An Indigenous Housing Solution from the Heart

Two decades ago, Mike Anderson took on a construction project that laid the foundation for a new career with a far bigger goal — tackling one of the biggest challenges in many First Nations communities.

The forester by trade agreed to build a powwow arbour in under four months for the Skeetchestn Indian Band. Under his direction, a journeyman carpenter and half a dozen of the community’s youth got the job done, completing a 12,000-square foot structure for a large community gathering on Skeetchestn traditional territory.

Anderson was grateful to see the pride the kids took in the construction process. They learned valuable skills while turning raw logs into a significant place for their community. And that served as inspiration for Anderson’s latest passion project: Skeetchestn Dodeca-Homes.

Developed by the Skeetchestn Natural Resources Corporation, Dodeca-Homes creates modular housing units that can be assembled anywhere by skilled labourers. Using wood harvested on Skeetchestn traditional territory, the business is led by Indigenous people, for Indigenous people. It’s a scalable, sustainable housing solution that gives economic opportunity and training to Indigenous people while providing housing for Indigenous and rural communities across Canada.

Located about 40 minutes west of Kamloops, British Columbia, Skeetchestn Indian Band is one of the 17 communities that make up Secwepemcul’ecw.

Anderson has been working with the band for nearly 30 years. He’s not Indigenous, but as the former CEO of the Skeetchestn Natural Resources Corporation , a sustainable corporation owned by the nation, he’s long held an interest in value-added wood products like log homes.

Sketched first as a self-described “side of the desk” project, the first prototype was completed in 2003 and a demonstration home was built in 2016.

The company has built around 25 units over the past three years. There’s a handful on the Skeetchestn reserve, including a show home. They’ve also sold homes to Logan Lake, Enderby, and recently established a partnership with the Kanaka Bar Indian Band that will provide about a half-dozen modular units for a housing project.

The 12-sided design is based on a traditional Secwepemc pithouse, or kekuli. There are three different sizes currently available: 600, 1,040 and 1,490 square feet. The homes are completely customizable and can include basements or multiple storeys. Structures may also be built in clusters.

The ready-to-make homes are sold as kits and include a Douglas fir timber frame, structurally insulated panels (SIPs), walls and ceiling, metal roofing, up to six windows, a door, a skylight, steel fasteners, conceptual design drawings, assembly instructions and, in true 21st Century DIY fashion, links to supporting videos on YouTube. The kits retail for $100 per square foot. The company also sells turn-key ready structures for $300 to $400 per square foot, depending on the unit.

The first prototypes used wood damaged by pine beetles. Now the homes are made up of Douglas fir, which is sustainably harvested on Skeetchestn traditional territory and then processed into usable timber at the local mill.