Some might say that craftsmanship is a lost art, all but extinct in this age of imported plastic products churned out by the lowest bidder. But it's still around if you know where to look. Some craftsmen work exclusively with their hands, others make use of modern technology to realize their visions. Either way, the end result is a precision product that's well-worn by human hands, inspected by human eyes, and finished with obsessive attention to detail.

We previously featured a short film from The Northmen Guild which showed woodworker Richard Vidzickis building a traditional dugout canoe. That project was artfully recorded and edited by Jacob Dimiter, a hobbyist filmmaker who is also a master woodworker. Jacob lives with his wife and two daughters in the small Baltic state of Latvia, and he built a log cabin for his family using trees he felled in the forest nearby.

In the following 25-minute video, Jacob documents the entire process of constructing his new home. With help from a handful of his friends, he cuts down trees, lays out a stone and masonry foundation, constructs the timber frame, applies a white oak shingle roof, and builds a central brick oven to heat his new home. The process is truly awe-inspiring to watch.

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For more details on the construction materials and design, read Jacob's video description. The house's exterior measures 6.5 x 13 meters, or about 21 x 43 feet. Total living space is 120 square meters or 1292 square feet. Jacob says once the large oven is heated thoroughly, it will maintain warmth within the house for 2 to 3 days, even in the dead of winter. Jacob says it took one winter and three summers to build the cabin.

If you'd like to see more about the house and its current state, check out the following video interview from Karaliste (Kingdom), a local Latvian TV program.

Written by Patrick McCarthy