Timber iQ August - September 2017 // Issue: 33 | Page 6

NEWS
Ownership change for
Rustic Homes
Rustic Homes is now under the ownership of timber
enthusiast Werner Slabbert.
All images courtesy Rustic Homes
W
erner Slabbert, timber construction industry
stalwart, will carry the company torch well into
the future, building on the enduring Rustic
Homes legacy.
Since its inception in the 1980s, the Rustic Homes brand
has embodied solid, high quality timber construction for
the discerning homeowner.
Slabbert is deeply passionate about his trade. Coming
across unscrupulous timber frame builders prompted him
to change his career from broadcast engineering to timber
frame building.
“When I realised that the builders had disappeared and
my house would not be built, I took a month’s leave from
work and finished the construction of my house with the
help of a carpenter,” remarks Slabbert. “During this time,
I was approached to build another log home, which I was
reluctant to do, given my lack of experience at the time.
But thanks to my growing reputation for solid building
practice and sound business ethics, the orders kept coming
in,” he says.
Slabbert’s hard-earned experience was complemented
by his efforts to educate himself about timber frame
construction. “I read up a lot about how the Australians
were building with timber, completed a number of courses
with a local timber construction association and spent a
great deal of time with the late Victor Booth, a well-
respected timber frame engineer, considered a ‘guru’ of his
trade in South Africa,” says Slabbert.
Slabbert is also responsible for building a successful
and well-renowned log home building business, Eco Log
Homes. He also played an active role in promoting timber
construction throughout South Africa by contributing his
time and expertise to various non-gain projects.
Acting as vice chairman of what was known as the
Institute for Timber Frame Builders (ITFB) for two years,
Slabbert took to the helm of the institute for another four
years, during which time the ITFB merged with the Institute
for Timber Construction South Africa (ITC-SA), of which he
is still a board member. Slabbert is the chairman of the
working group of the South African National Standards
(SANS) 10082 document at the South African Bureau of
Standards (SABS), lectures on timber frame construction at
various universities and has presented numerous papers
on the subject at various conferences.
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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2017 //
The company is underpinned by superior building materials
and meticulous attention to detail.
Rustic Homes approaches every project with as much attention
to detail to interior finishing as it does to the exterior.
A Rustic Home is a high-value investment underpinned by
the work of master craftsmen using the best available
building materials under the guidance of experts in the
field of timber construction. “When I started building in
2001, I watched Rustic Homes with a keen eye and aspired
to build homes like they did,” says Slabbert.
Pieter Silberbauer, past owner of Rustic Homes,
comments, “We have grown the Rustic Homes brand over
three decades and it is clear to us that Werner recognises
the significance of this as he takes over the brand and the
responsibility that goes with building and maintaining it.
We wish him well as he ensures that every project he
undertakes meets the exacting standards of quality that
established Rustic Homes in southern Africa.”