Amid a housing shortage, these Colville Lake residents are building their own homes with logs

Some residents in Colville Lake, N.W.T., are using materials from the land to build their future homes. 

Colville Lake, like all communities across the N.W.T., is dealing with a housing shortage which is being accentuated by inflationary costs on materials, the high cost of moving freight and a lack of available and affordable labour.

Kyle Tutcho and Tyrall Kochon are among those working around those obstacles by learning how to build with logs and working toward constructing their own homes. 

They've been working toward their homes for years and the finished product is still likely years away.  

"Long process, can't just all be done in one year, got to let that gravel settle for a year because it sinks in," Tutcho said. 

The pair spoke with CBC News in September while out at Horton Lake, a traditional gathering spot for Behdzi Ahda First Nation (Colville Lake). The pair were busy during the visit setting up numerous wooden tent frames for various community members. 

'They're good for cold weather'

Colville Lake Chief Richard Kochon says he knows a lot of young people in the community want their own homes. 

As a result, the band has been letting community members like Tutcho and Tyrall Kochon use heavy equipment to work on their projects. 

"We want to help them to build their log houses," he said. 

"We like log houses. Our logs are not too big, but they last long."

Kochon said the logs are particularly good for the Colville Lake climate.

"They're good for cold weather too … When it gets cold outside, it doesn't get cool in there or anything," he said.

"Because that log grew up in –40 below, –50 below." 

Skills learned in B.C.

Tutcho and Tyrall Kochon acquired the skill to build with logs after attending a program in log building at the Island School of Building Arts on Gabriola Island in B.C.

James Mitchell, who was their teacher, said he's happy that the two are using their skills to build their prospective homes. 

"They were a lot of fun, they did a great job," he said. 

"I'm just thrilled that they're doing that, because that's been my objective is to teach the skills and have them take them back to the communities and build their home, get into business and teach other people."

Mitchell has spent significant time in the N.W.T. teaching log building.

He said the skill is ideal for the territory due to the high costs of materials, transportation and labour, and added logs are  suited for the cold climate. 

"It's the perfect material for the northern areas, because it absorbs heat and gives it off later," he said. 

"When you heat up the house during the day, at nighttime is when it radiates back." 

Although trees in the N.W.T. tend to be smaller than down south, Mitchell said that's not a problem for building log structures. 

"It's a matter of just building properly and designing properly and if you don't have access to longer logs, you build with shorter logs — it's all doable," he said. 

Mitchell said the process of building a log home does take a long time, which is especially the case in the North due to shifting ground through permafrost thaw.

The logs themselves also take time to prepare and then there's building process, he added. 

Tyrall Kochon and Tutcho say a nice part of building their own homes is that they get to design it exactly how they want. 

Kochon's advice for other people planning to build their own log cabin is to stay dedicated to the project. 

"You got to have the will to do the work," he said.

And for Tutcho, he says although his completed home is still years away, he reminds himself it isn't a race.

"It's a long process, don't go fast, go nice and slow, turtle wins the race."