Heading down to the very tip of Ndilo, on Tililo Tili, you’ll notice a striking, cathedral-esque log house. We wondered about the provenance of this home, and approached owners/builders Jeannette Erasmus and Marc Lafond to see if they would let us take a look inside and tell us how it came to be. They were kind enough to let photographer Angela Gzowski visit, and answer her questions.
Please tell me the story of the house
Marc Lafond: In 2004 — July 31st — we got married. And after we got married, we decided that we wanted a log house.
Jeannette Erasmus: We were in Alberta, at an Erasmus family reunion. And we were actually looking for this other log building company. And as we were driving, we came across this Spar-Log Homes along the highway, and we saw some log houses in the yard. So we pulled over and started snoopin’ around the yard, and the log builder actually lived there.
So we went in and met him. He welcomed us into his home, and showed us around and that’s where it all started. We went to a few of his homes that he had built, and we fell in love with this design.
EDGE: What kind of wood is this?
ML: Spruce. It took them about four months to put the log package together. They did in their yard in Barrhead. And then they threw it on two semis, and brought it here. I had the foundation made already. It took them about seven days to put it back together. Then me and another guy put the roof on.
JE: Each year was a big project. We did the foundation. Actually, blasting first, one year. Then the foundation, another year. And then the log package. Then the roof. And then the drywall. Then the windows. It was a long process. Altogether it’s probably been eight years. To get where we are today.
EDGE: Was there a point where you felt like throwing your hands up?
JE: Oh yeah.
EDGE: When was it ready to live in?
JE: We moved in a year-and-a-half ago.
ML: 2013.
EDGE: So how much did this end up costing you?
ML: If I wasn’t a general contractor, if I had to hire a general contractor, all this, I’m guessing this thing would be about $600,000. I’m not a professional. I’m a parts person. I work at Buffalo Airways. But I did do construction for years when I was younger. So, I did lots of it myself, and then we hired an electrician company and a plumbing company. So we probably pumped about $400,000 in here. But this lot is not ours. This is band land.
EDGE: What’s your favourite thing about this house?
JE: As soon as you walk in the door, you can see the lake.
ML: There’s water all around… What’s my favourite part of the house? The whole house.
EDGE: Is there anything you don’t like?
ML: No. This is our dream home.
ML: These spindles here, I got them at the river, and the beavers had taken all the bark off. You can see the beaver’s teeth marks right there.
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