Longhouse Specialty Forest Products was founded in 1982 by husband-and-wife team Brian and Moila Jenkins. Primarily based in Parksville, BC, with a sawmill operation in Prince George, the company manufactures everything from heavy timbers and sidewall shingles to interior products, using all softwood species grown in British Columbia. As well, they have a pre-staining/finishing plant where they can apply all types of non-toxic coatings including fire retardants.
The company originally started as a firewood business in 1982, when they got the contract to supply products for the local provincial parks. This led them to log their own supply through British Columbia Forest Products, where they would bring their own mobile dimension sawmills on-site to cut the wood. They officially made the switch to remanufacturing in 1985 and within a year, they opened a pre-staining plant on site after receiving a request for stained wood from a client. The company has stayed a consistent size over the years with many of their employees who have now worked at the company for over 20 years. They also have a loyal client base, with many going back to 1985.
What sets Longhouse apart from their competitors is that they only sell directly to construction projects, no matter where they are in the world. As well, they are in charge of all aspects and facets of the manufacturing from log to pre-staining finished products ready for installation – all of which is done on the same property in Parksville. This has two advantages: first, it reduces the carbon footprint significantly as the product travels a shorter distance during manufacturing. Secondly, it reduces the cost of producing products. Instead of being sub-contracted out with each process adding its margin, the price stays lean.
Longhouse continues to supply products for amazing projects. Such examples include all the cedar for the 7 Longhouses that make up the Haida Gwaii Museum in Skidegate, Haida Gwaii; the new Tseliteth community building in North Vancouver; and recently they have been invited to work with the lead contractor for the upcoming Vancouver Art Gallery, which will be entirely clad in coated and fire treated lumber profiles.
Longhouse Specialty Forest Products were one of the first group of BC companies certified in 2007. The Vancouver Island Construction Association has awarded longhouse as manufacturer/supplier of the year in 2019 and 2021. They are proud members of BC Wood Specialties Group, the Living Building Challenge, PASSIVEHOUSE CANADA and HAVAN.
For more information on Longhouse, please go to www.longhousecedar.com or contact Brian Jenkins at [email protected].