Macdonald & Lawrence Timber Framing Ltd.

There are several things that drive the desire to build structures using heavy timbers.  For the M&L folks much of why we do it resides in the story behind the structures we touch.  With every story, come the people that bring it to life, adding the colour, texture and substance.

We talked a wee bit about the traditional tythe barn currently coming to life in the workshops of M&L.  What we haven’t shared is the story of the people who have allowed us this incredible opportunity.

It’s time to introduce Bird’s Eye Cove Farm, the passionate visionary Heather and her lovely daughter Sara.  Bird’s Eye Cove farm occupies a stunning acreage in the Cowichan Valley, held entirely by Heather and her children. 

We are in a time where the survival of the family farm is an ongoing struggle.  Pressured by rising costs in fuel, feed and equipment, the only hope of seeing farms like this kept in one piece is to find ways to make them sustainable.  This means that the days of being a ‘dairy farm’ or ‘beef farm’ alone are gone.  Today farms need multiple sources of income to sustain them and the families that steward the land.

It is Heather’s dream and hope that by building this incredible barn, the farm will have yet another avenue to generate income.  What exactly that will look like, is still left to define.  It could host a local farmers market, maybe it’s a place where local artists gather to share knowledge and capture the beauty of the surrounding landscape, perhaps it forms a space where family and community can gather.  The beauty of Heather’s shared vision is that it doesn’t need to be put into a box and labelled – she’s allowing the opportunity to happen by adding a beautiful structure to the possibilities.

Its stories like the creation of the Bird’s Eye Cove barn that the people of M&L embrace.  It’s the amazing opportunity to become a character in this story that fuels the passion for what we do.  We give thanks to Heather’s of this world who allow us to participate in their dreams.

Continue to follow this story as it unfolds……