At first, Tim Werkhoven wanted to learn carpentry so he could build himself a house. As with so many hobbies, though, skill and budget forced him to start small. Real small.

More than 35 years later, Werkhoven still hasn’t built that house, but he does have a lifetime’s collection of birdhouses and the like to show for it. And, of course, there’s the scale-model Masonic lodge.

The 1/16-scale mini lodge is now a prized possession of Redlands Lodge No. 300. It includes wooden framing as well as siding and shingles milled from decorative door skins. “It’s basic, it’s simple, and it’s honest,” Werkhoven says. “There’s no drywall to hide sloppy work. What you see is what you get.”