Ethan and Pat prepare for landingAt Shelter, we specialize in providing building services to island clients. We love working with these pioneering spirits who are up against some of the most difficult conditions (in terms of building a home, maintaining it and living there). The islands offer a different pace, solitude and a difference in philosophy. We honor those fearless enough to face the elements to fulfill their house dreams.

There's a lot of planning and preparation involved before you cut your first piece of timber. And, as you might imagine, getting building materials to an island is no simple task. Once you land on the island, there is often no lumber yard, usually no electricity and sometimes not even a road. If you are short even a handful of nails, it can sometimes stop the whole project in it's tracks. Careful planning is our most valuable tool when site access is more challenging than the actual build.

The Shelter crew recently built a 24x36 hemlock frame with a 20-ft wide dustpan dormer on Gay Island, which is off the tip of Cushing between the Back River and the St. George River.

The site was very difficult to access, but with the right equipment we managed to build the frame in ten days despite torrential downpours, the crew camping in tents, and the challenges that the island site presented.

View photos of the crew on location via our online photo album.