The wonderful folks at Mandala Homes asked me to help out with some timber accent details for a home that is being pre-fabricated in Nelson, BC and then shipped and assembled in Hawaii.
The cloudlift design cut into the ends of these timbers is based on Greene and Greene architectural design. I cut them using a carving bar on my chainsaw – the same bar used when carving chainsaw sculptures. Using the chainsaw to cut these kind of details is my favorite way to do it! Years ago I couldn’t afford to buy a dedicated portable bandsaw for this task so I taught myself how to carve these details with a chainsaw. These timbers will be beams in the project going to Hawaii, and as you see in the photo, they are ready to be sanded and finished.
Greene and Greene were two brothers who created a very unique style of architecture in building residential houses. The style they were later acclaimed for was used in all aspects of their buildings, from the structural elements and exterior, right down to the tiny details on the trim and furniture inside the house. The Greene and Greene style happens to be one of my favorite architectural styles to date – only slightly ousted by the Japanese and Asian styles, which actually inspired the Greenes’ look.
And yes, that is snow on the ground, since it’s still winter in the West Kootenays. I was hoping Mandala might ask me to personally accompany these timbers to Hawaii…. But I’ll settle for some photos when the project is done!
