BUSINESS
Wallowa County Chieftain
A6
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
BLH Custom Builders eyes expansion
BIZZ
BUZZ
By Bill Bradshaw
No longer just
log homes
E
NTERPRISE —
Having just passed
a year in business
— and a pandemic-ladened
one at that — Marty Weber
is hoping to expand the
BLH Custom Builders in
Enterprise.
Weber bought the for-
mer Bronson Log Homes
from Dean Himes in Janu-
ary 2020. Himes had incor-
porated it as dba (doing
business as) BLH Cus-
tom Builders before the
sale, and Weber is expand-
ing into conventional-style
homebuilding, while con-
tinuing the construction
of log homes and custom
furniture.
“I didn’t want to change
it too much from what
it was; it’s been here for
26 years,” Weber said. “I
wanted to keep that familiar
feel, to try to make a new,
fresh face with a new logo.”
That new logo will
closely resemble the old
one, he said, with the color-
ing and design largely the
same so customers will feel
they’re doing business with
a familiar fi rm.
“We’re trying to broaden
our horizons,” he said.
“We’re not exclusively log-
home builders. If some-
one wants a log home, we’ll
build it, but they’re getting
few and far between. We’re
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Marty Weber, left, co-owner of BLH Custom Builders, helps carpenter Kurt Klages on Friday, March 26, 2021, on a mock-up for
a house the company is building at Wallowa Lake. The former Bronson Log Homes has expanded to constructing conventional-
style homes as well.
just trying to broaden our
market and customer base.”
Having worked in con-
struction for 24 years,
Weber and his wife, Chel-
sea, are co-owners of
the business. With their
12-year-old daughter and
6-year-old son, they have a
10-acre farm at the top of
Minam Grade. Although
they live just outside of
Wallowa County, this is
where their business is.
“Eventually, we want to
expand into Union County,
but right now we’re keeping
plenty busy here,” he said.
In fact, BLH builds
homes — both rural
and urban — all over
the county. At present,
they just fi nished a log
house at Flora, are work-
ing on another at Wallowa
Lake and are working on
a 1920-30s-style one on
First Street in Enterprise.
They also have a project at
the lake awaiting permit-
ting, another at Lostine and
Weber’s staining/chinking
crew has fi ve or six projects
in the works.
The COVID-19 pan-
demic hasn’t hurt BLH
much, Weber said.
“Construction’s boom-
ing everywhere,” he said,
although he is seeing some
diffi culty in obtaining
materials.
“The price is ridiculous,
whether it’s supply and
demand or what. I heard
they’ve shut some places
down in the supply chain
last year and now they’re
trying to catch up,” he said.
“Whether that’s reason
or what, I’m not sure, but
demand is still high.”
As a result, he didn’t
have to lay off any of the
nine-man crew — including
himself — because of any
shutdowns.
Although the work is
generally seasonal, “We
were able to keep every-
body busy. In fact, we hired
another guy last summer,”
he said.
While BLH has
expanded into convention-
al-style homes, log homes
remain Weber’s fi rst love.
“I’d like to do log homes
exclusively, but the number
of jobs and clientele is lim-
ited on what we can do here
in the valley,” he said.
& Skylight
Gallery
Log homes are built on
a similar type of foundation
to a conventional home and
are heated in a similar fash-
ion. Like most in Wallowa
County, that means wood,
propane and/or oil. As for
insulation, the logs pro-
vide much that conventional
homes require synthetic
insulation for.
Weber noted that the
log homes require making
each log uniform because
they don’t grow that way
and then notched to form
the corners, a feature that
makes them unique.
“They’re one of a kind.
There are no two logs
exactly the same,” he said.
Weber said they are natu-
rally well insulated.
“Once they get to tem-
perature, they’ll hold a lot
more of the heat, he said.
“The outside’s not going to
aff ect the inside as rapidly.”
However, conven-
tional homes do have their
advantages.
“Conventional homes
are tighter … but each one
has its advantages and dis-
advantages,” he said. “It’s
about personal preference.”
But Weber just wants to
keep at it.
“I like building with my
hands. It’s fun,” he said. “It
takes imagination.”
BLH Custom Builders is
located at 704 Depot St. in
Enterprise. Phone: 541-426-
6072 or 398-1017. Email:
blh.marty@gmail.com.
———
Bill Bradshaw is a
reporter for the Wallowa
County Chieftain. Have a
business tip? Contact him
at 541-398-5503 or bbrad-
shaw@wallowa.com.
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Joseph United
Methodist Church
Grace Lutheran
Church
3rd & Lake St. • Joseph
Pastor Cherie Dearth
Phone: 541-432-3102
409 West Main - Enterprise
Worship Online at
JosephUMC.org
Enterprise
Christian Church
SUNDAY
WORSHIP
at 9am
Pastor John B. King Jr
phone (message): 541-426-4633
web: gracelutheranenterprise.com
St. Patrick’s
Episcopal Church
85035 Joseph Hwy • (541) 426-3449
We have ‘In-person worship” @ 9:00 am
(Guidelines observed)
Sunday School at 10:30
Parking Lot Radio/Facebook @ 9:00
100 NE 3rd St, Enterprise
NE 3rd & Main St
541-426-3439
Worship Service
Sunday 9:30am
David Bruce
Pastor, Enterprise Christian Church
Lostine
Presbyterian Church
Discussion Group 9:30 AM
Worship Service 11:00 AM
Childrens program during service
Blog: dancingforth.blogspot.com
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107 E. Main • Enterprise • 541-426-3351
www.bookloftoregon.com
Summit Church
Sundays at 9:30 am and 11 am
at the Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise.
Masks are required - but made available at the door.
Pastor: David Pendleton
541.398.0597
Hwy 82, Lostine
www.summitchurchoregon.org
Stephen Kliewer, Minister
Cloverleaf Hall • 668 NW 1st St. • Enterprise, OR 97828
Wallowa
Assembly
of God
702 West Hwy 82
Wallowa, Oregon
541-886-8445
Sunday School • 9:am
Worship Service • 10:am
Pastor Tim Barton
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Seventh-Day Adventist
Church & School
305 Wagner (near the Cemetery)
P.O. Box N. Enterprise, OR 97828
Church 541-426-3751
School 541-426-8339
Pastor David Ballard 503-810-9886
Worship Hour
10:30 a.m. - Noon
Christ
Covenant
Christ Covenant
Church
Church
Pastor Terry Tollefson
Church Office: 541-263-0505
Family Prayer 8:30 a.m.
Sunday School 9:00 a.m.
Worship 10:00 a.m.
723 College Street, Lostine
Enterprise Community
Congregational Church
Join us at the
BIG BROWN CHURCH
Sunday Worship 11:00 am
Bible Studies:
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Thursdays, 5:30 pm
Led by Lay Pastor Archie Hook
301 NE First St. • Enterprise, OR
Find us on Facebook! 541.426.3044