The Owner

I'm Bill Kisken, the owner of Log Weavers. I arrived in Alaska at the age of 18 and began building with logs almost immediately, constructing log cabins at a remote lodge during the summers. I have since continued to build with logs in the Fairbanks area.

As my skills evolved I became interested in improving the quality of the log work being done at that time. I began experimenting with scribes, saw chain, cutting techniques and more complex joinery while striving to improve quality and to make log work more efficient.

The Alaska log house has also changed a great deal during the last 25 years, the only houses we could build then were simple in design and execution...Many of the methods and tools we routinely use today were unavailable then, in many cases they had yet to be invented. This log building renaissance period was going on all over Canada and the United States and the result was a compilation of some new innovative log building methods and techniques, which revolutionized the industry. Better homes were the result, the ability to achieve fits that stay tight forever, and the skills to build more complex designs.

My career has mirrored the changes in the log home industry. I started building with logs using hand tools to cut and my back and brawn to move logs, now I own three cranes and the best tools money can buy. I'm glad I've had a chance to participate in the growth and changes of log homes over the last 25 years.

Why Not Logs?

W arm

H ealthy  living

Y our Alaskan values

 

N atural

O ld fashioned craftsmanship

T raditional

 

L ocal work and materials

O odles of character

G reen

S atisfaction guaranteed

 

One of my jobs as a log builder is to sell log homes. In previous years, selling was not the problem; there were plenty of people who wanted a log home and keeping up with the demand was the challenge. In today’s world the market is different. Not as many homes are being built, and log homes seem to be getting a smaller slice of that pie.

Why? I’m not sure, but it’s hard to believe that a log home is not a viable choice in the heart of Alaska. The simplest sales pitch I can give is my previous work. I do not have unhappy customers. Everybody I have built for loves their log home, and they tell me so every chance they get. What do customers say about their log homes that sets them apart from conventional houses? Of course, they say that their log homes are warm and have charm – but you can say that about any well-built house.

Logs really are different. The recurring theme I get from people who live in a log house draws upon two features that conventional houses lack. First, the eye never tires of looking at the logs in the wall and in the roof. They are a harmony of God’s natural materials, each one similar but also different – not unlike snowflakes – and the craftsman’s skill in joining and fitting them together is evident. Looking at logs is not unlike looking at a distant mountain range or sunset: the view is familiar and comforting, but also new, surprising, and revealing each time you see it. You never tire of looking at a log wall, no matter how many times you have seen it before.

Log homes are a good choice for Alaska. They are everything you want in a home: beautiful, energy efficient (i.e., they regularly receive 5 star plus energy ratings), unique, and everything in between. The feeling you get when you walk into a log home warrants its own discussion. Most log home owners would agree that log homes embody hygge, a Scandinavian concept that refers to the feeling of cozy contentment and well-being through enjoyment of the simple things in life. When you call a log house your home, you invite hyggeligt into your lifestyle.

 
WHY NOT LOGS? There is no reason.


WHAT WE DO

Design and build natural log homes

Repair log homes

Refinish log homes