5 Questions With André Chevigny
Love pioneer homes? We got a chance to sit down with one of the HGTV Timber kings, André Chevigny, who builds log homes for a living. He’s always getting questions from his fans about is unique career so we took the opportunity to ask him a few questions that we could share with you!
How do you know that a log home is for you?
I would tell folks that the most important thing is what kind of feelings emulate inside of you when you see wood. A log home has a fair amount of wood so it might not be for everyone. Do your homework, visit some log homes, talk to people that have them, and see if a log home is for you.
What’s the difference between a log home and a regular home?
The main difference is a log home evolves during the process of building it. We design most everything ourselves, we have a full design team on our staff and we try to take the dreams and desires of the client and put it in that house. That house becomes a part of the family and the whole thing no matter what size the structure we’re building, we’re trying to produce a legacy for that family. It becomes more of a personal residence than a traditional frame built home that just has tons of drywall and sides. [Building a log home] is a very personal/intimate experience because as you design and build it, it evolves. It starts as a sheet of paper and as you build it we all get involved.
What is the history of log homes? Are they trending in popularity?
Years ago people would say that to me, and ask how long are log homes going to stay in style. Well I want to tell you that we build the most beautiful homes on the planet, we work with folks that have budgets that are a little more flexible, it’s such a dream for a lot of people. People now a days are more aware of sustainability. We’re more aware of recycling, we’re more aware of our planet and our environment. Wood is a great choice, it grows free of any pollution, it sequesters pollution as it grows and it costs us nothing to grow. We don’t have to do anything except give it sunlight, water, and soil. That’s not the case for other building materials, like concrete and steel which cause pollution to manufacture. Most of our clientes are coming to us because the log home is the ultimate green home and our homes are engineered for 300 years.
Can you have a log home in an urban area?
We’ve done a few in urban areas over the years. We did a house in Spain and we got there and there were other houses around it. Traditionally by design most of our homes are in a private setting by design of the clients. They want the privacy, they want the trees, they maybe want to have no visibility of houses, or they want to be nestled by privacy. I would say 99.9% of our homes are very private by design. [Log Homes] also fit better in those settings, a lot of foilage a lot of natural elements.
How are log homes sustainable and benefit the environment?
I want to leave something for my kids and my grandkids that is something for our planet. We’re more in tune with what’s going on with the environment and when a tree grows it filters the atmosphere, as a trees growing it’s taking pollution in and exhaling oxygen. If someone wants to do something great for the environment, plant a coniferous tree. Like I can’t say it enough, everybody should have a tree growing, it’s the best thing for the environment.
