Timber! Log house going up in Poway

Some might think Peter Maglaque is trying to relive his toddler days when Lincoln Logs were in the toy closets of millions of children.

But Maglaque, who in Poway is having a customized, two-story home constructed out of huge logs that resemble the much-smaller toy pieces has a pretty shocking defense for the accusation.

“I had no idea what a Lincoln Log was until people started talking to me about it a few weeks ago,” he explained with a laugh. “I grew up in Europe. We had Legos and stuff like that, but no Lincoln Logs.”

Well, Maglaque will certainly have those who did grow up with Lincoln Logs admiring his new 3,527-square foot, four bed, four-bath home off Welton Lane in Poway. Construction began in September and the hope is it will be completed in the next three or four months.

Maglaque might not have been inspired by Lincoln Logs, but there is a reason for building the unique home, where he and his wife, Sheila, will live after spending the last eight years in a home in Carmel Valley.

“There are two reasons I wanted to do this,” said Maglaque, who travels the world as a small business consultant. “First of all, I was really tired of stucco and I just wanted something different. The second reason is I grew up in Switzerland and I really like the château with wood look. I just wanted a change of pace to be honest.”

Burt Carlisle, a log home specialist and owner of the company building the home, Common Sense Custom Homes, said this is the first log home he has built in the region.

“We are mostly building them in Utah and the Western United States,” said Carlisle, whose company is based in Utah. He has been in the business for 15 years.

“We have done some at Big Bear and Mammoth lakes, but never around here.”

Maglaque aid he chose Poway because it has a lot of open land. His home will sit on a half-acre of land. He said he found the log homes by searching around the Internet.

“I saw a couple of websites and thought they looked great. It took me about two weeks (to get the courage to approach) my wife with the idea,” he said with a chuckle. “But she liked it and we went from there.”

Maglaque applied for a permit with the city in December. He said the final approval came in early September and then the foundation was built. He bought the logs from Yellowstone Log Homes and then hired Common Sense Custom Homes to build it.

“I did a lot of research on companies all over the United States,” said Peter, who did not want to divulge what the cost was but did say it was similar to a regular home. “I found Yellowstone Log Homes and built a relationship with them. They were patient through the whole permit process. I then hired Common Sense because they do a lot of work with Yellowstone.”

Maglaque has been visiting the building site of the home regularly to watch its progress. But for the people who always wondered what a life-sized Lincoln Log home might look like, a drive down Welton Lane in Poway will give you your answer.