You might not associate log homes with cutting-edge technology. After all, people have been building with logs for centuries, so how much can things have changed?
In fact, the spirit of premium innovation has drawn clients from Great Britain, Ireland, continental Europe, Mexico, Korea, Bahamas, Japan, and across Canada and the U.S.A. to a log home company headquartered in Bracebridge.
True North Log & Timber Homes was founded in 1986 by father and son team Ron and Robert Wrightman. Their goal was to build log homes in a way that nobody had ever done before. Robert created and patented a new log technology, one that began by understanding how a traditional log home evolved over time – where the wood shrank, where joints opened and leaked air.
“Robert was the first person to combine tongue-and-groove with dovetail corners in a mass timber system,” says Director of Sales Rob Graham. “With this groundbreaking invention, he completely revolutionized the log home industry, putting Ontario on the world stage for the manufacturing and construction of a heavy log wall.”
This is where the True North philosophy was born: a technology that uses Mother Nature’s law – that wood loses moisture over time – to best advantage, instead of trying to fight it. The result? The lowest maintenance log home in the world.
Robert Wrightman’s sons, Kyle and Mark joined the company in 2010 and 2012 respectively, and acquired the business when Robert retired in 2020. But no matter which member of the family is heading the operation, the focus remains the same. Whether clients are looking for a second home, cottage retreat, or retirement sanctuary, the True North team can make dreams come true.
Top quality wood
The best homes start with the best wood: winter-cut, slow-growth, northeastern white pine. This timber is FSC-certified, meaning it’s cut from ethically managed forests.
It is premium lumber. Northeastern white pine grows slowly in a severe climate, producing tight growth rings which result in excellent dimensional stability. It is also less likely to warp – because it has a low sap content, it experiences less shrinkage as it dries.
Western red cedar is also available in a True North log home. In fact, a quick glance at the website indicates that many options are offered at every step of the process, from log and corner profiles to stains and surface treatments.
The trees grow slowly, but the manufacturing is rapid: the True North manufacturing plant can produce a 2,000-square-foot home in less than a month.
Each log wall is produced sequentially using computer generated cut drawings. All door and window openings are custom cut and all thru-bolt, butt spline, and keylock holes are pre-drilled.
LogLock technology
Before developing the LogLock system, building a log home involved expensive and labour-intensive caulking and chinking on an annual basis to deal with air infiltration.
Robert Wrightman developed an approach that is vastly superior.
“Our ratcheting compression system eliminates log wall separation,” Rob Graham explains. “So True North log homes require no caulking and chinking. This gives log-homeowners more time for living in, rather than working on, their log home.”
Cozy elegance
Clients Tara and Mark Moir couldn’t be happier with their home. “The True North home we built is on a family farm, so our two boys will be the fifth generation to live on this land,” says Tara. “We wanted something unique that represented our lifestyle, and the log home seemed to be the perfect reflection of that.”
A log home oozes coziness and history. They are practical and comfortable: cool in summer, warm in winter. To top it off they offer an impressive sound-proof snugness that can make you forget the outside world even exists.
True North has taken all those qualities and added premium elegance to the mix. Their designs – all of which can be customized – are full of luxurious touches.
Ease of installation
Building a log home this way means eliminating the multiple service providers required to complete various steps of a typical home build.
“From first contact to final build, the process is as stress-free as you can get,” says Rob.
With a focus on quality, innovation and efficiency, clients can be seated by their fireplace gazing out a wall of windows in no time. Reducing stress for the homeowner and increasing enjoyment of a high-end, low-maintenance home is the main goal, just as it was when Ron and his son launched the company nearly 40 years ago.
TEXT MARNIE WOODROW
