By Ethan Benedicto
Visible at the cusp of the road and seemingly towering over every other home in the area, the cedar redwood stands valiant, with Malcolm and Christine Temple more than eager to live in the final product.
From over 14,000 kilometres away, the couple first fell in love with the idea of log cabins after their visit to Mansfield, when they set their eyes upon what they described to be some of the most beautiful homes they have seen.
Ever since then, they knew they had to build one themselves.
“The inspiration came from the ones we saw in Mansfield, and since then it’s just been niggling at us.
“Construction began two weeks ago, but that’s just here, actual construction began in March 2024 in Canada,” Mallory said.
It was love at first sight, and with determination higher than ever, both Mal and Chris endeavoured to get their hands on the wood as soon as they could.
The cabin itself was first made in Canada, with the redwood stripped, sanded and constructed into the parts necessary to make a home.
Handled by Alpine Log and Timber Homes, Louis van der Heyden, owner of the business, said that being able to deliver these kinds of homes, homes that have the “natural beauty of timber” has been his passion for as long as he could remember.
“Me, the team, we just love what we do, creating something that other people, the broader community appreciates, of the quality of the craftsmanship and the timber, it’s beautiful.
“That’s really what draws me and everyone else here to it, that’s what keeps us doing it, I can’t think of doing anything else other than building log homes,” he said.
A team of eight have been handling the re-erection of the home, with April, according to Mal and Chris, set to be the completion date.
In partnership with Log Homes Canada, Louis noted that there are stark differences between Australian timber and Canadian timber, specifically cedar redwood.
While Australian timber might be “structurally superior” and in some cases can be “as strong as steel”, its shrinkage can exacerbate in cold and hot weather conditions, either making the interior very hot during summer or very cold during winter.
“Canadian western red cedar is recognised in Australia’s building code, it’s a mildew and rock-resistant timber and has the highest insulation value of any softwood in the world,” he said.
Once prefabrication was complete, it was all about playing the waiting game, with Mal recalling the many steps that needed to be taken in order for the timber to be shipped to Melbourne, much less to the northern fringes of a local southeast metropolitan suburb.
“It was last year when they built it, put the parts into containers and shipped it over here, so now everyone’s just putting it back together,” the couple said.
While the soon-to-be home stands proud on its hill, both Mal and Chris consider this next chapter in their life as a downsize.
With four children and 13 grandchildren, their 70-acre homestead in Narre Warren North grew a little too lonely with less family around.
Nevertheless, both agreed that while the home and property may be smaller, it serves as having its own charm, bringing the rustic and sombre feel of the high woods, the comfort of being hugged by the sounds and crowd of the trees, right into their feet.
“We’re sizing down, but we’re sizing down in something beautiful, something different,” Christine said.
“We were up there in Mansfield and I was just looking at the log homes, and then I said to my husband, that’s it, I want to build a log home, that’s what I want.”
Years prior, the couple, now in their 60s, were already in the process of building a home in Mansfield, but due to the pandemic, they instead sold said property.
After that, they both came to the realisation of, ‘why not just build here’?
The process, although long, was far from tedious, with Mal coining Alpine Timber and Log Homes as efficient when it came to handling logistics and construction.
“It was long, very long, it took around nine to 12 months and that included drafting, the engineers, and of course, getting the permits,” Mal said.
Overall shipping costs for the couple were around $60,000, with the costs for re-erection, assembly and other factors included in that process set at around $50,000.
However costly, it seemed trivial as the couple yearned for that cosy cabin living, with visions for the interior already planned out, they frequent the construction site, taking time to marvel at their dream home.
