Bernie kept that discovery in the back of his mind as he and Ben shipped off to World War II. Upon their return, Ben asked Bernie what they should do for a living. Remembering the strength of those White Cedar trees, they hitched up 2 horses and headed into the woods.
With a $200 G.I. loan, Ben and Bernie began their business venture. Initially, they hand selected and cut White Cedar from Bernie’s farm to build fences, but there wasn’t much money in that since cattle were all “free-range” at the time.
Cutting their losses, they began the process of creating their first house together using a bell saw, and their first mill, a $35 investment. The 22x22 house was built for a total cost of $475 using White Cedar hauled from Bernie’s farm to Ben’s mill. Even more unique, the outside of the house was comprised of vertically split White Cedar logs. With the completion of this house in 1947, Boyne Falls Log Homes was born.
With faith in each other, Ben and Bernie hit the ground running and so did Boyne Falls Log Homes. Over the next two decades, Ben and Bernie would establish a reputation as superior custom log home builders. During the 1950s, they built a series of chalet style cedar homes in the Poconos and landed a contract to build a unique, low-maintenance housing resort called Breezy Point in Minnesota in the 1960s. During this time, Everett Kircher founded Boyne Mountain. Having seen the craftsmanship of the loghomes Ben and Bernie built, Everett contracted them to build the first Boyne Mountain Ski Lodge that still stands in the Boyne Mountain Village today.
Boyne Falls Log Homes evolved into Town & Country Cedar Homes in 1983. Today, Town & Country can celebrate six decades of experience as a Michigan home builder. Although the name of the company has changed, the foundation of what we stand for hasn’t. Bernie and Ben’s dedication to hard work, customer satisfaction and to each other is the basis of what Town & Country Cedar Homes is today. We are dedicated to your 100% satisfaction.
In addition to building cottage, craftsman, timber style homes and the luxury built log cabin homes for which we’ve become famous, we offer commercial building services and ship materials to locations around the world. We look forward to the opportunity of building a home that matches your vision.
