The Author: Vic Janzen

Vic Janzen began his lifelong love affair with log buildings in the Yukon. While hunting and trapping as a youth, he often took shelter in abandoned log cabins left over from the Klondike gold rush days. He built his first primitive log building at the age of 12.

He began his career in the mid-seventies by building his own home. The revival of hand-built log homes had not yet gained much momentum and therefore builders were a rarity in Canada. All the local interest in log building inspired him to enter the craft full-time. He eventually moved into teaching the skills derived from traditional European techniques.

Following some years as proprietor of a general contracting log home building firm, Janzen moved to Prince George, British Columbia to serve as chief instructor at the B. Allan Mackie School of Log Building. There he was given the time to experiment with a variety of building techniques and to benefit from the inspiring pioneer work of B. Allan Mackie.

In subsequent years, Janzen has taught log building courses throughout Canada. He has also taught forestry in the rain-drenched forest and interior plateau of British Columbia. Today he lives on his farm in Columbia Valley in the southwest corner of the province and spends most of his time in the field of building renovation and restoration.