Reviews of Montana School of Log Building (Contractor)

Mickie Imberi

Al does amazing work. Great quality and is an excellent teacher.

William Sheller

I attended MSLB back in the early 90's and have applied what I learned in my high school shop classes to construct several log shells. The week at MSLB and a week long timber framing workshop were the best learning experiences of my life. W. G. Sheller, Leavenworth, Indiana

Georg Bergthaler

After searching the web for log building schools, I was surprised to discover that in the entirety of the United States only really two log schools seemed to exist (as of December 2018) - one based out of Las Vegas, the other in Montana. Both cost exactly the same - 799$ for a week long course and half price for partners. Although the makeup and information presented on the Las Vegas Log School’s website seemed more professional, attracting and promising, my girlfriend and I, living already in Montana at the time, decided for the more down to earth, hands-on looking Al Anderson’s Montana School of Log Building in Three Forks, Montana. Not only did Al advertise his course in person on his website, he was also the single one instructor in his log classes as it turned out. The family atmosphere and the direct contact with the instructor from the first moment on when calling him up a couple months ahead of the course, convinced us that Al would be our guy. We ordered his 12-hour Log Building DVD set as recommended to properly prepare for the course, which took place during easter break in late April 2019. Although the videos for the DVD class had been shot in the early nineties and the quality was rather poor compared to modern standards, the information compiled in there was straightforward and to the point. It delivered the guidance I've been seeking in demonstrating Al's major approach to log building. Furthermore, it also inspired us to think of and draw structural plans of the house we wanted to build, which we would take to the Log School in April. The DVD course was informative, but to our surprise, the practical part of the week long hands on workshop in April was refreshing and entertaining on top of that, owed to our teacher Al Anderson's welcoming, friendly and joking character. Being a passionate educator, Al didn't seize to make sure that every step along the building process of a log house structure was understood by all participants in a way that they were able to recall and reproduce the transmitted knowledge in their own words and with their own hands afterwards. That luxury was also owed to the relatively small size of our class. Besides us, only three other participants had joined the class, a couple from Northern Montana and an ex Navy Seal from Virginia, who intended to build a hunting cabin on his own 150 acre forest property. From day one we got to work with and understand wood as a material for log building in the outdoors of Al's Logyard, located between highway 287 and the Jefferson River, right outside of Three Forks. Monday til Friday, we progressed through the building stages of a log house, from the base to the roof, also going on several field trips to nearby log homes, that Al had helped or been building throughout his career. Equipped with the essential toolkit for each step by Al, we each got to practice the geometry, measuring, chainsaw cutting and chiseling techniques required to build a standard house of value. Thus, we really got the hands on experience and muscle memory needed to be successful in our own projects. Along the way, Al told us of his and others' mistakes and shortcomings in the past, so we could learn and avoid common errors. Twice a year Al offers a week long workshop to willing and able bodied students. I can highly recommend Al's Montana School of Log Building to everyone, who wants to have the same genuine learning experiences as we did.

Indy Jones

Back in time, twenty two years or so ago we bought the Montana school of log building videos. I had the land and wanted to build my own log home. As I watched the videos, Al Anderson was teaching me how to build a log house. I had the logs delivered to my land and started to make my log home reality. I want to thank Al Anderson for his work on these videos. I built my home and it is still standing. I never did this before. I am in the process of building another one. When I was growing up we went to a restaurant named Paul Bunyan's in Wisconsin, it was a log building, I fell in love with the log structure. As I got older I read Allen Mackie books God rest his soul. I also met the Wait family from Frontier builders in Wisconsin. These are people I respect in the log building trades. Good honest people that work hard and do a fantastic job in the log home business. Al Anderson is a Hero of mine. I liked his style of building. Al is a great teacher and knows the log building trade. If you are going to build your own log house from scratch, get Al Andersons DVDs or take his course. You will enjoy watching them and you will learn how to build your log home. Thank you ! Al Anderson for teaching me your techniques in log home building. Matthew Minnifield