Logs Haven’t Kept Pace With Wild Upswing In Lumber Prices
Logs Haven’t Kept Pace With Wild Upswing In Lumber Prices
NANAIMO – While the price of lumber has shot through the roof during the COVID-19 pandemic, surprisingly, the price of log homes packages have not.
Laura Kandall, who owns and manages Norse Log Homes Ltd., notes that their homes are more affordable than ever when compared with today’s conventional framed house building due to the fact raw logs require less handling than three-dimensional lumber.
“Lumber is processed very heavily, while logs are cut in the bush, taken to a sorting area, and delivered to us. There is very little handling involved, which means the price of logs during COVID hasn’t dramatically increased like other lumber has.
“Recently certain types of lumber have gone up more than double the price, and to keep costs down for some customers, we are trying to remove as much framing material as possible and use logs as an alternative. Building a log rancher is less costly than building a typical two storey home now.”
Kandall literally grew up in the business, as her father John Dahle started building log homes in 100 Mile House before the family moved to Nanaimo to open Norse Log Homes Ltd. in 1984.
“He saw Vancouver Island as a great opportunity as we have some of the world’s best wood, specifically Douglas Fir logs,” she recalls. “It made sense to be located at the source of the best Douglas Fir as we primarily build with it. It is a very strong wood and consistent in size.
“The last few years have been very busy as carbon-neutral and energy-efficiency has become popular,” she notes. “Our carbon footprint is low and people love the natural building look more than ever.”
Kandall notes the keys to Norse Log Homes’ success are the company’s commitment to quality and value, adding “we build as if our customers are our friends and try to offer the best advice we can to stay within their budgets.”
Norse Log Homes builds new log homes worldwide as well as offering refurbishing of older log and timber homes locally.
“We also specialize in staining and caulking products, and seeing an older home brought to its original glory is very rewarding,” Kandall adds.
