In Grand Forks, the Doukhobors lived in a communal setting that was organized according to family groupings of extended families sharing one village. A typical village consisted of a pair of two storey buildings, constructed of wood with brick veneer (The Doukhobors, website.). Attached to these large houses were one storey structures, forming a U-shaped plan. Located in these annexes were the bathhouses, store rooms, and guestrooms (George Woodcock and Ivan Avakumovik. The Doukhobors. p. 235).

#C_01490 British Columbia Archives

The structure of the village in Grand Forks shares some similarities with those of Russia and Saskatchewan. In Russia, the 19th century buildings were mostly constructed of wood and finished in plank siding (Frances Mark Mealing. Doukhobor Life: A Survey of Doukhobor Religion, History, and Folklife. p. 29).

Often the homes were two storeys with verandahs and ornate carved decoration (Frances Mark Mealing. Doukhobor Life: A Survey of Doukhobor Religion, History, and Folklife. p. 29). In Saskatchewan a variety of materials were used. Mud plaster and thatched roofs were common; however, some consisted of log-and-sod buildings (Frances Mark Mealing. Doukhobor Life: A Survey of Doukhobor Religion, History, and Folklife. p. 29).

The first group of people to arrive in B.C. set up log-and-sod huts until the first Community Houses were established (Frances Mark Mealing. Doukhobor Life: A Survey of Doukhobor Religion, History, and Folklife. p. 29). The community houses were made from wood that was supplied from their small sawmill (Alice and Jim Granville. Grand Forks, The First 100 Years in the Shadow of Observation. p. 163) Later, brick siding was added after the completion of their brick factory (Alice andJim Granville. Grand Forks, The First 100 Years in the Shadow of Observation.) p. 163). Some historians believe that the architect of the Saskatchewan buildings was the Doukhobor leader, Peter Verigin. And the ones built in B.C. were reproductions of the previous ones, as no architectural plans or drawings were used.

Although the buildings of the Grand Forks village were produced from a template used for other Doukhobor villages in Canada, the builders were able to preserve one building type that was authentic to their original homeland. This was the stave building. In the villages in B.C., this construction style was used for small buildings, such as the barn (Frances Mark Mealing. Doukhobor Life: A Survey of Doukhobor Religion, History, and Folklife. p. 32).