A82: Douglas fir logs being used to build timber house

The building is set to be erected in the early summer on a plot of land in the village of Tomich, near Inverness, and will use a total of 55 100-year-old Douglas fir logs.

Harvested as part of Forestry and Land Scotland’s (FLS) A82 steep-ground harvesting programme – designed to remove very large old trees that are now getting too large for the landscape and causing a potential risk – the logs are now being prepared by the Bedrock Buildings team at its workshop and yard. 

The log work (peeling, scribing, cutting and assembly) takes place mostly in the workshop and yard (Image: Supplied)

Graham Godsman, marketing and sales business manager at FLS, said: “It’s important we reach out to small and medium-sized businesses who may not have the capacity or resources to compete for large-scale contracts or who may require to purchase niche products and species from us.” 

The log work (peeling, scribing, cutting and assembly) takes place mostly in the workshop and yard, ahead of a short (two-to-three day) assembly on site after which the roof, floors and windows are all added.

The logs were harvested as part of Forestry and Land Scotland’s (FLS) A82 steep-ground harvesting programme (Image: Supplied)

While the vast majority of FLS timber is sold to a limited number of major sawmillers, who have extensive buying powers, these logs have been supplied to Ross Balharry, owner of Bedrock Buildings as part of FLS’s ‘local marketing strategy’. 

The strategy allows FLS to engage with SME’s and craftspeople such as furniture makers, who are looking for special timber in small quantities and who would otherwise struggle to purchase timber in the volumes FLS would usually market. 

Ross Balharry is turning the logs into a house for his mum (Image: Supplied)

Ross founded Bedrock Buildings in 2001 after building his first log cabin with his brother when they were teenagers.

• READ MORE: A82: Former foresters looks back on past efforts to fell unstable conifer

Ross, who is building the log house for his mum, said: “Working with FLS and Calum Duffy has been great. Knowing that the requirement was a bespoke order for log cabin construction, they helped to find practical solutions throughout, from order to cutting spec, purchase and collection. 

“I was given an opportunity to view and select logs at the felling site, allowing for detailed assessment and measuring up, prior to purchase. This was a huge benefit for me with regards to planning and logistics.”