Our classes are held at our campus in Monroe Washington (near Seattle).

They are held in Skip's famous 7,000 square-foot log home that was used in the filming of the television series "Northern Exposure" as the home of retired astronaut Maurice Minnifield, played by actor Barry Corbin.

Most students, upon entering the home, are completely speechless. The folks who aren't speechless usually describe it as "museum-like". Practically every square inch of the home is filled with antiques and other amazing collectibles.

When you first step inside, you are in the first of several living rooms, with a view all the way up to the 3' diameter, 85-foot long ridge pole. This giant log was lifted and set in place by hand, without a crane, using the same techniques we teach in our log home building class.

The dining room table is over 30 feet long and seats approximately 26 dinner guests. It was built in place with three rough-cut 6x18 boards that were cut onsite by a portable sawmill. The table is so large and heavy that it is nearly impossible to move, and will probably remain exactly where it is now for another hundred years or longer.

We start each class with a tour of the home so that students can ask questions about the construction, and also begin to see how a "real" log home should be built. Then we mosey on down to the kitchen for fresh coffee, tea, snacks, and Skip's famous homemade cookies before we begin the class.

This log home was built in approximately 1982 by Skip Ellsworth, our chief instructor. Skip is now mostly retired on his beautiful island paradise in Southeast Asia, and the classes are being taught at our ranch by our two Master Log Home Builders who were hand-picked and personally trained by Skip (one of whom is Skip's son, a sixth-generation log home builder).