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Building the log home dream in Sisters A marriage of trademark Swiss precision with the distinctive American log home has brought forth a business that creates log homes of superior quality. The business is owned by Phil and Kris Rerat, and the coupleÍs history is as interesting as the products they produce. She was born in America, he was born in Switzerland and they met in a third country. "We met in a chance encounter on a beach in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico," said Kris. The pairÍs backgrounds couldnÍt have been more different. Phil was raised in Switzerland and prior to his required military service held an apprenticeship in forestry. When he completed his military service, he found that he liked to travel and entered the field of construction, as the nature of the occupation allowed for more free time to travel. Phil began to feel that he had found his calling in life and served in another apprenticeship in timber frame construction. When Phil and Kris were married they lived in Switzerland for a few years and then decided to move to the States. After a false start and one severe winter in Minnesota, they found their way to Sisters where they have lived ever since. "My brother had been living in Coos Bay, and when he traveled to Central Oregon, he called us and said: 'You need to come; you would both love it here,'" said Kris. After arriving in Central Oregon, an opportunity opened with a log home company that operated out of Sisters. "I started working with the company, and it was a very good fit with my experience. I was always intrigued with logs, and my education included working with chainsaws in the woods, thinning and felling trees. When combined with my experience in timber frame construction it was a natural for me,î said Phil. After gaining the experience needed to supplement PhilÍs expertise and ideas, Phil and Kris decided to step out on their own. "We started this company nine years ago, and the location has developed from a totally bare lot into what you can see today. We just kept making improvements as we could," said Kris. Today the company builds an average of two homes per year. "We have tried to keep it to two homes per year, but some are large and more complicated, and that can take a little longer. Others can be fairly simple and move forward faster, so that makes up for the more complicated homes,î said Phil. In addition to building new log homes, the couple also does restoration of historic log homes. "We are reassembling a log home for a client who obtained a log home that was more than 100 years old. When it was taken apart, they did not number or mark the logs, so it is like a puzzle trying to put it back together. It is a fascinating project," said Phil. The range of size and creativity is impressive for homes built from humble logs. "The homes on the smaller end of the scale are about 2,000 to 2,400 square feet, but I built one that was about 10,000 square feet. It just depends upon what the homeowner wants," said Phil. For more information, Phil or Kris can be contacted at Swiss Mountain Log Homes by calling 541-385-6006. To see examples of their work visit www.swissmtloghomes.com.
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