It was pretty unusual for women to be in the construction industry in 1977 and particularly in the rough and tumble log home business! But I am still the owner and work every day in helping our clients design and build their dream home. The industry has certainly changed but our ownership never has here at GLH. Here is my story about why and how Gastineau Log Homes began and why I would do it again if I had the opportunity.
How did you get into the log home business? – Video Transcription
Hi, my name is Lynn Gastineau, and I’m the owner and founder of Gastineau Log Homes. In 1977, Gastineau Log Homes went into business in New Bloomfield, Missouri. One of the things people always ask is, “How did a woman get into the log home industry?”, as a woman, got into the log home industry. Well, I grew up in the sawmill business. My dad had a sawmill from before I was even born. So, I spent a lot of my time in the woods, and at the sawmill, and climbing on sawdust piles. Then, when I grew up, I worked in the sawmill, running the Debarker, and other various jobs in the mill.
But I really wanted to be an architect, I thought that housing was very fascinating, and I loved it. But back in that point in time a lot of women were not in the construction industry. So, I decided to manufacture clothing instead. After college, I moved to New York City, and during that time, in the middle 70s the log home industry really took off in the United States. At that time, people were asking my parents, who had the sawmill, asking them to cut logs for log homes. My parents had always been wholesale, had never done retail business. They knew I loved construction, and they thought it was a viable business. And so, they encouraged me to move home and start a log home company.
I left all my friends in New York, took a sabbatical, said I’ll be back in a year. And here it is, I’m still in the log home business over 45 years later. It has been a wonderful industry to be a part of, growing rapidly throughout the years. It is something I am really proud of. One thing I am especially proud of is that we create homes for people that fulfill their dreams. Ever since we started this business, people have come to us and said their dream is to have a log home. To have that ability to meet that dream and make that dream come true for people is extremely rewarding. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I would do it exactly the same.
