transfer a tick-mark, using the at width of the
tape measure above the top of rough notch scribe at each notch,
and this determines the bottom of the next scarf depthan inch
and a half above my rough scribe. This jigs the bottom of the
scarf without worrying that its either too high or too deep, and
the scarf lines fall within about an inch below the top of my nal
notch scribe settingmy target, which is just enough to allow for
future settling and compaction at the notches. I now layout the
top and sides of the scarf, cut these out, and Im set for my nal
scribing.
The only thing to watch for, says Ron, is whether or not you
need to scribe in a lock-notch. In this case, I rough notch using
the tape measure on end, so there is approx. a 3" nal scribe, and
there is enough wood left at the notch to layout an effective lock
without cutting away too much wood during the rough notch.
TechTalk
TAPE MEAS URE J I G
Number 55 LogBuildingNews 15
Foundation Options
These are masonry examples at Ron
Brodigans Great Lake School of Log
Building and Masonry, used to illustrate
log building foundation options, both
temporary and permanent.
Advertisers in This Issue
Accutech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Baileys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Baron Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
British Columbia Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Canadian Log Home Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
CBR Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3/23
Dietrichs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Emseal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Good Shepherd Wool Insulation . . . . . . . . . .26
GRK Fasteners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2/19
hsbCAD/StrucSoft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Insulspan Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Jim Grieb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14/15
J. Rouleau & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Log Home Design Ideas/Log Home Living . . .28
Log Home Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Merritt Contracting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Nicola Log Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2/17
Pat Wolfe Log Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Perma-Chink Systems Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
PG Mill Suppliers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
RCM Cad Design & Drafting . . . . . . . . . . .2/23
Riverside Forest Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Schroeder Log Home Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Summer Beam Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
The Continental Products Company . . . . . .6/11
The Sansin Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3/7
Timber Framers Guild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Wayside Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
man who developed a lime binder that works as well as natu-
ral, hydraulic lime, but is made with the limes available in
North America.
From experience, we knew that cement and mortar mixers
didnt work to mix the HempChips with the binder, so we
were relieved to see Gabriels custom built mixer.
Our building inspector let us experiment with the garage
walls. We used a variety of aggregates (straw, wood shavings
and hemp) with both clay and lime binder. After only a few
days we could see the advantages of the lime as a binder,
regardless of which aggregate we used. No settling or shrink-
ing, which always happens with the clay binder. Plus the
walls were immediately strong and continue to get stronger
with time.
Even though the walls of our home arent load bearing, we
were required to get an engineers stamp to continue with
the house inll. Fortunately, this wasnt a problem and we
have now completed all of our exterior walls with a
HempChip and lime mixture.
Industrial hemp and lime can be used to insulate oors,
roofs and walls, providing excellent thermal and acoustic
properties. They are non-ammable, non-toxic, and hygro-
scopic. As well, the hemp is a waste product left after the
plant is harvested for ber or grain.
Another advantage is that the hemp/lime mixture can be
molded to enclose round logs and it can ll spaces that are
normally difficult to seal, such as around rafters.
For so long our round log, timber frame felt like a mega-
gazebo, but now that we have
solid walls and the roof is
being nished, we know the
wait was worth it.
In time, we hope the culti-
vation and utilization of indus-
trial hemp will again thrive in
North America. Wil and I will
not be creating hemp homes
for others, but we are willing
to share the knowledge we
have gained via Gabriels web-
site at www.cabanabis.com.
16 LogBuildingNews May/June 2005
Suddenly, the years of delays with our home began to make
sense. Now we had access to the expertise we needed to use lime
with condence. Gabriel had worked in France for two years for a
A Phoenix Rises from the Ashes cont'd from page 10
Number 55 LogBuildingNews 17
GLLCA Annual Meeting
The Great Lakes Log Crafters Association annual meeting was
another great success. Robert Savignac and I had the privilege
to attend this year's event held in Siren, WI. The 4-day event
began with a 2-day workshop, during which time members
built a chinked log shell to be auctioned off immediately fol-
lowing the meeting. It was great to see all the guys working in
harmony and getting it done. We were honored to encounter
so many individuals we had not had the opportunity to meet
with prior to this, and to touch base with those we have
known in the past. It was nice to put a face to the names of
so many whom are also members of the ILBA, and who we
talk to on the phone with regularly. Robert was able to provide
an update
and insight
to members
on how the
ICC is progressing
and a lively discus-
sion on the process
followed all valu-
able feedback and
an conrmation
that log builders do
want to be involved
in how the code
will be written.
Thanks to the Great
Lakes members for
their hospitality and
comradery.
Kay Sellman presents a GLLCA
member with a birthday cake
for his 50th nothing like
celebrating with your building
buds.
William Lasko and Bob Kennel of the
GLLCA work together to get another notch
done at the workshop. There was lots of
team work, cooperation and laughter
around this worksite!
18 LogBuildingNews May/June 2005
Prior to the Latvian Conference this coming October, the
ILBA is coordinating a European Tour with the assistance
of Bengt Ager of Sweden and George Fuller of Norway.
The following is a provisional schedule only. Please consult
www.logassociation.org for the most
up-to-date information.
Thursday, Sept. 29
Arrival at Oslo International Airport in the morning. Two hour
scenic coach ride to Lillehammer. Tour of Maihaugen Museum.
Over 70 log structures dating back to 1440. Magnicent crafts-
manship. <http://www.maihaugen.no/default.aspx?id=250>
Afternoon/evening tour of Olympic facilities from Winter
Olympics of 1994. Hotel in Lillehammer.
Friday, Sept. 30
Coach trip to Hafjell, (20 mins) One of Norways premier vaca-
tion resorts Summer and Winter. Tour of new hand crafted log
homes,both norwegian produced and imported.
<http://www.hafjellhunderfossen.no/eng/> Alternative program
for spouses/children. Hotel in Lillehammer.
Saturday, Oct. 1
09 00 Lv Lillehammer by coach, heading towards Trysil. One or
two stops en route. Log homes in the ski resort area of the Trysil
Mountain. Lunch in Trysil.
14 00 Lv Trysil. Crossing of the border to Sweden. Visit of log
home in the ski resort area of Slen. Visit of log home producer
south of Lima with a vertically integrated network of auxiliary
producers and several production facilities.
19 00 Arr. at hotel (for all three nights in Sweden) in Tllberg at
Lake Siljan. Dinner.
International Conference
of Log Builders and Wood
Construction Specialists
Riga, Latvia, October 4 to 9, 2005
Exhibition Hall, Kipsala, Riga, Latvia
ADC Azenes 18, Riga, LV1048, Latvia
Administrative address:
Amatu street 5, Riga, LV-1050, Latvia
Tel + fax: (country code 371) 7213927
lak@lak.lv or liga_freivalde@inbox.lv
Languages: Latvian, English
Conference objectives: The furthering of Interest in the Wood
Culture, Construction and Uses of Wood Dwellings
For more information please visit their website at
www.lak.lv/?val=2&id=86
Conference Topics
1. Wood Dwelling Historical and Philosophical Aspects:
characteristics and functions; adaptations for different world cli-
mactic zones; regional and international solutions; traditional
and modern considerations from sociological/cultural viewpoint;
2. Dwelling Planning, Design and Construction Aspects:
site selection; size, space, efficiency and energy savings consider-
ations; art and design; decorative aspects; environmental and
ecology considerations; suitability for handcraft and/or industrial
fabrication; conceptual design fantasies.
3. Dwelling material selection: wood science; traditional
wood utilization; other material uses in wood dwellings such as
stone, iron, glass, textiles; construction tools, support systems
and instruments; heating and air-conditioning systems; plumb-
ing and pipe systems; natural and articial lighting; paints and
weather protection materials; doors and windows; internal auto-
matic control and communication systems.
4. Builder and buyer commercial considerations:
producer and buyer education; information technology utiliza-
tion; real-estate and marketing; building management; nanc-
ing; building insurance; security; legal considerations.
Program highlights
Theoretical sessions presented by prominent researchers and
entrepreneurs, including discussions relative to dwelling design,
customers satisfaction, marketing and salesmanship
Practical sessions, including: visiting RTU the Center of
Craftsmanship and Design facilities; viewing dwelling samples
submitted by design experts in different parts of the world and
maquettes of these samples constructed by RTU students; visit-
ing already completed livable wood structures located in nearby
staging areas near Riga; exchanging ideas with experts in other
parts of the world through video conferencing; site visits to
unique and several century old wooden buildings in area and
the Latvian Ethnographic Open Air Museum.
Provisional Program for ILBA Pre-conference tour Norway-Sweden
Number 55 LogBuildingNews 19
Sunday, Oct. 2
09 00 Coach tour Rttvik-Furudal-Orsa-Mora-Tllberg, in the
ring of lakes shaped by a big meteorite 370 million years ago.
Visits of old (the oldest from around 1290) and modern log
buildings, a producer, a log building school and cultural sites.
Lunch in Furudal.
Monday, Oct. 3
09 00 Indoor seminar. On the history of Scandinavian log build-
ing. Development projects in the Swedish loge home industry,
with special focus on quality systems. Presentations and discus-
sions. Time for general questions arosen among the participants
during the whole tour. An expert panel will try to give the
answers.
Lunch in Tllberg.
Lv the hotel. Visit of the ice-hockey barn in Leksand, used as
training site for the premier league team Leksands IF, built with
industrially produced logs. Probably the biggest log building in
Sweden.
The bus will then take the participants to Stockholm, the capital
of Sweden, to board the ferry to Riga leaving at 18 00 hrs and
arriving in Riga on Tuesday at 13 00 hrs.
For more information
The details of this tour and registration are being nalized.
Please check the ILBA website under European Log Building
Tour & Conference October 2005 for the most up-to-date infor-
mation and to register for this event. Minimum enrollment is
required to proceed with this event.
The majority of log home lenders today
offer what is called a construction-to-per-
manent mortgage. This is a construction
loan that automatically converts into a
nal end loan mortgage, once the new
home construction is complete. This
method requires the borrower to have
only one loan closing, thus avoiding hav-
ing to pay for two separate sets of closing costs.
Following are the steps involved with a construction-to-per-
manent mortgage:
Loan Application
The lender collects the borrowers personal nancial information
at this time. Some of the items that may need to be collected
are W-2s for the most current 2 years, 1 months current pay
stubs, complete signed tax returns for the most current 2 years
(if self-employed or if rental properties are owned), most recent
2 months statements for deposit accounts (checking, savings,
mutual funds, 401K, etc.), and information about the new
home to be built. The lender will also obtain a copy of the bor-
rowers credit report.
Underwriting
The completed application information is submitted to an
underwriter. The underwriter reviews the information and makes
a decision about the approval of the loan. Upon approval, the
lender will issue a commitment (approval) letter to officially
state, in writing, under what requirements the loan is consid-
ered approvable. Usually, the requirements of the loan are called
closing conditions.
Closing Conditions
Closing conditions state the documentation that needs to be
obtained prior to settling on a loan. Standard closing conditions
include, but are not limited to, the following examples: an
acceptable appraisal, title insurance, source of the funds needed
to make the down payment and closing costs, signed contracts
between the borrower and builder/contractor, and any applica-
ble insurance policies (homeowners/ood).
Appraisal
The appraisal is an extremely important part of the mortgage
process. In order to initiate the appraisal, the lender will need a
copy of the following items:
Building Plans
The plans need to show dimension and elevation measurements
for the new home. Borrowers can normally submit preliminary
plans for appraisal purposes as long as major changes to the
footprint of the home are not made. For example, changing the
square footage, adding a bedroom or bathroom, or deleting a
designated room, is considered a major change. Major changes
can alter the homes appraised value and can change the loan
scenario.
Specications (Specs)
The specications are a listing of all of the building materials
that are to be used during the construction process. The speci-
cations will be collected for the appraiser to assign proper value
to the home. Quality and cost of materials can vary greatly,
making specs an important part of the appraisal.
Building Contract
The building contract is a binding agreement between the bor-
rower and the builder/contractor. This agreement lists the scope
of the work to be completed and at what price.
Log Package Contract
This is a binding agreement between the borrower and log
home manufacturer that states the cost of the log package.
Legal Description for the Building Lot
The legal description states the boundaries, dimensions, and size
of the lot.
20 LogBuildingNews May/June 2005
Log Home Construction Financing
by Doug Groff, Vice President, American Log Mortgage
Divisions at Lumby, Armstrong, Kelowna,
Wineld, Williams Lake and Ashcroft
Meeting your log building
requirements with beam
logs and all species of
house logs.
Contacts:
Clive Powell 250-550-7233
Brian Exner 250-804-3416
Number 55 LogBuildingNews 21
An appraiser will then utilize the above-mentioned informa-
tion to establish a value for the new home that is being
nanced. In order to establish a value, the appraiser will need to
nd other homes of similar size and square footage that have
been recently resold in the area in which the new log home is
being built. The appraiser will then use the other homes as com-
parables to support the value given for the new log home.
Some lenders may require that the appraiser use only log home
comparables for the appraisal. Finding log home comparables
may be a challenge in some areas due to the fact that many
people who build log homes do not resell them. They build
them as dream homes to be kept and passed down through
generations. This is one area where it may benet a borrower to
work with a lender that specializes specically in log home
nancing. Lenders that specialize in log homes will normally
accept custom and conventionally built homes of similar size
and square footage as comparables if there are no log home
comparables available.
Title Insurance
A local title company or attorney in the borrowers area prepares
and sends the title insurance to the lender. The title insurance
ensures the lender that there are no outstanding liens on the
building lot. The borrower can choose the title company or
attorney that they would like to use.
Initial Settlement
The lender sends the closing agent (title company or attorney) a
set of closing instructions and closing documents. The instruc-
tions tell the closing agent how the lender wants the closing
documents to be executed. The closing agent reviews and exe-
cutes the settlement documents with the borrower. This is also
the time at which the seller of the building lot will be paid in full
and the lot transferred into the borrowers name (if the borrow-
er does not already own the lot prior to initial settlement). The
documents are then recorded in the local courthouse prior to
sending them back to the lender. After initial settlement, the
construction of the new home can begin.
Construction
This is the time during which the new home is built. During
construction, money is disbursed to the borrower and
builder/contractor to fund the building process through comple-
tion. The funds are disbursed according to a disbursement
schedule. During construction, the borrower will normally make
interest-only payments to the lender on the funds as they are
disbursed. A property inspection must be completed prior to the
release of funds. A local inspector will perform the periodic
inspections to determine that work is progressing according to
the disbursement schedule. When the inspection report is
received, the lender will release funds based on the inspectors
assessment.
The log package delivery to the building site is one very
important aspect of the disbursement schedule for a log home.
Most log home manufacturers require that the log home pack-
age be paid in full when the logs are delivered. Many lenders
will not pay for the logs until they are actually stacked on the
foundation. Most lenders that specialize in log home nancing
will pay for the log package in full prior to the delivery to the
building site.
Interest Rates
There are normally two interest rates involved with a construc-
tion-to-permanent loan. They are:
Construction Rate
This is the rate at which the borrower is making interest-only
payments as funds are disbursed during construction. This rate
is usually locked sometime between the loan application and ini-
tial settlement. The construction rate and term vary among dif-
ferent lenders.
Permanent Rate
This is the rate of the borrowers actual end loan mortgage. This
rate is normally locked sometime between loan application and
loan modication (the time at which the new home is com-
plete). The end loan rate and term also vary among different
lenders.
Loan Modication
Modication occurs when the new home construction is com-
plete. This is the process of converting the construction loan
into the permanent (end loan) mortgage. The lender sends the
borrower a modication package to their home. The package
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22 LogBuildingNews May/June 2005
includes documents for the borrower to sign and send back to
the lender in order to convert the construction loan to the nal
end loan mortgage. It is not necessary for the borrower to meet
with the attorney or title company again for the modication.
Permanent Mortgage
Also known as the end loan. This is the long-term mortgage
that is used to repay the funds that were borrowed as part of
the construction loan. Principal, interest, tax and insurance
escrow amounts, and mortgage insurance premiums (if
required) are paid by the borrower on a monthly basis. This is
the loan for which the borrower applied and was approved for
in the very beginning of the construction-to-permanent loan
process.
ICC Update
August 1st, 2005, deadline for Public comment
by Robert Savignac, Executive Director,ILBA
By now, most of you should be aware that the proposed
International Codes Council (ICC) Standard for the Design and
Construction of Log Structures is on line, and is accepting all
public comment as part of the approval process upon applica-
tion to the American National Standards. A link to this site is
provided on the ILBA website, and you should respond directly
to ICC with all suggestions and concerns. This comment period
will be pursued by a consensus committee
meeting, held at ICC offices near Chicago,
on August 29, 30, 31, where upon the com-
mittee will review all submitted and pro-
posed comments and changes made to this
draft. The concerned public is also invited to
attend and you may in fact speak on your
own behalf addressing your particular
amendments. Depending on the nature and
volume of response, there may or may not
be a second public comment period, for 30
days, allowed for a review of revisions. This is
indeed legislation set in place to govern our
industry. Speak now or forever hold your
peace.
Please review the entire document,
http://www.iccsafe.org/cs/standards/is-
log/draft060105.html and should you seek
clarication on any issue or denition, please
dont hesitate to ask for clarication.
The nine-member ICC consensus commit-
tee on log structures is required to consider
all input it receives from the public. Your
objections, suggestions and comments are a
relevent part of the approval process, and
integral to the development of an appropri-
ate guideline that will be legislated by
Building Code compliance. This is worthy of
your utmost attention and responce; mem-
bers can discuss issues amongst themselves
via our Members Only Forum.
Please also be aware the ILBA is reviewing
our own Log Building Standards; your input
is also valuable in developing standards
above and beyond those minimal code
requirements. All comments can be forward-
ed to the ILBA office at standards@logassoci-
ation.org
Number 55 LogBuildingNews 23
Why choose Dietrichs?
http://user.dietrichs.com
www.dietrichs.com Toll Free inquiries
w.dancey@dietrichs.com 1-877-877-0086
R.C.M. CAD Design & Drafting Ltd.
Exclusively designing log homes
& Post and Beam since 1994
Bus: (604) 702-1188 Fax: (604) 702-0022
E-mail: rcmcaddesign@shawbiz.ca
Web Page: www.loghomedesign.ca
Check out our Web page to learn about us & our product
April 6 9, 2006
ILBA 33rd AGM and Conference
Montebello, Quebec
www.logassociation.org
April 6 9, 2006
ILBA 33rd AGM and Conference
Montebello, Quebec
www.logassociation.org
Magnicant replace on construction (see article page 8/9)
24 LogBuildingNews May/June 2005
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and bed. $17,500 includes fresh batteries & tires.
Call Bryan or Ed
303-449-1336 or email ed@timmerhusinc.com
1999 Heartwood Band Sawmill Model
310 Electric Never been used 6 inch Double-
Cut (cutting travel speed up to 3 feet per
second). Requires 600 V. 3 Phase Power. Eighty-
eight feet of track. Operator travels with mill
head along track. Numerous track-mounted
hydraulic log handing systems and full
programmable computer controlled set works.
(We purchased 2 and only set one up for use.)
When purchased in 1999 value exceeded
$80,000.00 Canadian. Asking $65,000.00
Canadian. Moose Mountain Log Homes Inc.
Please arrange for an appointment to see the
twin unit in operation. Link to this model at
Heartwood Saw: http://www.heart
woodsaw.com/Model_310.html
Toll free 1-877-932-3992
One 1979 S688 Bantam 20 Ton Rough
Terrain Crane for sale, $30,000 Canadian or
$21,500 US. Presently stationed in Illinois. Very
Good Condition, 60 foot hydraulic boom or 80
foot with jib. Very fuel efficient 453 Detroit.
Should provide many years of trouble free
service. Call 1-877-932-3992.
We have for sale beetle kill, dead
standing, Lodgepole Pine house logs, saw
logs, big dead timber and rewood. D-log kits, 2
sided log kits, and peeled logs also available. We
can deliver to almost anywhere in the U.S. Please
call for more info and a price list. Willow Creek
Logging 970-887-2396 or email
dPetras8angels@yahoo.com
For Sale: Diamond Willow pieces range in
size from 3"-6" diameter and 3'-7' in length.
Great for crafting unique railings, posts, and
furniture. Cost $8.00/LF + (size and character
dependent). Call Peter at Sperlich Log
Construction Inc. 250-838-7455 or email
sales@canadianloghouse.com
1975 S-588 Bantam 18 Ton Rough
Terrain Crane Very good condition, 72 foot
hydraulic boom or 92 foot with jib. Is rated to lift
1610 lbs. at an 85 foot radius or 4700 lbs at a
50 foot radius. Very fuel efficient 453 Detroit.
Should provide many years of trouble free
service. Presently located in Cochrane Alberta.
$32,500 Canadian plus GST if applicable. Moose
Mountain Log Homes Inc. 1-877-932-3992
Pristine Log Homes can offer Certied Heat
Treated or Certied Kiln Dried logs/timbers. We
can also supply the logs/timbers to save you
trucking costs. Call Pristine for further
information at (250)547-2400.
HELP WANTED
Experienced Log Crafters Moose Mountain
Log homes Inc. currently has two full time long
term positions open for experienced log
handcrafters with dual US and Canadian
citizenship. Join a leading edge, quality oriented
company that has been in business for over 25
years! Please phone 1-877-932-3992 or
email: info@moosemountain.com
Wages, earnings based on experience.
Log Home Apprentice Wanted Experience
required. Howard Williamson, Custom Log
Homes Ltd., 3030 40th St. S.E.
Salmon Arm, BC, Canada V1E 1X7
Phone: 250-832-3690
Email: cuslog@airspeedwireless.ca
www.customloghomesltd.com
Need Two Log Builders for Permanent Full
Time Work. Required Now.Located in Quebec.
$18 to $28/hr + benets; depend on experience.
Join Us and Enjoy Quality Building and Complex
Roof Structure. Call Jean or Nancy Rodrigue at
819-832-2167 between 6 to 8 pm EST.
Motivated individual with construction
experience, graduating top of the class from
the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a Degree
in Construction looking for a position within the
log building industry that will allow me to grow
into a management position. Very determined,
self-motivated and willing to relocate. Can be
contacted at the following: Josh Peck, 29003
Long Lake, Danbury, Wisconsin 54830 Phone:
715 (259-3220) peckjosh@hotmail.com
Experienced full-scribe log builder and
log peelers wanted for year round, full-time
work. Big White Pine logs. Good working
conditions, minimal travel, good pay and
benets. Rural and beautiful Northern Vermont
near Connecticut River and White Mountains of
New Hampshire. 3 hours from Boston, Montreal
and coast of Maine. Outdoors oriented person
with good woodworking and math skills. To
apply send or email resume and references. The
Wooden House Co., Ltd., 3714 North Rd., S.
Ryegate, Vermont 05069 Phone: 802-429-2490
email: john@woodenhousecompany.com
Lead Timber Framer Two Dog Timberworks
is looking for an experienced TFer with at least 3
years full-time, professional experience. Must be
able to demonstrate experience with Western
softwoods, layout on dimensional & organic
material, cutting prociency, machinery
maintenance, job leadership, and strong raising
know-how. We are a smaller innovative company
that strives to attract challenging projects all over
the country. See our work at
www.twodogtimberworks.com. Join us in the
beautiful NW corner of Washington State and be
a part of a great team that loves what we do! Pay
D.O.E., full benet package, rewarding work.
Contact Laurel or Pete Slisz at (360)-366-5350 or
e-mail us at info@twodogtimberworks.com.
Apprentice Timber Framer Two Dog
Timberworks is looking for an Apprentice TFer.
Must have general woodworking experience
and a solid working knowledge of hand and
power tools. We are a smaller innovative
company that strives to attract challenging
projects all over the country. See our work at
www.twodogtimberworks.com. Join us in the
beautiful NW corner of Washington State and be
a part of a great team that loves what we do!
Pay D.O.E., full benet package, rewarding work.
Contact Laurel or Pete Slisz at (360)-366-5350 or
e-mail us at info@twodogtimberworks.com.
Help Wanted Motivated individual with
construction experience, graduating top of the
class from the University of Wisconsin-Stout with
a Degree in Construction looking for a position
within the log building industry that will allow
me to grow into a management position. Very
determined, self-motivated, and willing to
relocate. Can be contacted at the following:
Josh Peck, 29003 Long Lake, Danbury, Wisconsin
54830 Phone 715 (259-3220) or email
peckjosh@hotmail.com
Number 55 LogBuildingNews 25
Log Builders and Timber Framers
Wanted We need 4 to 5 log home builders
and/or timber framers at our plant in Chilliwack,
BC. We will be busy for the whole next year.
Please contact us via email at cancedar@shaw.ca
or phone 604-836-8315 and ask for Gerhard.
Experienced Log Home Builder or Fitter
required now, for full time year round position.
Wages depend on experience. Please send,
email or bring resume with references to
Whitevalley Log Homes Ltd., 77 Cochrane Road
Cherryville, BC V0E 2G3
Phone and fax: (250)547-6666
Email: whitevalley@paralynx.com
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Bids are being accepted by the ILBA for:
Software: New ArchiCAD 9 Program
Education: Training program certicates for log
building for Del Radomske's Okanagan School of
Log Building (50% off of tuition fee) and Pat
Wolfe School of Log Building (100% of tuition
fee), Timber Framing at College of the Rockies
(50% off of tuition fee).
Chinking Product: Gift Certicate for 2 ve
gallon pails of Weatherall 1021 Textured
Caulking
Call Cathy at the ILBA office at 1-800-532-2900
for further details.
EVENTS AND TRAI NI NG
September 29 October 3, 2005.
ILBA Norway-Sweden Tour
October 4 9, 2005
Log Home Construction Theory and
Practice World Experience Log builders
section at Latvian Chambers of Crafts with Rigas
Technical University and International Log
Builders Association would like to announce the
conference Log Home Construction Theory and
Practice World Experience in Riga Latvia,
October 49, 2005. Detailed information at
www.lak.lv and www.logassociation.org
March 27, 2006
Training the Log Builders of
Tomorrow
16-week entry level class, starts March 27,
2006
www.okslb.com
Contact Del Radomskes Okanagan School of
Log Building International at 250-765-5166
or email: info@okslb.com for more
information.
April 6 9, 2006
ILBA 33rd AGM and Conference
Montebello, Quebec
www.logassociation.org
Space
Available
Advertise
TODAY!
HELP WANTED
WELCOME!
NEW COMPANY
MEMBERS
American Log Mortgage
Association of Latvian Craft, The
Builders Union of Latvian
Chamber of Crafts LCC
Deutsche Blockhaus Akademie
Graham Bruce OField Ing. Bro
Hirspek Oy
Les dessins ConSpecTek Inc.
Mile High Log Homes
North Country Log Homes
Preservation Trades Network
RENEWI NG
COMPANY MEMBERS
Artisan Log Works
Bitterroot Timber Frames
Canadian Log Home Supply
Delta Log & Timber Homes, Inc.
EDR Ltd.
Great Lakes School of Log Building
& Stonemasonry
Hilgard Log Builders
Hoigaard Tommerhuse APS
Legend Log Crafters LLC
Les habitations APEX
Mitchell Mountain Company
Mountainview Log Structures
Nicola Log Works Ltd.
Schroeder Log Home Supply Inc.
Senty Log Homes
Structures de bois rond Harkins
Top Notch Log Construction
Top Notch Logbuilders, Inc.
Treehouse Log Homes of the NW,
LLC
Vision Logworks Ltd./Onward Log
Homes
Wayside Press Ltd.
Western Woods, Inc.
NEW I NDI VI DUAL
& EMPLOYEE
MEMBERS
Cohen, Steve
Garth, Kit
Hunter, Ken
Lepine, Roger
Nicoll, Randy
Olson, Chris
Ryan, Chuck
Speer, Sam
RENEWI NG
I NDI VI DUAL
& EMPLOYEE
MEMBERS
Auger, Simon
Dorn, Ben
Ducharme, Patrick
Feder, Mark
Hemp, Ralph K.
Hurtubise, Michel
Kisken, Bill
Larimer, James W.
Larson, Margot
Lemieux, Hugo
Macdonald, Gordon
Meyer, Stephen
Moore, Anthony (Tony)
Paris, Dan
Parks, Ben
Patterson, Jeffrey
Patterson, Martha
Rodrigue, Jean
Rogers, Tim
Sasser, Lisa
Seekings, Cormac
Smiley, Troy
Tellier, Jocelyn
Wait, Jerry
Walker, Cliff
New and Renewing Members Since Our Last Issue
26 LogBuildingNews May/June 2005
Learn about timber framing
Experience the joy of building
community through craft
Timber Framers Guild
education inspiration
888-453-0879
www.TFGUILD.ORG
Support the advertisers who support Log Building News. Its a win-win situation!
Sheep Wool Insulation
For Log Homes
in Rope, Batts or
Loose-Fill
Ph/Fax: 403-845-6705
E-MAIL
stan@goodshepherdwool.com
www.GoodShepherdWool.com
Call STAN for a Free-Sample
Now in Europe, Africa, South America, 37 states & 11 Prov./Terr.
Building Healthy Log Homes Naturally!
Summer Beam Books
specializing in timber framing
and related topics
2299 Rte 488
Clifton Springs, NY 14432
toll free 877-272-1987
315-462-3444
Charlotte Cooper, owner
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MEMBER NAHB
ILBA MAHB
GLLCA HBALC
MERRITT CONTRACTING, INC.
LICENSED & INSURED
Gordon Merritt 7269 Richardson
President Howell, MI 48843
(734) 878-9055 www.merrittloghomes.com
LOG HOME SPECIALISTS
New Construction & Repairs
THE PAT WOLFE
LOG BUILDING SCHOOL
Pat Wolfe has 30+ years experience teaching 1000s of students
Choose from 1, 4, or 10-week courses
Hands-on learning
Courses in spring & fall
Also available: Pat Wolfe Log Scriber-$70
613-256-0631
RR2 Lanark, Ontario Canada K0G 1K0
Email: pwolfe@istar.ca www.logbuildingschool.net
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VERNON KAMLOOPS
BRITISH COLUMBIA
tel: 250.372.3373
fax: 250.828.6848
toll free in BC: 1-800-663-6432
mel@waysidepress.com
PROUD TO SERVE
THE INTERNATIONAL
LOG BUILDERS
ASSOCIATION
Celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2005
Number 55 LogBuildingNews 27
Cathy Hansen, Executive Director
cathy@logassociation.org
Melody Irmen, Accounting
melody@logassociation.org
Ann Miks, Administrative Assistant
ann@logassociation.org
Robrt Savignac, Executive Director
robert@logassociation.org
International Log Builders Association
P.O. Box 775
Lumby, British Columbia
V0E 2G0 Canada
800-532-2900 toll-free
250-547-8776 phone
250-547-8775 fax
www.logassociation.org
FOR MORE I NFORMATI ON
How to get Log Building News
Log Building News is mailed to all ILBA
members. Articles, photos and letters are
welcomed. The deadline for LBN 56 is
August 15, 2005.
If you submit articles in Microsoft Word

on CD or by email, send them directly to

the ILBA office.
Back issues of Log Building News are
available from the Association office.
Call 800-532-2900 to order.
Copyright notice
Log Building News is copyrighted in
Canada and the United States. Express
written permission is required from the
ILBA and, in some cases, from the author,
before any article or photo can be
photocopied, distributed or republished.
Contact the ILBA office for details.
Disclaimer
The views and information expressed in
articles and ads appearing in Log Building
News are those of the authors of those
articles and ads. The International Log
Builders Association assumes no responsi-
bility for the accuracy of the information
contained herein and does not edit or
investigate any article or ad for that pur-
pose.
Log Building Standards
The ILBA Log Building Standards, the
building code for handcrafted, scribe-t &
chinked log homes are available online at
the ILBA Web site, www.logassociation.org
and can be downloaded to your computer
at no charge as an Adobe Acrobat PDF
le.
Advertising
Log Building News welcomes advertisers.
Please contact the ILBA office for deadlines.
Advertisers can send completed ads as:
Press optimized PDF format with fonts
embedded
QuarkXpress format (Mac preferred, but
PC is acceptable) with screen and printer
fonts, images, and graphics included.
PhotoShop (7.0 or below) or Illustrator
(10.0 and below) EPS les.
300 dpi greyscale TIFs or high resolution
JPGs
Microsoft Publisher les must be convert-
ed to PDF format with fonts embedded.
All greyscale images should be scanned at
266 or higher and be in JPG or TIF format.
Black and white line art should be sent in
TIF format scanned at 600 dpi or as
original art for scanning.
Submissions can be made on Zip disk,
CD-ROM, oppy disk or via email. Com-
pressed .sit, .zip or .sea les are acceptable.
Editorial copy can be sent as Microsoft
Word, PDF or QuarkXpress documents, or
saved in text only format (.txt) from any
word processing program.
Contact the ILBA for other digital le infor-
mation by email: cathy@logassociation.org
Log Building News is a great way to con-
tact the best log home builders. The ILBA
is the largest group of builders of hand-
crafted log homes in the world our
members made well over $250 million of
logwork last year. Please contact the office
at 800-532-2900 for an advertising speci-
cation sheet and ad rates.
Joining the ILBA
Membership in the International Log Builders
Association is open to any interested person.
Members get a copy of the ILBA Log Building
Standards, one year of Log Building News, member-
ship certicate, voting privileges, discounted confer-
ence registration, a listing in the Annual Directory, a
copy of the Association Constitution and Bylaws,
use of computerized help wanted and work wanted
ads, and all ILBA mailings and notices. Company
memberships have additional benets. The ILBA
accepts Visa or MasterCard. For more information
on dues and member benets, please call the ILBA
office at 800-532-2900.
President
Jeffrey J. Patterson
Tel: 208-683-3330
Fax: 208-683-3331
jeff@edgewoodlog.com
Vice-President
Pat Clark
Tel: 406-863-9482
Fax: 406-862-1158
pclark@aboutmontana.net
Treasurer
Martha Patterson
Tel: 208-683-3330
Fax: 208-683-3331
martha@edgewoodlog.com
Clerk
Vic Janzen
Tel: 604-858-4135
Fax: 604-858-5665
vicjanzen@uniserve.com
Directors
Egils Artmanis
Tel: 303-775-8333
egipapa@msn.com
2005 ILBA Officers
Sjoerd Bos
Tel: 519-245-2001
Fax: 519-245-4759
sb@sansin.com
Mark Fritch
Tel: 503-668-7130
Fax: 503-668-3285
mfritch@loghomz.com
Elaine Nosaka
Tel: 703-227-5275
Fax: 703-222-3209
enosaka@homebuyerpubs.com
Jean Rodrigue
Tel: 819-832-2167
j..rodrigue@sympatico.ca
Board Volunteers
Todagin Hodson
Tel: 250-846-5699
Fax: 250-846-5680
info@redwillowrustic.ca
Mark Williams
Tel: 519-461-0114
Fax: 519-461-0117
info@sunstreamloghomes.com
Coming up in the July/August issue
Update on the cross country road trip,
European Tour and Latvian Conference updates,
...and more Tech Talk.
SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLES TODAY - WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
I N OUR NEXT I S S UE