Our Team
Oliver Ogden
Growing up in the rapidly expanding west-side suburbs of Portland, I saw many of my favorite nature places go the way of the subdivision and that sat with me until I found a way to talk about it. My first response was of that of an observing critic. I had moved across the county, and through photography, film and writing I tried to express and draw attention to the tragedy of our cheaply built, mass produced environment. I became fascinated by our strained relationship with the natural world and wanted to find a way to help heal that bond.
I grew tired of merely commenting and reflecting and decided that if I wanted things to change, I ought to connect more to the natural world myself. I started growing my own food and keeping chickens, I managed a food coop and eventually left my filmmaking career in Brooklyn and apprenticed with Logan Parker of Heirloom Builders in North Carolina. Logan was in the process of building a self-sufficient homestead and introduced me to strawbale construction. We would take trees from his property or from a neighbors recent storm fall and mill, cure, mill again in the shop and assemble it into beautiful cabinets. That intimacy with tree and the journey of shaping our built environment with reverence and respect for the source was so exciting for me and set me on my journey to start my own building company.
Besides building, I enjoy running, cultivating edible plants and hanging out with my smart and lovely wife Denise.