My brother Mike's log house

[ron david]

This about my brother Mike building his log house H e originally asked a builder to quote on building the shell of the house and he was going to finish it. 3400 sq. ft. they gave him a price of $250,000.00 in 1980. he built it himself(and by himself) in 1981 and never missed a days work. he fell and cut himself everything which went into this house by himself and was all initially done with an alaskan mill. the saw was a 797 McCullough. it was a Walker built saw and thet then were mainly used for competition. he cut all lumber rough and finish lumber . also did his own shakes. think that you will find it interesting. it was built in Nanaimo, B.C.. he was a commercial fisherman and then went falling trees in the winter for something to do.



he burned about 16 cord a year and the fireplace supplied the heat


this was the fireplace and it went right to the top of the wall which was open to the peak on about1/2 of the house
ron

[ron david]

some of it going together

It was situated on 11 1/2 acres and at the back end. the driveway just comes up from a creek here

[ron david]

ron

[ron david]

a little of the inside finished

he cut all of his floor material also. there was white birch, maple, gary oak and yew wood floors in the house. fir doors where they were used and for the stairway

ron

[Andrew Hughes]

That's a nice place Ron ,Looks like your brother has more talent and ambition in his little finger than some have in their whole body.Great job on the roof shakes the only part I could imagine myself doing.
Whats the primary wood for the structure Doug fir , ponderosa pine?
He also kept a clean site.Thanks for sharing.

[ron david]

That's a nice place Ron ,Looks like your brother has more talent and ambition in his little finger than some have in their whole body.Great job on the roof shakes the only part I could imagine myself doing.
Whats the primary wood for the structure Doug fir , ponderosa pine?
He also kept a clean site.Thanks for sharing.

thanks
Douglas fir and also blazed all the logs on the outside with a broad axe. most of the trees came off his own properties. there use to be some coal mining in this area. he always kept things pretty clean. force of habit from always working on the water and keeping crap awaty from underfoot and his nets when working on or with them
I deckhanded for him on halibut 2 years 69 & 75 off the west coast of the Queen Charlottes
ron

[ron david]

final page and hope that we aren't boring you. pretty nice on the dovetails wasn't it?
a couple pics of the kitchen. the floors here are yew and the cupboards were teredo worm eaten yellow cedar


He wasn't very fancy about the fixings

the picture here is of the cedar tree that he cut down just for the shakes for the roof. he did get caught taking this tree as it was on crown land. it was just him and his wife there and the 2 guys came along and asked him if it was him that laid it down which he did a good job as he would go falling in the winter for something to do. he was a commercial fisherman otherwise. they looked around and the only saw that they saw was this one with a 20"bar sitting on a stump. they looked at it and then my brother and then asked him if that was the saw that he used and he replied wit a very straight face and said yep/ they looked at the tree,him and then the saw and said pretty nice job and left him be. the big saw was in the truck. he was the master with the straight face. another time he was cutting down this oak tree for me above the power line in Nanaimo and here was this fellow who was watching us from a ways of and I guess that curiosity finally got the better of him. So he ventured over and asked what we were doing. my brother looked up at him and said, " I am doing what I do best sir". the fellow replied, "and what is that". My brother came back and said to him, "minding my own funny business". Irregardless that was the end of the conversation and again he didn't crack a smile until after.
he has knocked down bigger trees than this one. while logging in the Karmannagh he took down a spruce tree that took about 10 hours for the undercut
I think that he did ok for a man who had both polio and rheumatic fever before he was 6 years old and only finished grade 8
He passed from cancer in 1993 at the age 53.
ron
the house at the top of the peake was 30 1/2 feet and was 3 1/2 feet over the board of variances in height. there was never at any time any monies ever owing on house or property. when it did come time for the final building inspection the inspector did his job and walked around the outside of the house with my brother he said, " I cannot see over 27 feet, pretty nice job" and then signed it off.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Ron, that's an incredible amount of work. The whole house is a work of art. Your brother is a fine craftsman.

I have to ask .. what is the composition of the cement ?

I enjoyed looking at this very much. Thank you.

[ron david]

Ron, that's an incredible amount of work. The whole house is a work of art. Your brother is a fine craftsman.

I have to ask .. what is the composition of the cement ?

I enjoyed looking at this very much. Thank you.

thanks for the comment
as per the cement??. perhaps just what the ready-mix truck bought
ron

[Jason Roehl]

That's a pretty neat log home, quite the accomplishment.

You said he passed in '93...what's the status of the house now?

[John TenEyck]

Thanks for much for sharing the pictures and stories. Your brother had an incredible amount of ambition and talent. I've cut a fair amount of lumber with an Alaskan Mill, but I'd never consider tackling all the logs for that house.

John

[ron david]

Thanks for much for sharing the pictures and stories. Your brother had an incredible amount of ambition and talent. I've cut a fair amount of lumber with an Alaskan Mill, but I'd never consider tackling all the logs for that house.

John

not a good picture of the saw but as mentioned before that it was a hopped up old McCullough 797 chain saw putting out about 14hp that was his go to saw. he used husqvarna saws for falling
I have the saw
ron

[John TenEyck]

not a good picture of the saw but as mentioned before that it was a hopped up old McCullough 797 chain saw putting out about 14hp that was his go to saw. he used husqvarna saws for falling
I have the saw
ron

Thanks Ron. Geez, 14 HP is a monster. I use a Husky 385XP for milling which is around 7 HP if I remember right. I've often wanted more when I get into logs larger than 24" or so.

As for college or skid row - I think there are lots of ways to make money, some easier than others. But in nearly all cases there's no substitution for basic intelligence and hard work. Doesn't matter if you are a banker or plumber. The smart ones who work really hard generally do well.

John

[ron david]

Walker built those saws for competition at logging events. there was a pull for the compression release or you would never get them started. those saws also ruined a lot of hands over the years from the fallers that used them from the vibration. with the Alaskan mill with a 30"cut you jussyt opened the throttle and it would cut full bore
ron

[Phil Thien]

Walker built those saws for competition at logging events. there was a pull for the compression release or you would never get them started. those saws also ruined a lot of hands over the years from the fallers that used them from the vibration. with the Alaskan mill with a 30"cut you jussyt opened the throttle and it would cut full bore
ron

That was what I was wondering, figuring they'd either have to have low/high gear or something else, otherwise you'd rip your arm off at the shoulder.

Beautiful house and great story, thanks for sharing!