Most construction businesses are always looking ahead, at the next big thing. The Gervais brothers of Lake Country Log Homes do just the opposite.
“You’re not just building a subdivision home, you’re building something that people dream of since they were kids or their grandparents had a log cabin,” says Jamie Gervais, owner, vice president and sales manager. “A lot of people are really into it and appreciate the traditional way and craftsmanship we put into it.”
Jamie and his brother Rob grew up around the family business of building log cabins. After taking over in 2008, the brothers had to overcome recession-related challenges but ultimately it became a true labor of love. Thanks to the lessons instilled by their parents, Jamie lends much of the business’s reputation to its history, craftsmanship, and family values.
It’s the craftsmanship in hand-selecting and shaping logs that sets Lake Country Log Homes apart.
“Homeowners have a name, not a job number,” says Jamie, and by keeping the business on a smaller scale they can still have a family relationship with their clients. Lake Country Log Homes has built hundreds of homes since the brothers took over, ranging in scale from 800 square feet to upwards of 35,000.
Clients have handed Jamie napkins with sketches (where most great ideas start), while others send loads of photos for inspiration. Most people come to them because they want something unique and trust them in building their dream home.
“What we do is art,” says Jamie, “most people give us the green light to build and design how we think it should be built.”
It’s the craftsmanship in hand-selecting and shaping logs that sets Lake Country Log Homes apart. To pick logs for builds, Rob makes multiple trips to the British Columbia coast to different sort yards. He mainly sources western cedar and Douglas fir trees and the company follows sustainable logging practices and reforestation.
It’s an extremely selective process to find the right logs for a build, says Jamie, as western red cedar logs are one of a kind with character traits like flares, swirls, twists, and dots. Specialty logs, which are typically larger and have more of these features, are placed in high-visible areas and are left as natural as possible. “They’re all chiseled and peeled by hand,” Jamie says, “but we don’t start trying to take it off to make it a perfect log, because you want the nature of the log inside your home.”
On a typical day, two to three homes are being constructed at the Lake Country Log Homes yard in addition to other work on custom stairs and railings, at the sawmill, and traveling to job sites. Homes are hand-crafted and pre-built in the yard and then shipped to the final site.
“It’s a fun place to be,” Jamie says about the construction yard in British Columbia, “I’ve seen it my whole life, and I still love going out there to touch and feel the logs.” There are builders, peelers and log finishers on-site to perfect each log to be shipped off for the final build. With each log being a different size and shape, it’s a true art when it all comes together.
The LCLH Workwear Essentials
To work in this environment, the crew needs quality and durable gear. When it comes to workwear, they aren’t scared to try new things — they were most recently introduced to Dickies and have been wearing the line’s carpenter jeans, button-downs, thermals, and hoodies. Jamie says the crew loves what they’re wearing and some have even gone out and bought more.
Dickies Thermal Lined Full-Zip Fleece Hoodie
Dickies Heavyweight Brawny Flannel Shirt
Dickies Thermal Henley Shirt
Dickies Relaxed Fit Heavyweight Carpenter Jeans
Whether it’s the crew, some who have been with the company for 30 years; clients, some who call to say ‘hi’ 20 years later; or the business itself, which’s been building homes since the ‘80s, Lake Country Log Homes treats all aspects like family. “We love what we do, obviously. It’s a lifestyle and family that work together.”