Meet Our Team
We love what we do and are passionate about building log and timber homes and have been handcrafting log & timber structures since 1997. We have at hand the most experienced team of Designers and Log & Timber Artisans in the Southern Hemisphere. With diverse Industry related Knowledge and Experience, we are at the Forefront of integrating Traditional Craftsmanship with Innovative Technology. The people that you deal with at Alpine Log & Timber Homes are the owner the designers and craftsmen who build your log or timber home. Not the salesmen or middlemen that are trying to sell you a home.
The owner of Alpine Log & Timber Log Homes has been handcrafting log homes since 1997, A Carpenter by trade and undertaking his apprenticeship originally with the Master Builders Association Group Scheme and then the re-named Building Industry Group Scheme (BIGS). Upon completion of his apprenticeship worked for several Melbourne based building companies and gained invaluable experience specializing in traditional roofing framing techniques. Louis travelled to the USA and Canada to study Log Home Construction and attended the world famous Pat Wolfe School of Log Building in Ontario Canada. Upon returning to Australia was the founding partner of Great Bear Log Homes and recently with his family by his side decided four years ago to branch out on his own and return to the grass roots of the handcrafted log home industry working in New Zealand with Natural Log Homes and invited to work alongside the team of Pioneer Log Homes of Canada. Passionate about functional and economical design, Louis works closely with the owners and the designers at Alpine Design to achieve a unique dream and affordable log or timber home.
Log Homes Canada is a family owned and operated business. It started with one man building his personal home in the back woods of B.C. and has become a family of individuals with a passion to create log homes for any location around the world. Today Log Homes Canada has created a reputation of unsurpassed quality and is recognized world-wide for crafting some of the best log homes from our native Western Red Cedar. Log Homes Canada® is Canada’s foremost domestic and international supplier of fine, handcrafted log homes, cabins, kits and plans and your builder-direct source. We use only the finest quality materials such as Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir. With 30 years’ experience in this industry, and direct access to British Columbia’s vast renewable forests, you can rely on us to build some of the finest log homes available anywhere in the world.
Scotty has recently joined the Alpine Log and Timber Home team after returning to Australia from Canada in 2021. Scotty spent three years with Summit Log Homes based on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, where he gained his skills and experience as a log builder. Honing his log building craft with post and beam projects through to full scribed handcrafted log homes. Scotty’s experience extends to landscaping, timber milling and crafting rustic furniture. With a background in outdoor education, his passion for the outdoors and adventure lead him to travel to Canada in 2011, skiing and working in the snow fields. In 2017 he completed a log building and timber framing course, from then was hooked. He’s a natural fit to the Alpine Log and Timber Homes team, sharing a passion for building magnificent handcrafted log homes and the enjoying the great outdoors.
Completing his apprenticeship in 1991 with Prospect Homes in Melbourne and soon after began sub-contracting to several Melbourne based building companies. Then in 1993-1996 Aymen & Louis van der Heyden entered into partnership sub-contracting building traditional hardwood frames and roof systems. Aymen’s connection to log building started in 1998 when invited by Louis to attend the internationally recognized Pat Wolfe School of Log Building course, upon completion he commence working for Great Bear Log Homes soon after. With a change in life approaching he returned to Melbourne and continued to expand his knowledge of the building industry initially working for the Australian Building Codes Board and then as a Building Surveyors assistant. In 2013 he returned to log building again with the team in Mansfield and has just recently has purchased a property in Mt Dandenong, Victoria, where he is going to draw upon his extensive experience in the building industry and build a Hybrid Log, Stone and Timber Home with his partner Helen.
A chance meeting with Louis the owner of Alpine Log & Timber homes on a bus between Murray Bridge and Adelaide, chatting about the virtues of log homes and traditional building techniques lead to the beginning of a new adventure. Having completed a Bachelors Degree in Construction Management & Economics and several years working on some of Australia’s largest commercial projects, and with the seed now planted Peter sought to return to his roots and passion for fine craftsmanship and traditional carpentry. A decision to pursue and develop this skill in log construction was made and subsequently enrolled in the log home building course with industry luminary Lloyd Beckedorf of Moose Mountain Log Homes in Alberta, Canada. Once completed, his skills and eye for detail were quickly recognised and put to work in the log yard of Wayne Sparshu of Spar Log Homes in Alberta Canada. Peter, now a Project Manager, works around Australia and North America developing some of the countries most prestigious estates and custom residences. As a contract log builder with Alpine Log & Timber Homes, Peter keeps close his passion for Log and Timber framing.
Building log homes since 1998, Brad first put on a nail bag at 16 yrs of age working on his school holidays for Knox Building and Design in Eltham, Victoria. with Hamish Knox the son of Alistair Knox the inspirational pioneer of Post & Beam construction and Mud Brick Homes in the outer Melbourne suburbs of Eltham and Christmas Hills. Brad has been involved with and specializing in alternative styles of construction for over thirty years and moved too Mansfield, Victoria in 1998 to work for Great Bear Log Homes expanding his knowledge and skill sets in alternative building construction. Brad worked mainly on the complex Log Roofing Systems and was instrumental in developing new techniques for log truss construction and safe work practices for roof framing the log home on site. In recent years Brad has been invited to work along side log home industry luminaries at Natural Log Homes of New Zealand and Pioneer Log Homes of Canada. When you order a log or Timber Post & Beam Home, Brad will be your point of contact to arrange visits to the log yard to view your log home under construction.
Originally a Professional Photographer Hank and his family moved to Mansfield in 2003 and soon after commenced employment at Great Bear Log Homes, originally as a log peeler and was soon offered a full time position as a log builder working his way up to being the Yard Boss and in charge of two (2) log peelers and a crew of five (5) apprentice Carpenter/Log Builder with the associated responsibilities of training staff and quality control of the Log Home under construction. In early 2008 after five (5) years of work as a Log Builder Hank and his family returned to Melbourne for their daughters education at the prestigious Steiner School for her secondary education and he returned to his original profession of Photography. Over the past couple of years Hank and his family have returned to their property in Mansfield and he has embarked on a new venture with the establishment of Swift Crest Distilleries and now contracts locally as a log builder once again, not afraid of log peeling when necessary while he waits for the first barrels of Whiskey to mature.
Starting as a school based apprentice at Great Bear Log Homes in 2005, Zach finished his Carpentry/Log Building apprenticeship in 2008 and continued to work as log builder for further three (3) years as the Crew Boss, responsible for training new staff and apprentices before expanding his carpentry experience and leaving for Melbourne and the “Big Smoke” In his new venture Zach soon was appointed as foreman for his first boss in Melbourne at BHC Constructions Working on High End renovations and new homes in the prestigious suburbs of Toorak and Kew and the last two years at Questbuild, where he has acquired a wide range of construction and trade experience on quality homes for concerning clients. His interpersonal relationship skills with both staff and clients are a benefit to our team and lend him to leading our Lock-up team of carpenters. Recently he has made the big step into real estate and purchased a home in the township of Mansfield and will once again be wielding a chainsaw and chisel building log homes.
Starting his building career as an apprentice Solid Fibrous Plasterer, which is now one of our lost trades. This is where it all began for Craig with his love of old school craftsmanship and the preservation of lost skills and knowledge. With 26 yrs of building and renovating behind him he first stated buying and renovating period homes at 23 years of age of and moved to country hamlet of Jamieson in Victoria’s High Country soon after. Not long after travelling and working his way around Australia for 6 years Craig returned to Jamieson settled down and started a family. Working in rural Victoria has lead Craig to wear many hats as a Registered Builder and has lead him to running and operating a small portable sawmill and 7 years ago began learning another lost trade, blacksmithing in an effort to become more self-reliant. When it comes to unique and individual one off hand forged items in your Log & Timber Homes Craig is our man to give you a one off customized work of art. Craig brings to us his passion for timber products and 10 yrs of sawmilling operation to our Post & Beam range homes.
Integrated Process™- ALPINE DESIGN TEAM
Milan Brodina
Designer
With eighteen (18) years of log building experience and originally from the Czech Republic, Milan graduated from University with a Master Degree in Wood Engineering. Soon after graduation and with a passion for timber and log home construction Milan travelled to USA and completed a two (2) year Internship Program with the Internationally recognized company Edgewood Log Homes. Milan specialized in complex roofing design and construction at Edgewood. In 2003 Milan was offered a position as a complex roof specialist and supervisor with Natural Log Homes working along side the log building luminaries Graeme D. Mould and Robert Chambers of Natural Log Homes in New Zealand. When Natural Log Homes increased production and sales in the International log home market Milans responsibilities increased and was soon appointed Production and Project Manager. Overseeing day to day operation of the log building yard meeting and liaising with clients, product & material development and consulting with architects and engineers.
It was during this time that Milan noticed that designers did often lack the practical construction knowledge and experience required for log home design and took this opportunity to extended and offer his knowledge of log homes to architectural design. Milan is an asset to our team at Alpine Design and is enjoying using his immense wealth of log building experience to design functional, practical, yet beautiful log and timber homes for NZ and Australian customers using the most update CAD technology available. Milan is as the forefront of our integration with the BIMx App and ArciCAD.
