Sit back and hear the story behind the family business renowned for premium-quality log and timber frame homes.
Find out how we’re crafting sustainably.
Meet our team and learn about the log homes they’ve built for their families.
We Dream About Custom Log Homes, Too
From fathers to sons, since 1979.
Each member of the Kinsman family has designed and built our own custom log or timber frame homes.
Our children and grandchildren are growing up to believe that “home” is synonymous with the smell of warm pine wood.
So, we know exactly what it’s like to dream of living in a Confederation home.
And after 40+ years of helping people just like you…
We know how to guide you from “I have an idea…”
To “I wonder what would this look like with timber frame accents…”
And finally to the moment you say, “It’s absolutely perfect!”
Just like the countless happy customers who write in to say things like…
I’ve done 3 things right in my life; marry my wife, start my business, and build a Confederation Log Home.
Al Kaminsakas, Toronto
Building Log Homes With Care, To Last Generations
In 1979, Rick Kinsman walked onto a job in Bobcaygeon. The company needed drawings for the first log home they’d sold.
Rick didn’t have any experience with log homes, but he did have a background in drafting and architecture. So, he drew up the plans for that first house, then helped to cut the logs in the shop.
Rick thought the job was done when they loaded the materials onto the truck. Only, no one else there had a trucking license, so Rick drove that first log home kit to the property.
When they arrived, the builders said, “Who's going to help us put this together?” So, he stayed and assembled the first Confederation log home ever built.
Rick Kinsman never left the company. Now, he’s the sole owner of 1867 Confederation Log & Timber Frame.
Together with his sons, Andy and Rich, he runs the family business dedicated to making the most beautiful log and timber frame homes anywhere.
We’re small and specialized with a team that’s like family (even the ones who aren’t relatives). We know the name of every customer building a Confederation home.
Like the homes we build, we’re building a company that will stand the test of time. A company we can hand over to the next generation of Kinsmans. That requires a lot dedication to our customers.
Sustainably Crafted Log and Timber Frame Homes
Each Confederation home is bespoke and hand-finished — a craft we’re keeping alive in an era of mass home production.
Our goal is for your log or timber frame home to look as stunning in 100 years as it does this year. Making homes that last is part of our commitment to sustainability.
For over 40 years, we’ve been a green company. It has always been important for us to show it, not just say it. So, we earned third-party accreditations.
First, we use sustainably forested white pines — a renewable resource. For every log taken, six more are planted.
Our logs are made from the core, but we sell the cut-offs to marinas for boat blocks, and the smaller pieces to campers for firewood.
Even the sawdust is given to a farmer for mulch. (And by the way, that farmer’s grandson is now a Confederation craftsman in our shop, saw-cutting logs.)
Nothing is wasted.
Instead of kiln-drying our carefully selected logs, we naturally air dry the logs over time. This is a zero carbon footprint process that also yields the finest finished logs.
We’ve been building this way for 40+ years because we love the environment, too. That’s why we live in nature ourselves.
Some of our customers choose to be entirely off-the-grid, and a Confederation home can support that lifestyle.
Talk to us about building your sustainable log home.
Behind the 1867 Confederation Log & Timber Frame Company
Rick Kinsman
President & Owner
The original member of Confederation Log Homes, Rick has been in the log and timber frame home business since 1979.
He designed, cut, delivered, and assembled the first Confederation home ever made.
Rick prides himself on being a problem solver and an idea guy. Whatever the issue we may face, Rick comes up with solutions across any part of our business.
That can-do attitude permeates our whole culture here at Confederation.
Rick Kinsman and his wife, Bev, built their first Confederation in the early 80's. There's a picture of little Rich Kinsman in one of the very early plan books, standing by the logs.
The Kinsmans later built their second and current Confederation home on Boshkung Lake. They found a property that was part of a former kids’ camp. Rick and Bev designed a layout that became the inspiration for our model home at Confederation’s head office.
Over the years, we’ve constructed countless versions of Rick and Bev’s open-concept, four-bedroom, four-bathroom home. It has everything you could ask for: two double-sided fireplaces, a sunroom, a bar, a pool table, a sauna, a walkout basement, covered decks, open decks, two garages… even a custom boat house!
Andy Kinsman
Vice President of Operations
Andy started his direct involvement with 1867 Confederation Log & Timber Frame in the production facility in 2002.
In 2007, he graduated as a Licensed Carpenter from a Carpentry Apprenticeship program. Andy Kinsman uses his building knowledge to oversee operations, including Drafting & Design, Production, Shipping & Receiving.
Several years ago, Andy built the Green Woods Confederation home — a model that won Log Home Living’s Log Home of the Year, People’s Choice Award.
Andy and his wife, Tiffany, wanted a waterfront lot for their growing family (Findley, Grady, and Beckham). When he found a wooded, waterfront lot, he cleared it for his next build: a log and timberframe home on Little Bob Channel.
Rich Kinsman
Vice President of Sales
If you come in for a tour, you may get Rich… And Rich is often the one answering your emails (with a promptness that gets noticed).
Rich graduated from Canadore College and Nipissing University in 2007 with a Business Marketing Diploma and Degree. During the summers while going to school he worked in the Production Facility, cutting and assembling houses.
Rich joined 1867 Confederation Log & Timber Frame straight out of school. He says that barely a day since has felt like work — even when Rich comes in on weekends to show people around.
“I feel lucky because I get to be a part of people’s happiness every day,” says Rich.
Rich and his family are now in their second Confederation home. Here’s their building story:
“Kim and I built the Elwood to start a family and live happily ever after. We had our son, Richard Kinsman V (as in, Richard Kinsman the fifth), and Kim was pregnant with Mak (Makayla) when we got an offer on the Elwood. It was too good to refuse.
So, we built the Revelstoke. We now have 145 acres of land where we camp, hunt, play, make maple syrup, and have countless bonfires. The timber frame Revelstoke has five bedrooms, an outdoor covered timber deck, a sunroom, and a pub/lounge in the basement.
We absolutely love it...So much that we almost never leave!”
Confederation’s Team of Dedicated Staff
The staff who help run Confederation are just like family, too.
You'll meet some of the team when you work with us to build a Confederation log or timber frame home.
Confederation’s skilled designers are at the front end of the process.
Our friendly team of support staff helps us keep the process smooth so that we can deliver on your timelines.
Craftspeople and artisans are at the heart of what we do. You’ll meet these dedicated folks when you come to see your custom home assembled in our facility before it’s shipped to your property.
Confederation Log Homes has an expert professional team, and top-notch skilled staff. It was so nice to be able to put our trust in you and Confederation to make this happen. The design is absolutely breathtaking and we will enjoy our new home for many years to come!
