Brune Homestead:

Documentation, Deconstruction & Reconstruction

Columbia Hills State Park, Washington
Historic Preservation & Restoration Program
Clatsop Community College
 Brune Homestead:
Documentation, Deconstruction & Reconstruction
Columbia Hills State Park, Washington
Historic Preservation & Restoration Program
Clatsop Community College

Capstone Project 2011

Project by
Serena Orwick & Joseph Sakrisson
 acknowledgements
Instructors:
Kevin Palo & Lucien Swerdloff
Historic Preservation and Restoration Program, Clatsop Community College

Advisor:
Alex McMurry
Historic Preservation Planner, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission

Students:
Richard Balkins, Randy Brown, Doug Graham, Christopher Gustafson, Donya McClenahan, Brian
Nice, Serena Orwick, Matt Powers, Joseph Sakrisson, Doug Shuster, Allen Vollmer, Larisa
Zimmerman

Special Thanks to:

Park Ranger Andy Kallinen for providing us with supplies and making us feel welcome at Columbia
Hills State Park

Astoria Coffee Co., Astoria Co-op, Blue Scorcher Bakery, & Fort George Brewery for their donations
in fueling our preservation efforts and educations.

Contact Information:
Historic Preservation and Restoration Program
Clatsop Community College
1653 Jerome Ave
Astoria, OR 97103

503.338.2301
lswerdloff@clatsopcc.edu
 table of contents
Chapter I Introduction ..................................................................................1
Site History ...........................................................................................................................2
The Brune Homestead ..........................................................................................2
The Crawford Ranch Cluster ...............................................................................4
Columbia Hills State Park ...................................................................................7
Plank and Box Construction .............................................................................................8

Chapter II Documentation & Deconstruction ..............................................13

The Deconstruction Workshop .........................................................................................14
Location Documentation ...................................................................................................15
General Conditions Assessment .......................................................................................17
Deconstruction ....................................................................................................................18
Overboards & Underboards ................................................................................18
Photo Documentation & Sketches .......................................................................19
Roof Framing & Covering ....................................................................................24
Interior Wall Beadboard ......................................................................................25
Storage of Original Material ................................................................................25
Floor Structure ......................................................................................................26

Chapter III Project Planning .........................................................................27

Initiating the Project ...........................................................................................................28
Scope of the Project .............................................................................................................28
Site Sensitivities ...................................................................................................................29
Gathering & Assessing Materials ......................................................................................30
Planning & Project Management ......................................................................................30
Construction Method Decisions .......................................................................................33

Chapter IV Reconstruction ............................................................................35

The Reconstruction Workshop ..........................................................................................36
Final Measurements ............................................................................................................36
Orientation & Safety Meetings ..........................................................................................37
Layout of the Board-on-Board Siding ..............................................................................38
Foundation and Floor .........................................................................................................39
Building the Box ..................................................................................................................41
Rafters & Ceiling Joists .......................................................................................................42
Board-on-Board Siding ......................................................................................................44
North Wall ............................................................................................................................45

i
 table of contents
West Wall ..............................................................................................................................46
East Wall ...............................................................................................................................47
South Wall ............................................................................................................................48
Interior Wall Beadboard .....................................................................................................49
Skip Sheathing & Shakes ....................................................................................................50
Ridgeboards .........................................................................................................................51

Chapter V Conclusion ....................................................................................52

Time & Materials Used .......................................................................................................53
Opportunities Missed & Realized .....................................................................................54
Recommendations for Future Reconstruction & Treatment .........................................55
Recommended Uses for the Brune Homestead Site .......................................................56

References .......................................................................................................57

Appendices .....................................................................................................59
Appendix A: Deconstruction Workshop Field Notes & Sketches ................................59
Appendix B: Reconstruction Workshop Participant’s Packet ........................................69
Appendix C: Reconstruction Documentation ................................................................73
Appendix D: Reconstruction Time Schedule & Budget ................................................84
Appendix E: Brune Homestead Cabin Artifacts found during Reconstruction .........91

ii
 list of figures
Photos on the cover: The Henry F. Brune Homestead cabin before and after reconstruction.
Photo on the title page: The reconstructed homestead cabin in its surrounding landscape of rolling
hills & oak groves.

1.1 Crawford Ranch Cluster in Columbia Hills State Park................................................................1

1.2 Brune Homestead Vicinity Map at 1”= 5000’.................................................................................2
1.3 Historic Homestead Boundaries of Dalles Mountain Ranch Historic District.........................3
1.4 Map of Homesteads of Dalles Mountain Ranch Historic District..............................................4
1.5 Map of Crawford Ranch Cluster......................................................................................................5
1.6 Crawford house in its present condition........................................................................................6
1.7 Historic photo of the Crawford house............................................................................................6
1.8 Crawford granary & hogshed...........................................................................................................6
1.9 Crawford barn & tack shed...............................................................................................................6
1.10 Crawford pond...................................................................................................................................6
1.11 John Crawford boating on the pond he built.................................................................................6
1.12 Map illustrating location of Dalles Mountain Ranch....................................................................7
1.13 Close-up of Northwest corner of Brune Homestead cabin..........................................................8
1.14 Cross-section sketch of a plank and box constructed building...................................................11

2.1 Deconstruction of the Brune Homestead cabin............................................................................13

2.2 Brune Homestead Area Map at 1” = 200’ with access road & trail.............................................14
2.3 Brune Homestead detail site map at 1” = 10’.................................................................................15
2.4 Bearing tree and exterior wall picture of the Brune Homestead cabin......................................16
2.5 Damage to cabin from a rodent tunnel..........................................................................................17
2.6 Rot & degredation of structural siding boards..............................................................................17
2.7 Algae & moss growth on ceiling boards, rafters & beadboard....................................................17
2.8 Moss & lichen growth on skip sheathing.......................................................................................17
2.9 Removing West side overboards.....................................................................................................18
2.10 West side overboard labeled with wood crayon............................................................................18
2.11 Creating storypole for the West elevation......................................................................................18
2.12 Removing nails and bundling boards with strapping tape..........................................................18
2.13 North exterior elevation...................................................................................................................19
2.14 East exterior elevation......................................................................................................................19
2.15 South exterior elevation...................................................................................................................19
2.16 West exterior elevation.....................................................................................................................19
2.17-2.21 Field sketch & quadrant photos of North elevation.........................................................20
2.22-2.26 Field sketch & quadrant photos of East elevation............................................................21
2.27-2.31 Field sketch & quadrant photos of West elevation...........................................................22
2.32-2.34 Field sketch & photos of South elevation..........................................................................23
2.35 Measuring hole in skip sheathing for stove pipe...........................................................................24
2.36 Ceiling beadboard missing or rotted..............................................................................................24
2.37 Deconstruction of roof framing and ceiling boards.....................................................................25
2.38 Lowering the East wall......................................................................................................................25
2.39 All four walls down............................................................................................................................25
2.40 Boards labeled, wrapped, & stored in barn.....................................................................................25
2.41 Drawing of floor joist system............................................................................................................26
2.42 The floor structure as found.............................................................................................................26
2.43 Floor planks beyond salvaging.........................................................................................................26

iii
 list of figures
3.1 View of Crawford Ranch Cluster with wildflowers in the foreground.......................................27
3.2 Close-up of the Obscure Buttercup, Rannunculus reconditus....................................................29
3.3 Flag identifying a possible location of the Obscure Buttercup....................................................29
3.4 Participants in the Wagons & Wildflowers Festival observe the reconstruction process........29
3.5 She Who Watches petroglyph..........................................................................................................29
3.6 Cut List for the Brune Homestead Reconstruction by Alex McMurry.......................................31
3.7 Cut List for the Brune Homestead Reconstruction by Joseph Sakrisson...................................32
3.8 Box construction sill configurations...............................................................................................34
3.9 Section view of the lower wall & floor structure of the reconstruction.....................................34

4.1 Reconstruction of the cabin underway...........................................................................................35

4.2 Laying out the rafters & ceiling joists..............................................................................................36
4.3 Pulling nails out of salvaged barn material....................................................................................36
4.4 Loading floor beam into barn..........................................................................................................37
4.5 Safety module meeting......................................................................................................................37
4.6 Materials to be sorted........................................................................................................................37
4.7 Truck loaded with materials.............................................................................................................37
4.8 Sorting material in the barn.............................................................................................................38
4.9 Building jig for the West & East walls.............................................................................................38
4.10 Laying out siding boards of the East wall.......................................................................................38
4.11 Determining which siding boards to use........................................................................................38
4.12 Leveling out and squaring the site...................................................................................................39
4.13 Laying out the rim joist.....................................................................................................................39
4.14 Installing the floor joists...................................................................................................................39
4.15 Installing the horizontal band..........................................................................................................39
4.16 Sketch of the pier and joist system..................................................................................................40
4.17 Close-up on lower Southeast corner...............................................................................................41
4.18 Installing the West side ceiling joist................................................................................................41
4.19 Connection between ceiling joist & ribbon board........................................................................41
4.20 Ceiling joists ready to be installed...................................................................................................41
4.21 Installing the first rafter....................................................................................................................42
4.22 Rafter installation..............................................................................................................................42
4.23 Original rafters offset from ceiling joists........................................................................................42
4.24 Reconstructed rafters installed on top of ceiling joists.................................................................42
4.25 Section view of wall & roof construction.......................................................................................43
4.26 Sketch of rafter & ceiling joist layout..............................................................................................43
4.27 Sketch of connection between floor platform & West/East walls...............................................44
4.28 Interior view of Northeast corner underboards............................................................................44
4.29 North wall underboards installed...................................................................................................45
4.30 North wall overboards installed......................................................................................................45
4.31 Sketch of North wall..........................................................................................................................45
4.32 Color coded sketch of West wall......................................................................................................46
4.33 Completed West wall.........................................................................................................................46
4.34 Color coded sketch of East wall.......................................................................................................47
4.35 Completed East wall..........................................................................................................................47
4.36 Using storypole to layout South wall...............................................................................................48
4.37 South wall completed........................................................................................................................48
4.38 Sketch of South wall with conjectured door & window................................................................48

iv
 list of figures
4.39 Installing interior wall beadboard...................................................................................................49
4.40 East & North wall beadboard installed...........................................................................................49
4.41 Trimming skip sheathing to length.................................................................................................50
4.42 Installation of shakes & overboards................................................................................................50
4.43 Installation of shakes & cornerboard..............................................................................................50
4.44 Close-up view of shake & skip sheathing overhangs....................................................................50
4.45 Installation of ridgeboards................................................................................................................51
4.46 Completed cabin with leftover shakes & pyre................................................................................51
4.47 Completed reconstruction of Brune Homestead cabin................................................................51

5.1 The Brune Homestead cabin reconstruction crew........................................................................52

5.2 Brune Homestead cabin pre-deconstruction.................................................................................53
5.3 Reconstructed Brune Homestead cabin.........................................................................................53
5.4 Pool table in need of historic preservation.....................................................................................56

A.1 Brune Homestead site survey field sketch & notes.......................................................................59

A.2 Floor joist system field sketches.......................................................................................................66
A.3 Board-on-board siding & ceiling joist field sketches....................................................................67
A.4 Brune Homestead cabin cut list.......................................................................................................68

C.1 Table of Materials used for West wall board-on-board siding.....................................................77

C.2 Table of Materials used for East wall board-on-board siding......................................................79

D.1 Table of Time spent in Planning for the Reconstruction.............................................................86

D.2 Table of Time spent in the Reconstruction....................................................................................87
D.3 Tables of Lumber Used in Reconstruction & Materials Leftover.................................................88
D.4 Table of Tools Used in Reconstruction...........................................................................................89
D.5 Tables of Fasteners Used in Reconstruction & Total Cost of Materials......................................90

E.1 Field sketch map of artifact locations..............................................................................................91

E.2 Artifacts found during site excavation............................................................................................91
E.3 Dourg Graham holding stove leg found at location “C”...............................................................91
E.4 Stove leg found at location “C”.........................................................................................................92
E.5 Unkown object found at location “E”..............................................................................................92
E.6 Collection of artifacts found during excavation of site.................................................................92
E.7 Porcelain doorknob with rim lock found at location “B”..............................................................92
E.8 Glass bottle found at location “D”....................................................................................................92

v
 structure of the project document
The project document is organized into five chapters.

Chapter 1 introduces the history and the current conditions of the region where Henry F. Brune and
his brothers chose to homestead. This introduction also offers the reader a chance to
familiarize themselves with the construction methods used by Henry F. Brune to build his
homestead cabin (plank and box construction).

Chapter 2 describes the documentation and deconstruction work done on the Brune Homestead
by students of the Historic Preservation & Restoration program of Clatsop Community College in
October of 2010.

Chapter 3 delves into the project management and planning work done by Serena Orwick & Joseph
Sakrisson in preparation for the reconstruction of the Brune Homestead cabin. This chapter
describes the site sensitivities, planning challenges, & risks that were considered in the planning of
this project.

Chapter 4 portrays the lay-out and reconstruction process of the Brune Homestead conducted by
students of the Historic Preservation & Restoration program of Clatsop Community College in May
of 2011. This chapter also deals with the compromises that were made in the reconstruction process
to maintain a balance between producing an accurate reconstruction, staying within the monetary
and time budgets, and constructing a building that will last.

Chapter 5 concludes with a summary of the project, recommendations for future work on the
homestead, and recommended uses for the homestead cabin.

vi
 introduction I

Figure 1.1: Landscape of Columbia Hills State Park with a view of Crawford Ranch barns, house, & outbuild-
ings and the Reuter house & barn.

1
 site history I
The Brune Homestead

The Brune Homestead, built in 1882, is located in what is now Columbia Hills State Park in
Washington, about 11 miles northeast of The Dalles, Oregon (See Figure 1.2). The area is
characterized by grasslands & scattered oak forests. The homestead cabin is conveniently located
next to a year-round creek and situated next to a cluster of oaks on a hillside about 1300 feet above
the Columbia River. This homestead cabin reveals patterns which are important to regional history:
homesteading & livestock ranching in the later 19th & early 20th centuries.

Figure 1.2: Henry F. Brune Homestead cabin site vicinity map at 1” = 5000’
Located at the NW corner of the SE corner of Section 6. Township 2 North, Range 14 East, Willamette Meridian
Columbia Hills State Park, Klickitat County, Washington

Henry Francis Brune was born in Germany on August 10th, 1845. After receiving military honors
during the Franco-Prussian War, Mr. Brune came to America. Initially he worked a mine in Nevada.
In February of 1882 he filed for a 184.55 acre parcel in the Washington Territory. He was declared a
U.S. citizen on November 8th, 1861.1

1
Holstine, section 8, p. 11

2
 site history I
He immediately started building his house on the parcel after filing his application and was able to
move in the third week of February, 1882. He described it as, “a box house 12 x 14 ft., has a shingle
roof, plank floor, is weatherboarded on outside, papered on the inside, and has one door and one
window.” It was furnished with a bed, table, book case, cupboard, two chairs, a “rocker,” and a cook
stove.2 Mr. Brune reported being occasionally absent from his homestead in order to graze his sheep
because his own tract was not sufficient. He said he had two horses, 500 sheep, a barn 24 x 14 feet,
and a two-acre sheep corral.

Mr. Brune moved onto an adjacent 160-acre pre-emption claim on the 13th of February, 1888 (see
Figure 1.3). A preemption claim allowed squatters to purchase up to 160 acres at a very low price
before the land was offered for sale to the public. His neighbor built a house for him there, and by
its description it could be inferred that Mr. Brune simply had his original house disassembled and
reconstructed on his new claim. Box construction buildings lend themselves to being transported as
once the walls are detached at the corners they can each be moved as a unit. Support for this theory
can also be found in the economics of
homesteading, the reports of other homesteaders salvaging houses, and the lack of more house ruins
in Columbia Hills State Park.3

Figure 1.3: The Homestead Boundaries of Dalles

Mountain Ranch Historic District. Henry F. Brune
homesteaded #s 5 &13. His brother, William M.
Brune homesteaded #s 7, 8, & 9. See key below.

2
Ibid. section 8, p. 12
3
Ibid. section 8, p. 13

3
 site history I
Four Brune brothers ultimately homesteaded in the Columbia Hills on adjacent parcels. Henry &
William Brune’s homsteads are both situated within the Park (see Figure 1.3). Mr. Brune married
his brother Charles’ widow in 1895 and became a stepfather to nine children. He died on the 16th of
May, 1915 at home in The Dalles, OR.

The Henry F. Brune Homestead cabin is the only home remaining in Columbia Hills State Park
dating from an original homestead settlement.4 Except for this cabin, “the era of homesteading and
its sometimes brutal proximity to nature at her harshest, is now for the most part represented in
structural ruins, non-native plant species and open grasslands which first attracted the original
homesteaders and nourished their herd animals.”5

The Crawford Ranch Cluster

The Crawfords were another prominent family who homesteaded in what is now Columbia Hills
State Park. The Crawford Ranch Cluster, (a complex of 14 buildings associated with this family) is
located near the Brune cabin (see Figure 1.4). The buildings include: a house, two barns, an
equipment and vehicle garage, a shop, eight sheds, and a chicken house(see Figures 1.5-1.11).6 The
agricultural buildings are remarkably intact, partially due to the fact that they remained in active use
into the late 1980s.
Homesteads of the Dalles Mountain Ranch Historic District
Boundary

Stock Trough

Ludwig Skibbe Grave

Reuter House
Figure 1.4: This map points out the remnants of
Henry F. Brune Cabin
the homesteads of what is now Columbia Hills
Crawford Ranch Cluster
State Park. Ludwig Skibbe was William Brune’s
brother-in-law and he died of natural causes while
Wm. M. Brune Homestead
visiting the family in August of 1897.

Timber Culture

Timber Culture

Lucas Homestead

4
Ibid. section 7, p. 1
5
Ibid. section 7, pp. 1-2
6
Ibid. section 7, p. 4

4
 site history I
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Figure 1.5: The buildings making up the Crawford Ranch Cluster at Columbia Hills State Park.

5
 site history I

Figure 1.6: Crawford house in its present Figure 1.7: Historic photo of Crawford
condition. house, built 1905 using salvaged lumber
from their original homestead.

Figure 1.8: Crawford granary & hogshed. Figure 1.9: Crawford barn and tack shed.

Figure 1.10: Crawford pond. In the early 1900s Figure 1.11: John Crawford on the irrigation
John Crawford built this pond and used the creek pond he built.
to pipe in water to irrigate his fruit orchards.

6
 site history I
Columbia Hills State Park

In 1954 the Brune and Crawford lands were consolidated by the Reuter family to create a ranch of
nearly 6000 acres. In 1975 the Bleakney family purchased the property and named it Dalles
Mountain Ranch.7 On December 6, 1993, the Bleakneys deeded the ranch to the Department of
Natural Resources and to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission for the public to
enjoy in perpetuity8. In 2003 the ranch was bequeathed to the State of Washington and combined
with the already existing Horsethief Lake State Park (which is where the Skillute Village once stood),
forming Columbia Hills State Park.

Figure 1.12: Map illustrating the locations of Dalles Mountain Ranch & Horse Thief Lake State Park,
which combined to become Columbia Hills State Park in 2003.

7
Ibid. section 8, p. 7
8
Ibid. section 8, p. 31

7
 plank and box construction I

Figure 1.13: Close-up of Northwest corner of Brune Homestead. Note that the interior wall
tongue and groove beadboard is nailed directly into the exterior board-on-board siding. These
siding boards also serve as structural elements.

8
 plank and box construction I
Written by Larisa Zimmerman

The Brune homestead was built in the “plank and box” style of construction. This was not an
uncommon building method for small first buildings erected by homesteaders, because these
structures could be put together fairly easily and quickly by just one or two people. As Shannon Bell
states in her 2006 thesis on plank and box construction in the Pacific Northwest, “Box construction
emphasized speed and economy.”1

Plank and box style is a light wood, single-wall construction method. First, a builder lays
foundation piers on the ground, usually at the four corners of the building, sometimes with a few
more in between to support long floor joist spans. Piers would be fashioned from large rocks, bricks,
or sometimes wood stumps, depending on what the builder had access to.2 A homesteader working
in a hurry to erect a house before winter set in would likely try to use available materials. This
constraint of materials available had a great affect on the appearance of vernacular building styles
such as plank and box, more so than the designs found in pattern books or the publicized work of
fashionable architects.3

At Brune, four large pier rocks were located at the four corners of the building. There were two
additional rock piers in the middle of the longest walls, and one more in the center of the building
under the floor. The land of this homestead site is rocky and rugged. It is likely that the pier rocks
were dug up in the surrounding soil. An additional joist-supporting pier made of notched wood sat
under the building beneath the stove. A round hole for a stovepipe was cut in the roof directly above
this notched floor joist support. On top of the rock piers, a heavy wooden sill outlined the building’s
floor plan. These sill pieces were the largest timbers in the building and were most likely hand-hewn
on or very near the cabin’s original site.4 Floor joists were laid across the sills to support 12” wide
flooring planks, which served as the cabin’s finished floor.

The most notable feature of plank and box style is the wall construction. Instead of attaching wood
pieces to a heavy timber frame, they are attached only to a light wood frame, and to each other for
structural support. Shannon Bell points out in her thesis that “the entire box acts as the structural
system.”5 Instead of wall studs with an open space between the inside and outside walls, the plank
wall is one solid mass. “Planks (are) oriented vertically with no airspace between the exterior and
interior edges of the buildings. Box construction encompasses the entire building system from
foundation to roof truss.”6

1
Bell, Shannon Mical Sardell. The Preservation of Vertical Plank and Box Constructed Buildings in the Pacific Northwest;
University of Oregon Historic Preservation Master’s Thesis. March 2006: p.19.
2
Ibid. p.66
3
Ibid. p.24
4
Ibid. p.86
5
Ibid. p.79
6
Ibid. p.15

9
 plank and box construction I
Corner boards the height of the wall are erected first, “lapped and nailed one into the other to form a
rigid element.”7 A cap (either 2”x 4” or 2”x 6”) is then placed around the top of the boards
connecting the separate corners to each other, as well as providing a surface on which to attach the
walls and support the roof rafters.8 Once the corners and the cap are in place, the exterior planks
are nailed to the outside of the sill. In some cases of plank construction, the sill may also be notched,
providing a surface for the planks to sit on, or a cross-piece might be nailed to the bottom of the sill
for resting the planks on. The Brune homestead’s exterior planks were nailed to the outside surface of
the sill with no sign of a notch or supporting board below. The remaining vertical boards were nailed
in a line along the perimeter of the wall. The bottom of each board was nailed at the sill and the top
at the cap, completing the box. Door and window openings were then cut out of the completed box
and framed-in, and completing trim would be installed.”9

At the Brune house, gaps between the boards were covered by nailing another vertical board over top
of the seams. The exterior plank siding is a variant of board and batten in which the battens are so
wide as to be considered board-on-board. The wood is irregular in width, averaging 5”- 8”.
Narrower boards were generally used as the top boards, and wider ones beneath. Shannon Bell
describes typical building practices, “Often the landowner cut his own trees to provide materials for
the house. Large trees were selected to yield at least twelve-inch wide boards so less lumber would be
used (up to one-third less lumber than other construction methods and half as many nails),
construction would be more rapid, and a tighter house would result.”10 Henry Brune may not have
had access to large enough trees to make 12” boards, but he appears to have followed the pattern
described of using the widest boards for the building’s sheath.

Once the exterior boards were installed vertically, an interior finish wall board surface was installed
horizontally. The interior of the Brune cabin is finished in tongue and groove double-beadboard,
5” wide. Shannon Bell explains that box construction builders often used horizontal exterior siding
(weatherboard or clapboard) to provide additional shear strength for box construction.11 Since the
Brune cabin had no exterior horizontal siding, the horizontally laid beadboard interior wall
probably provided much of that shear strength. See Figure 1.14 on the following page for an
illustration of plank and box construction.

7
Ibid. p.19
8
Ibid p.19
9
Ibid. p.21
10
Ibid. p.21
11
Ibid. p.21

10
 plank and box construction I

Figure 1.14: This sketch is a section of a building built using plank & box construction. This
is the construction method used in the building of the Brune Homestead cabin.

11
 plank and box construction I
It is difficult to recognize a plank and box constructed building from the outside. The only way to
know if that was the construction method used on a particular building is to see inside the wall, and
that requires the removal of material – some surgical excavation. Not only small homesteaders’ or
miners’ cabins were built with this method. Several large houses, including the Ferry House at Ebey’s
Landing on Whidbey Island (1859-1870), are known to be of plank and box construction. It seems
amazing that such seemingly unsupported construction could survive for 150 years. The wood that
these first settlers had available to them was of higher quality than we can get today, due to the tighter
growth rings found in old-growth lumber. “Old growth wood such as this is much more likely to
support and withstand general loading conditions.”12

The summary on box construction as described in Space, Style and Structure, edited by Thomas
Vaughan, 1974:

Box construction, as it is called in Oregon, may be the most remarkable of the three types
(hewn-frame and balloon frame being the two others). As early as the others, it continued to be built
until after 1900. It is a plank system with many antecedents on the East Coast of the United States. The
wall structure consists only of planks about two inches thick which are set vertically, one beside the next.
Each plank is nailed to the sill below and at top to the plate. There are no posts or studs; its total finished
thickness is only about three inches. Economy recommended its use because the wall requires one-third
less material than any other system, and half as many nails. Its only disadvantage, due to the lack of an
air space, is that it makes a colder building. It is remarkable for its strength and for its durability. This
can be seen in the plumb lines and firm condition of box houses over 120 years old. Any house plan type
and size, including some large two-story houses, might be box constructed.13

Ibid. p.33
12

Dole, Philip. Pioneer Days: Buildings and Gardens; Farmhouses and Barns of the Willamette Valley. Edited by Thomas
13

Vaughan and Virginia Guest Ferriday. Vol. 1, Space, Style and Structure: Building in Northwest America. Portland:
Oregon Historical Society, 1974, pp 98-99.

12
 documentation & deconstruction II

Figure 2.1: Deconstruction of the Brune Homestead.

13
 documentation & deconstruction II
The Deconstruction Workshop

Eleven students and two instructors from Clatsop Community College’s Historic Preservation
program arrived at Columbia Hills State Park on October 8th, 2010. We were accommodated by the
Parks at the old Reuter family ranch house. The documentation and deconstruction of the building
took place on October 9th & 10th. The Brune cabin, located approximately 1/2 mile from the Reuter
house, is accessible by a gravel road and a short trail (see Figure 2.2).

Figure 2.2: Brune Homestead Site Area Map at 1” = 200’ showing the access road and trail to the Brune Homestead cabin.
It took about 15 minutes of travel to get to the cabin each morning. Map provided by Brian Nice.

14
 documentation & deconstruction II
Location Documentation

Our first order of business was to document the exact location of the homestead cabin. A 21”
diameter oak tree was chosen as the bearing tree.  That tree had very old barbed wire imbedded into
it at 1’ and 7’ above grade.  Its coordinates are North 45°41’7.81”  & West1 21° 6’0.97” (per Google
Earth).   From that tree a datum point was set at the NW corner of the building. That point is a ½” x
24” rebar that was set vertically and flush into the ground with orange flagging tied to it. That corner
bears South 31° West 23.3’ from the bearing tree (see Figures 2.3 & 2.4).

Figure 2.3: Brune Homestead Detail Site Map at 1” = 10’. See Figure 2.4 for pictures of bearing tree and walls of cabin.
• indicates 1/2” x 12” rebar driven flush into the dirt 1” North of NW and NE building corners. Map provided by Brian
Nice.

15
 documentation & deconstruction II

P1 West wall & bearing tree P2 North & West walls

P3 East wall P4 South wall

Figure 2.4: Bearing tree and exterior wall pictures of the Brune Homestead cabin. Compass bearings are from the
oak tree to rebar at the NW building corner. Photos provided by Brian Nice.

16
 documentation & deconstruction II
General Conditions Assessment

The cabin was in relatively poor condition when we arrived on site. The floor boards were
disintegrated, there were very few roof shingles left, the roof structure was falling in, the door and
window were missing from the South wall and it was leaning toward the East. It had been stabilized
with timber bracing placed by the Columbia Hills State Park staff.

Generally, the lumber suffered from erosion from photo degredation and mechanical damage due to
cyclical wetting & drying. Checks, cracks, warping, cupping, grain raising, and nail loosening were
all present in the boards of the homestead cabin. There was also evidence found of biological damage.
Rodents had dug a tunnel under the West wall. There was a lot of moss and lichen growth, especially
on the ceiling boards & skip sheathing (see Figures 2.5-2.8).

Figure 2.5: Damage to cabin from a rodent tunnel. Figure 2.6: Rot & degradation of structural siding
boards.

Figure 2.7: Algae & moss growth on ceiling boards, Figure 2.8: Moss & lichen growth on skip sheathing.
rafters, & interior beadboard.

17
 documentation & deconstruction II
Deconstruction

Overboards & Underboards

The Brune homestead cabin walls were of board-on-board construction. The underboards were 1x8s,
with variations in width. A story pole was created to document the overboards and underboards of all
four elevations. Underboards were numbered from left to right. Overboards were lettered from left to
right. For example, the furthest left underboard on the West elevation was labeled W1 and the
furthest left overboard was labeled WA. These labels were written on the story pole as well as
written in wood crayon directly on the boards once they were removed from the cabin (see Figures
2.9 & 2.10). Once labeled, the boards were stacked in order and bundled with strapping tape. The
story pole was also used to document the locations of the door and window on the South elevation
(see Figure 2.11).

Figure 2.9: Removing West side overboards & labeling Figure 2.10: West side overboard labeled.
with a wood crayon.

Figure 2.11: Creating the storypole for the West side Figure 2.12: Removing the nails and stacking the
exterior boards of the Brune cabin. boards of the Brune cabin.

18
 documentation & deconstruction II
Photo Documentation & Sketches

Four photos were taken of each exterior elevation, one for each quadrant (see Figures 2.13-2.34).
Photos were also taken of all four interior walls, the remnants of the floor, and the roof framing
structure. Notes were made of all of the graffiti, cleats, patches and nails found in the interior walls.
Field sketches were also done of various aspects of the cabin (see Appendix A).

Figure 2.13: North exterior elevation. Figure 2.14: East exterior elevation.

Figure 2.15: South exterior elevation. Figure 2.16: West exterior elevation.

19
 documentation & deconstruction II

Figure 2.17: Field sketch of the North elevation.

Figure 2.18: Upper left quadrant of North elevation. Figure 2.19: Upper right quadrant of North elevation.

Figure 2.20: Lower left quadrant of North elevation. Figure 2.21: Lower right quadrant of North elevation.

20
 documentation & deconstruction II

Figure 2.22: Field sketch of the East elevation.

Figure 2.23: Upper left quadrant of East elevation. Figure 2.24: Upper right quadrant of East elevation.

Figure 2.25: Lower left quadrant of East elevation. Figure 2.26: Lower right quadrant of East elevation.

21
 documentation & deconstruction II

Figure 2.27: Field sketch of the West elevation.

Figure 2.28: Upper left quadrant of West elevation. Figure 2.29: Upper right quadrant of West elevation.

Figure 2.30: Lower left quadrant of West elevation. Figure 2.31: Lower right quadrant of West elevation.

22
 documentation & deconstruction II

Figure 2.32: This drawing shows the door on the left (west) and the window on the right (east). This is
based on the recollection of a ranger we spoke to on site. The one remaining piece of window framing sug-
gested that the window was on the left and the door was on the right.

Figure 2.33: Left side of South elevation. Figure 2.34: Right side of South elevation.

23
 documentation & deconstruction II
Roof Framing & Covering

The deconstruction was initiated by the removal of the skip sheathing. These boards measured 1”
x 6” x 15’-10” except for the boards at the bottom which were 7 ¼” wide. They were spaced about
3” apart with variation. There were 10 boards on the North side and 11 on the South side. The skip
sheathing was in poor condition with a lot of rot, warping and biological growth. Since we were
planning on replacing them they were not labeled. There was a hole in the skip sheathing of the
Northeast corner of the building where the stove pipe extruded (see Figure 2.35). The hole was in
the 5th & 6th boards counting up from the bottom. The hole was 8” wide and 10” tall.

The ridgeboards were removed along with the skip sheathing. They measured 1” x 3 ½” x 15’-10”.
These were also in poor condition and not labeled or stored for the reconstruction. There were
very few shingles remaining.

The rafters were in relatively good shape. The pairs were numbered 1-7 from West to East. The
rafters measured 2”x4”x92 ½”. They were arranged 28 ½” on center.

There were 6 ceiling joists. They were numbered 1-6 from West to East. The ceiling joist on the
West side was 5 ½” wide and the joist on the East side was 4 ½” wide. Ceiling joists numbers 2-5
were 4” wide. The ceiling joists were 142 ½” long toe to toe.

The North top plate measured 2 1/8” x 4 5/8” x 174 ½”. The South top plate measured 2” x 4” 174 ½”.
These were both in poor condition but the South top plate was retained because it provided vital
clues as to the locations of the door and window.

The ceiling was made of V-groove beadboard measuring 5 ½” x ¾”. Many of the ceiling boards
had fallen out and rotted away, so an original number was not obtained (see Figure 2.36). None of
the ceiling boards were in a salvageable condition so they were not labeled. Some were retained in
order to insure the replacement material will match the original as closely as possible.

Figure 2.35: Measuring hole in Figure 2.36: Much of the ceiling

skip sheathing for stove pipe. beadboard was missing or rotted.

24
 documentation & deconstruction II
Interior Wall Beadboard

Once the roof framing was dismantled, the walls were braced and detached at the corners. We were
able to gently lower each wall to the ground as a unit. Once the walls were on the ground, the
beadboard was gently pried off the walls. The beadboard measured 3 ¼” x ¾”. The beadboard was
numbered from the bottom up. It was stacked in order and sections were bundled with strapping tape
in order to keep them organized.

Storage of Original Material

Once the homestead cabin was deconstructed, the bundles of labeled materials were loaded up and
stored in one of the existing barns near the cabin site.

Figure 2.37: Finishing deconstruction of the roof Figure 2.38: Lowering the East wall.
framing and ceiling boards.

Figure 2.39: All four walls are down. Figure 2.40: Boards are labeled, wrapped, & stored
in the Crawford barn.

25
 documentation & deconstruction II
Floor Structure

The Brune cabin was supported by field stones, one at each corner, one near the center of the
building, and two near the center of the North and South walls. Hand-hewn sills supported 6 floor
joists (see Figure 2.41). The floor joists measured 2 ¼” x 5 ¼”. An extra supporting post was found set
into the ground directly under the hole in the skip sheathing, presumably to support the weight of the
wood stove. A piece of this stove was found during our deconscturction process. None of the floor
planks or components of the floor structure were in salvageable condition (see Figure 2.42).

Figure 2.41: Drawing of the floor joist system and location of the pier field stones.

Figure 2.42: The floor structure as found. Figure 2.43: The floor planks were beyond salvaging.

26
 project planning III

Figure 3.1: View of Crawford Ranch Cluster with wildflowers in the foreground. The Obscure Buttercup is an
endangered plant which has been found at Columbia Hills State Park. Planning for avoiding the trampling of its habitat
was one of the project management challenges faced during the preparation stages of this project.
Photo by Larisa Zimmerman.

27
 project planning III
Initiating the Project

The project management and documentation of the reconstruction of the Brune Homestead were
large tasks to fulfill, therefore two project managers were assigned to them. Joseph Sakrisson has
years of construction experience and he is a very skilled, effective, & patient craftsman. Serena
Orwick’s background in science has honed her skills of organization, data recording, and technical
writing. These two students combined their talents with teachers Kevin Palo and Lucien Swerdloff
and Washington State Parks Historic Preservation Planner Alex McMurry.

Approximately 19 hours were spent in meetings & emails to prepare for this project (see Appendix
D). Immediate tasks to complete were: defining the scope of the project, determining a schedule for
the project, & deciding upon strategies for maintaining quality management while staying within our
project budget & timeframe.

Scope of the Project

The scope of the project was to reconstruct the Henry F. Brune homestead cabin as accurately as
possible and using as much original material as possible, while staying within our time, labor, and
budget constraints. The two most important facets of the architectural integrity of the cabin are its
construction method and the lumber dimensions. These two factors were regarded above all else.

Reconstruction is “the act or process of depicting, by means of new construction, the form, features,
and detailing of a non-surviving site, landscape, building, structure or object for the purpose of
replicating its appearance at a specific period of time and in its historic location.” At the time of its
deconstruction, the Brune homestead was only being held up by timbers placed by the staff of
Columbia Hills State Park. Once it fell over, it would only be a matter of time for it to disintegrate.
According to the National Park Service’s Technical Preservation Services Standards for
Reconstruction, reconstruction can be considered as a treatment when “a contemporary depiction is
required to understand and interpret a property’s historic value (including the re-creation of missing
components in a historic district or site); when no other property with the same associative value has
survived; and when sufficient historical documentation exists to ensure an accurate reproduction.”

The greatest danger in reconstruction is creating a false picture of history. The accuracy of this work is
critical and if compromises are made (to allow for proper drainage, for example) these changes need
to be documented clearly and carefully. Therefore, the documentation of the reconstruction was a
critical component in the scope of this project.

The reconstruction was scheduled to occur during a three-day historic preservation techniques
workshop through Clatsop Community College (May 7-9, 2011). Initially, 12 students were enrolled
in this class. Only nine of these students were able to participate due to scheduling conflicts. The
materials were to be provided by the Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission.

28
 project planning III
Site Sensitivities

The site of the Brune homestead brought with it its own set of challenges. The complications of the
area include: endangered flower habitat, nearby grave sites, local Native American sacred sites &
petroglyphs, a “Wagons & Wildflowers” festival occurring on the same weekend as the reconstruc-
tion, and the involvement of the Gorge Planning Commission. As project managers,
Joseph & Serena made sure all members of the team were aware of the sensitivities of the site and
made efforts to mitigate risks involved. Plans were made to have endangered plants near the
reconstruction site flagged to prevent them from being trampled. It was decided that participants in
the Wagons & Wildflowers event would be escorted by park rangers in groups of four.

Figure 3.2: Obscure Buttercup, scientific name: Figure 3.3: Flag identifying the location of an
Ranunculus reconditus. This plant has only been endangered plant near the Brune cabin site to prevent
found at 10 occurrences along the Columbia River in it from being accidently trampled.
Washington and Oregon. Photo source: http://gorge-
friends.org/article.php?id=496

Figure 3.4: Partipants in the Wagons & Wildflowers Figure 3.5: She Who Watches petroglyph, also known
Festival observe the reconstruction process. as: Tsagaglalal. Photo source: http://www.lewisand-
clarktrail.com/section4/orcities/thedalles/horsethief/

29
 project planning III
Gathering & Assessing Materials

It was determined that we needed to document the conditions of the original material more
thoroughly than we had during the October deconstruction workshop. On March 23rd, 2011, Alex
McMurry & Serena Orwick travelled to Columbia Hills State Park and conducted a thorough survey
of the original material, focusing on the exterior boards. Each of the boards was measured for full
length and for length of useable material. The October deconstruction workshop had occurred dur-
ing a rainy weekend. When the boards were soaking wet the wood seemed like it was in much worse
condition than it actually was. Once the boards had dried out we were able to assess it properly. We
found more of it to be useable than previously thought. Samples of ceiling boards and interior wal
beadboard were thoroughly documented so that Alex could find in-kind materials or have them
milled. From this assessment we were able to determine how much introduced material we would
have to use to reconstruct the cabin.

While at the Columbia Hills State Park, Alex and Serena also did a quick documentation of the cabin
site to determine its proximity to the nearby creek. The Gorge Commission was interested in
making sure the cabin had a 50’ setback from the nearest body of water. Luckily, the cabin’s original
site was further than 50’ from the creek. Park Ranger Andy Kallinen met us at the park and shared
with us a list of materials that would be at our disposal for the reconstruction. He was able to provide
salvage materials, tools, and trailers for hauling materials.

Alex McMurry, the Historic Preservation Planner, had access to salvaged barn material through the
Washington Parks. On April 7th, 2011, he and Joseph Sakrisson drove out to Ilwaco to pick up the
salvage material we were going to use for skip sheathing, roof framing, and floor framing in the re-
construction.

Planning & Project Management

Once we had a clear idea of the materials on hand, it was time to determine what additional lumber
& fasteners we needed to complete the reconstruction. Alex and Joseph put togethercut lists for the
reconstruction (see Figures 3.6 & 3.7). Joseph also put together a the fasteners list shown below:

18- 4 ½“ galvanized lag bolts with nuts & washers

700- 1 ½” galvanized teco nails, to attach beams to joist and floor joist hangers
27- hurricane ties, Simpson H3 ZMAX coated
32- 90 degree side joist hangers, Simpson A35 framing angle ZMAX coated
150- 1 ½” or 2” galvanized #8 screws for temporary flooring
650- 10d galvanized box nails for under boards & skip sheathing
1250- 1 ½” galvanized box nails for over boards
1200- 1 ½“ Senco galvanized angled finish nails for t&g
100- 3” or 3 ½” screws, for temporary holding
150- 12d galvanized box nail for trusses & miscellaneous
Galvanized roofing nail length to be determined and exposer length to be determined.
1000- 10” exposer, 800- 12” exposer, 400- 24” exposer

30
 project planning III

Figure 3.6: Cut List for the Brune Homestead Reconstruction created by Alex McMurry, Historic Preservation
Planner, Washington State Parks.

31
 project planning III

Figure 3.7: Cut List for the Brune Homestead Reconstruction created by Joseph Sakrisson.

32
 project planning III
Serena & Joseph worked together on the three-day work schedule for the workshop. In the schedule
they tried to include extra time for educational opportunities, tours of the historic sites of the Park,
clean-up, and documentation. They also broke the workshop team into work groups assigned to
specific tasks throughout the day. The lay-out and template building work was to be done in a
Crawford barn about ¾ of a mile from the reconstruction site.

When considering how to plan for the documentation of the cabin reconstruction, there were
concerns with keeping the documentation consistent, thorough, and accurate. It was very important
that changes made to the original building design, original & introduced materials used, and time
used to complete the project were documented. Serena composed a documentation worksheet to
insure no details were overlooked in the documentation of the reconstruction.

In order to keep the twelve students in the reconstruction workshop organized and up-to-speed on
the project logistics, a workshop packet was created. In the workshop packet were: the reconstruction
workshop 3-day schedule, the documentation worksheet, and the materials & fasteners lists for the
project (see Appendix B).

Construction Method Decisions

There were a couple of key construction method decision which had to be made. These included:
1. Were power tools going to be available on-site?
2. How was the rot at the bottoms of the siding boards going to be dealt with?
a) Was the reconstructed building going to be shorter than the original?
b) Was a new horizontal band going to be added to the bottom sill to make up for the lost
siding length?
c) Were all of the original siding boards with extensive rot going to be replaced?

It was decided that a generator would be brought to the site and battery-powered tools would be
used. This decision was made because these are the tools that most of Clatsop Community College’s
Preservation students are used to. Therefore, using these tools would enable the project to be done in
a more time-efficient manner.

The decision regarding the rotted siding bottoms was a more complicated matter. The original cabin
did not have a terribly tall ceiling to begin with (6’-5 1/4”). Tall visitors would certainly have had to
duck to get inside if the height was decreased. Also, changing the height of the building would make
a dramatic difference in the overall reconstruction. As much original material as possible also needed
to be used. The decision was made to add a new 1x6 horizontal board to the 2x8 sill for the siding
boards to sit upon on the East and West elevations.
This particular sill configuration has been found in many historic box-constructed buildings. The
three most popular sill configurations in box construction are shown on the next page in Figure 3.8.
This illustration has been borrowed from Shannon Bell’s Thesis entitled, “The Preservation of Vertical
Plank and Box Constructed Buildings in the Pacific Northwest.”

33
 project planning III

A B C
Figure 3.8: Illustration showing common box construction sill configurations. The Brune Homestead
cabin was originally constructed using the simplest method, sill configuration A. The decision was made
to perform the reconstruction of the cabin using sill configuration B.

Using sill configuration B not only allowed for six more inches in height in the cabin, it also created a
connection that is not completely dependent on the fastener holding the siding board to the sill. The
siding board is also resting on the horizontal band attached to the sill. This is important because in
box construction, the siding boards not only protect the structure and its inhabitants from the
elements, they are also structural elements. The connection between the siding boards and the sill
had failed in the original Brune Homestead cabin. That is part of the reason it was listing so far to the
East.

The decision was made to only use the new horizontal band on the East and West elevations. This
decision was made for a couple of reasons. The horizontal band changed the look of the building, so
it was only used where it was needed. The East and West elevations had the most salvagable
material. Some of these boards needed to be long enough to reach the peak of the gable, and the extra
six inches from the horizontal band bridged the gap created by the rot at the bottom.

Figure 3.9: A section view of the lower wall & floor

structure of the East & West elevations of the Brune
Homestead reconstruction. The siding underboards
rested on top of the new 1x6 horizontal band and
the overboards were fastened over it. Sketch by
Joseph Sakrisson.

34
 reconstruction IV

Figure 4.1: Reconstruction of the Brune Homestead cabin underway.

35
 reconstruction IV
The Reconstruction Workshop

The reconstruction of the Brune Homestead cabin was performed by nine students and two
instructors from the Historic Preservation & Restoration program at Clatsop Community College.
They were assisted by Alex McMurry, the Historic Preservation Planner for Washington State Parks,
and Andy Kallinen, a ranger at Columbia Hills State Park. The reconstruction work took three full
days, starting in the evening of Thursday, May 5th and ending in the afternoon on Sunday, May 8th.

Final Measurements

On Thursday, May 5th, Joseph, Serena and Kevin performed some final checks on measurements
by laying out the original materials. The length and width of the floor plan were determined by the
lengths of the ribbon boards (174 1/2”) & ceiling joists (142 1/2”), respectively. The height of the cabin
from the eave line to the peak of the gable was determined by laying out a set of rafters and a ceiling
joist. The height of the building from the bottom of the rim joist to the eave line was determined to be
90”. This was based off of the height of the only interior corner board found during the
deconstruction (78 1/4”) and adding the ceiling V-groove width (3/4”), the floor plank width (5/4”), the
height of the rim joist (8”), and the ribbon board (1 3/4”). On Thursday evening the group pulled nails
out of the salvaged barn material to prepare it for use in the reconstruction.

Figure 4.2: Laying out the ceiling joist and rafters to Figure 4.3: Pulling nails out of salvaged barn material.
determine the height of the cabin.

36
 reconstruction IV
Orientation & Safety Meetings

On Friday morning the first orientation and safety meeting was held. Workshop packets were handed
out to all of the participants (see Appendix B). Then the group headed down to the Reuter barn
to load material into the trucks for transport to the homestead site. After the material was loaded,
Ranger Andy Kallinen conducted a couple of safety modules.

Three groups were formed for the rest of the day. One group went on to the homestead site where
they leveled the site and excavated for the foundation pier blocks. A second group went to finish
milling material in the Parks shop. The last group stayed at the Reuter barn to work on sorting and
laying out the siding materials.

Figure 4.4: Loading a floor beam into the Reuter barn. Figure 4.5: Ranger Andy Kallinen conducting safety
meeting.

Figure 4.6: Materials to be sorted. Figure 4.7: Truck loaded with materials.

37
 reconstruction IV
Layout of the Board-on-Board Siding
From the measurements determined on Thursday, the group at the Reuter barn built a jig for the East
and West walls. This jig was used to layout the original siding boards. When the boards were laid out
it was easier to determine which ones were long enough to use in their original position and the
dimensions of boards that were missing. If it was determined a board could not be used in its
original posistion, the best possible effort was made to replace it with original siding material from
another part of the cabin. If this was not possible, the siding board was replaced with introduced
material.

Figure 4.8: Sorting through material at the barn. Figure 4.9: Building the jig for the East and West
walls.

Figure 4.11: Determining which siding boards to use.

Figure 4.10: Laying out siding boards of the East wall.

38
 reconstruction IV
Foundation & Floor

The group at the homestead site started with the position of the original cabin which had been
surveyed back in October during our deconstruction workshop (see Figures 2.3 & 2.4). The site was
leveled out and holes were dug for the nine concrete foundation pier blocks. During this excavation,
numerous artifacts were found including a doorknob, a couple of bottles and some bricks (see
Appendix E). Once the holes were dug and gravel laid in them, the pier blocks were installed. Three
floor beams were laid in along the East-West axis. Then seven floor joists were fastened in and a
rim joist was attached to these. A temporary plywood flooring was installed because there was not
enough money in the budget to purchase appropriate floor planks at the time. The final step of
building the floor platform was the installation of the horizontal band on the East and West ends of
the cabin. For more details on the construction of each homestead cabin component, see Appendix
C.

Figure 4.12: Leveling out and squaring the site. Figure 4.13: Laying out the rim joist.

Figure 4.14: Installing the floor joists. Figure 4.15: Installing the horizontal 1x6 band on the
outside of the rim joist.

39
 reconstruction IV
The sketch below shows the dimensions of the floor joist and pier system used in the reconstruction
of the Brune homestead. The three floor beams are introduced elements to the cabin construction,
not found in the original homestead. All of the floor and foundation materials were introduced
because the original materials were too disintegrated to use.

Figure 4.16: Pier and joist plan sketch of the Brune Homestead cabin reconstruction by Joseph Sakrisson.

40
 reconstruction IV
Building the Box

On the morning of Saturday, May 7th, half of the group loaded material onto the trucks from the
Reuter barn while the rest went to work finishing up the temporary plywood floor. Once these tasks
were completed the whole group worked on constructing the box frame of the homestead cabin.
First, the two cornerboards of each of the four corners were fastened and held up with diagonal
bracing members. Then the far East and West ceiling joists were installed and the ribbon boards on
the North & South side were attached.

Figure 4.17: The lower Southeast corner of the cabin. Figure 4.18: Installing the West side ceiling joist.
Note that the siding board on the South side reaches
all the way to the bottom of the rim joist while the
East side siding board is resting on the horizontal 1x6
band.

Figure 4.19: Connection between the ceiling joist & Figure 4.20: Ceiling joists ready to be installed.
ribbon board in the Northeast corner.

41
 reconstruction IV
Rafters & Ceiling Joists

On Saturday afternoon the group broke up into two sections. One section continued to apply the
exterior siding to the box frame and the other section continued installing the rafters and ceiling
joists. The original rafters were in decent condition, but there was some rot and there were a lot of
nail holes at the attachment ends. These elements were replaced in-kind with salvage material. Five of
the seven ceiling joists installed were original to the cabin. The other two were replaced in-kind with
salvage material. In the original homestead cabin the rafters had been installed next to the
ceiling joists. In the reconstruction the rafters were installed on top of the ceiling joists. Once the
rafters were installed on the East and West elevations, a piece of skip sheathing was attached for
reference when installing the rest of the rafters.

Figure 4.21: Installing the first rafter. Figure 4.22: Rafter installation.

Figure 4.23: Original Brune Homestead cabin. Notice Figure 4.24: Reconstructed Brune Homestead cabin.
the ceiling joists are offset from the rafters. Notice the rafters are installed on top of the ceiling
joists.

42
 reconstruction IV
Figure 4.25 below shows a cross-section of the wall and roof reconstruction of the Brune
Homestead. Figure 4.26 illustrates the rafter and ceiling joist layout of the reconstruction.

Figure 4.25: Section view of the wall and roof construction of the Brune
Homestead cabin reconstruction.

Figure 4.26: Sketch of the rafter and ceiling joist layout of the Brune Homestead
cabin reconstruction. Rafters & ceiling joists were numbered from West to East.

43
 reconstruction IV
Board-on-Board Siding

A couple of compromises had to be made in construction methods in order to maintain the original
dimensions of the cabin. As mentioned before, a horizontal 1x6 band was attached to the outside of
the rim joists on the East and West sides of the building. The underboards sat directly on top of this
band and the overboards were attached over the band (see Figure 4.26). Also, some of the salvaged
material was a little thinner in width than the original underboard material. These boards were
shimmed out in order to create a level surface to nail the overboards to (see Figure 4.27).

Figure 4.28: Interior view of the Northeast

cornerboards. Note the shimmed-out underboard
on the East side (inside the ellipse).

Figure 4.27: Sketch showing the connections

between the floor platform and the lower East and
West walls of the Brune Homestead cabin
reconstruction.

44
 reconstruction IV
North Wall

The original North wall underboards were all too deteriorated at the bottom to be reused in their
original locations. Some of this material was used on the East and West walls. The North wall
underboards were railtie drops. The North wall overboards were new material from Edensaw mill.

Figure 4.29: The North wall underboards are installed. Figure 4.30: The North wall overboards are installed.

Figure 4.31: Sketch of the North wall by Joseph Sakrisson.

45
 reconstruction IV
West Wall

Many of the underboards on the West wall were cut at the eaveline. This detail of the cabin
reconstruction is consistent with the original cabin. Figures 4.31 & 4.32 below show which boards
were original and which boards were introducted lumber. The underboards of the West wall rested
on the horizontal 1x6 band, which was an introduced piece of lumber.

Color Coding Key

Lumber from Edensaw Mill

Lumber from salvaged railtie drops

No board in place- yet to be

reconstructed

Original material in a new location

Board restored to original location

Figure 4.32: This color-coded sketch of the West wall displays where the
siding boards came from for the reconstruction of the wall. Sketch by
Joseph Sakrisson. Color coding by Serena Orwick.

Figure 4.33: Photo of the West exterior

wall. Notice that two overboards are
missing. The material ran short during
reconstruction.

46
 reconstruction IV
East Wall

Many of the overboards on the East wall were cut at the eaveline. This detail of the cabin
reconstruction is consistent with the original cabin. Figures 4.33 & 4.34 below show which boards
were original and which boards were introducted lumber. The underboards of the East wall rested on
the horizontal 1x6 band, which was an introduced piece of lumber.

Color Coding Key

Lumber from Edensaw Mill

Lumber from salvaged railtie drops

Original material in a new location

Board restored to original location

Barn salvage used mainly for skip

sheathing

Figure 4.34: This color-coded sketch of the East wall displays where the
siding boards came from for the reconstruction of the wall. Sketch by
Joseph Sakrisson. Color coding by Serena Orwick.

Figure 4.35: Photo of the East exterior

wall.

47
 reconstruction IV
SouthWall

The South wall is the wall facing the view of the Columbia River. This wall had the door and window
openings in it. The storypole created during the deconstruction workshop in October was used to de-
termine the locations of the door and window openings in the reconstruction (see Figure 4.35). Nine
overboards are missing from the South elevation because material ran short (see Figure 4.36). The
window opening was not cut out of the South wall because there was not time or material allotted for
the construction of a window frame. The section of the wall where the window opening will be cut
was the majority of the section where the overboards were not installed.

Figure 4.36: The storypole is clamped to the South Figure 4.37: The South wall after the reconstruction
facade to help determine the locations of the door and workshop was completed. Note there are nine missing
window openings. overboards and the window opening has yet to be cut.

Figure 4.38: Sketch of the South wall as it may look in the future
when the reconstruction is completed. No remains of the original
door or window have been found so these will probably not be
added to the reconstructed cabin. Sketch by Joseph Sakrisson.

48
 reconstruction IV
Interior Wall Beadboard

On Sunday, May 8th, many projects were completed. The installation of the rafters and ceiling joists
was finished as well as the installation of the exterior siding. Once this was completed, the
beadboard could be installed. The installation of the beadboard required the board-on-board siding
to be completed so that the beadboard fasteners had something to grab into. 22 courses of
beadboard were installed on the East, West, and North interior walls. This was all original mate-
rial. The beadboard material for the South wall had yet to be purchased. Three more courses will be
installed on the East, West, and North walls when the new material is purchased. Leaving the top
three courses unfinished will also make it easier to install the ceiling material. For more details on
beadboard installation, see Appendix C.

Figure 4.39: Installation of the North wall interior Figure 4.40: East and North walls beadboard installed.
beadboard.

49
 reconstruction IV
Skip Sheathing & Shakes

The installation of the skip sheathing and the shakes was done on Sunday. 11 skip sheathing boards
were installed on the North side and 10 boards were installed on the South side. This lumber was all
salvaged barn material as the original skip sheathing boards had been too warped and deteriorated to
use.

Very few original shakes were found during the deconstruction. These were replaced in-kind with 36”
cedar shakes purchased from 208 Sawmill in Washington. For further details on skip sheathing and
shakes refer to Appendix C.

Figure 4.41: Trimming the skip sheathing to length Figure 4.42: Installation of shakes and East side
(6” overhang at gable ends). overboards.

Figure 4.43: Installation of shakes and North side Figure 4.44: Close-up view of shake and skip
cornerboard. sheathing overhangs.

50
 reconstruction IV
Ridgeboards

The last components of the cabin to be installed were the ridgeboards. The South side ridgeboard
was installed to butt into the North side ridgeboard. The original ridgeboards were half the width of
the original skip sheathing. These were not in good enough condition to be reused. The ridgeboards
used in the reconstruction were the same width as the skip sheathing. The material was salvaged barn
lumber. For complete lists of materials used, materials leftover, cost of materials, and time spent on
the reconstruction see Appendix D. For further details on the reconstruction of cabin components
see Appendix C.

Figure 4.45: Installation of the ridgeboards. Figure 4.46: Completed reconstruction of the Brune
Homestead cabin with leftover shake material and a
pyre of discarded material.

Figure 4.47: Completed reconstruction of the Brune

Homestead cabin.

51
 conclusion V

Figure 5.1: The Brune Homestead cabin reconstruction crew. From left to right: Kevin Palo, Serena Orwick, Richard
Balkins, Donya McClellan, Matt Mizell, Matt Powers, Joseph Sakrisson, Larisa Zimmerman, Randy Brown, Alex
McMurry, and Doug Graham. Not pictured: Lucien Swerdloff & Chris Gustafson.

52
 conclusion V
Time & Materials Used

The Brune Homestead cabin was deconstructed in two days by 15 people and reconstructed in three
days by 13 people. During these workshops historic preservation construction and documentation
techniques were studied and practiced.

The project management aspect of the reconstruction took approximately 80 hours. The
reconstruction of the cabin took 239 ½ hours. This is the equivalent of 10 people working three
8-hour days (see Appendix D).

The total cost of materials purchased for the reconstruction was $1,719.75. An estimated $2,100.00
worth of salvage material was used, for a total materials value of $3,820.00. For lists of tools,
fasteners, & lumber used in the reconstruction, see Appendix D.

Figure 5.2: Brune Homstead cabin pre-deconstruction.

Figure 5.3: Brune Homestead cabin post-reconstruction.

53
 conclusion V
Opportunities Missed & Realized

The reconstruction of the Brune Homestead was successfully completed on time. A few of the cabin
components did not get reconstructed because materials we initially thought would be available fell
through. These further items to be addressed are listed on the following page.

The project would have run more smoothly if the following had occurred:

1. The original exterior board material should have been thoroughly assessed and laid out in order
much earlier in the project planning process. This would have given us a heads-up on exactly how
much material we needed and on which walls would need to install horizontal bands.

2. A meeting should have happened with Joseph Sakrisson, Serena Orwick, Kevin Palo, Alex
McMurry and Andy Kalinen before the workshop to plan the weekend’s events and the construction
schedule & methods.

3. Specific people need to be held accountable for documenting each step in the reconstruction
process. Some building components got constructed with little recording done and the
documentation done after the fact was more difficult and less reliable. Some information which was
not documented could not be salvaged without taking the building apart again, so these items are
missing from this report.

4. A half-hour dedicated debriefing session at the end of each day would have helped to facilitate the
group dynamic and keep everyone informed on the project. Giving each group a time to share would
have helped everyone to learn.

5. It would have been best if groups had been able to rotate between the barn and the building site on
Friday. This would have facilitated better learning for all involved. Unfortunately, due to time
constraints this did not happen.

6. More batteries should have been brought for the hand-held power tools or better planning should
have been in effect on how to get the batteries charging while not in use. This is an inherent problem
in working on a site without access to electric outlets.

7. The group should have rotated who was cooking and who was cleaning for each meal so that one
person did not get burned out or feel overwhelmed. Sometimes the cook needed to take a break or
take extra time to finish cleaning and was unable to participate in the reconstruction which was
unfair.

54
 conclusion V
Recommendations for Future Reconstruction & Treatment

The following items should be addressed in order to complete the reconstruction of the Brune Home-
stead cabin:

1. Interior wall beadboard: The East, West and North interior walls need 3 last courses of beadboard
installed.The South interior wall needs 25 courses of beadboard installed. When finished, all
three walls will have 25 courses of beadboard.
Beadboard material needed: 3 @ 16’, 6 @ 12’, 50 @ 4’, 25 @ 3’

2. Flooring: The temporary plywood floor should be replaced with historically correct flooring 5/4”
thick & 12” wide.

3. Ceiling: A ceiling of V-groove ceiling boards ¾” thick and 6” wide should be installed.

4. Overboards: The West wall needs two more overboards. 1 @ 10’ and 1 @ 12’
The South wall needs nine more overboards. 9 @ 8’

5. A window opening should be cut out of the South wall.

6. In about a year the shakes will have dried out a bit and they should be treated.

7. The original underboards, overboards, and beadboards should be with linseed oil

8. Some of the original material which is in bad shape could be treated with penetrating epoxy to
help it last longer.

9. Periodically, the plants growing next to the cabin should be pulled back to reduce the cabin’s rate of
decay. The branches of nearby trees could be pruned to keep the branches from rubbing on the roof
or falling onto the cabin.

10. A periodic inspection of the cabin should be done to catch any rodent or insect activity which
may harm the material of the cabin.

11. The scrap material piled into a pyre next to the cabin should be burned before it is burned by
someone less responsible and catches the homestead cabin on fire.

12. The Secretary of the Interior’s “Standards for Reconstruction” state reconstruction is to be based
on the accurate duplication of historic features and elements substantiated by documentary or
physical evidence rather than on conjectural designs. It is unknown what the original door to the
homestead cabin looked like. Our only hints are the shadow lines on the South ribbon board
(giving us the width of the door opening) and the rim lock with a porcelain doorknob which was
found while we were excavating for the foundation pier blocks. At this time we hesitate to
recommend the addition of a door to the cabin as there is not enough evidence to do an accurate
reconstruction.

55
 conclusion V
Recommended Uses for the Brune Homestead Site

Ongoing preservation yields improved quality of life and a sense of place or identity for future
generations. The Brune Homestead would make a great site for a historic re-enactor to share the
history of homesteaders and early ranchers of the Pacific Northwest. This activity would be
appropriate during the Wagons & Wildflowers Festival.

An interpretive plaque could be installed on the North side of the building to keep it from marring
the historic landscape. This plaque could briefly describe the reconstruction process and go into
detail on the history of the Brune family and the other remnants of their homesteading (the timber
cultures, gravesite, and ruins). These recommendations would fit nicely into the Columbia Hills State
Park Master Plan of 2005.

Figure 5.4: The old pool table in the Reuter ranch

house basement could also do with some historic
restoration.

56
 references
References

Bell, Shannon Mical Sardell. The Preservation of Vertical Plank and Box Constructed Buildings in the
Pacific Northwest; University of Oregon Historic Preservation Master’s Thesis. March 2006.

Birnbaum, Charles A. ASLA. Preservation Brief 36: Protecting Cultural Landscapes: Planning,
Treatment and Management of Historic Landscapes. Technical Preservation Services National
Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. September 1994.

Bleakney, Darlene Highsmith. Dalles Mountain Ranch: Museum of Natural & Cultural Heritage of
the East Columbia River Gorge. Lynx Communication Group, Inc. Salem. 2000.

Center for Plant Conservation. Ranunculus reconditus CPC National Collection Plant Profile.
Missouri Botanical Garden last updated 7/8/2010 A. Nels. , J.F. Macbr. & Edward
Guerrant, Ph.D. http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/collection/cpc_viewprofile.
asp?CPCNum=3710. Accessed 16 May 2011.

Davis, Marty & Bruce Beyerl. Columbia Hills State Park Management Plan. Washington State Parks
Classification and Management Planning Project. May 2005.

Holstine, Craig. Homesteads of the Dalles Mountain Ranch Historic District. National Register of
Historic Places Registration Form. United States Department of the Interior.
National Park Service. May 2009.

Hume, Gary L. & W. Brown Morton III. Standards for Historic Preservation Projects. U.S.
Department of the Interior. Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. Technical
Preservation Services Division. Washington, D.C. 1979.

Loferski, Joseph R. “Causes and Prevention of Wood Deterioration in Historic Structures.” Wood
Design Focus. Winter 1992. Pages 12-16.

McDonald Jr, Travis C. Preservation Brief 35: Understanding Old Buildings: The Process of
Architectural Investigation. Technical Preservation Services National Park Service U.S.
Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. September 1994.

Nelson, Lee H. FAIA Preservation Brief 17: Architectural Character: Identifying the Visual Aspects of
Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving Their Character. Technical Preservation Services
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. September 1988.

Park, Sharon C. Preservation Briefs 19: The Repair and Replacement of Historic Wooden Shingle
Roofs. Technical Preservation Services National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior,
Washington, D.C. September 1989.

57
 references
Phillips, Morgan W. The Morse-Libby Mansion: A Report on Restoration Work 1973-1977.
Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. Technical Preservation Services
Division Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation National Park Service Washington,
D.C. 1977.

“Standards for Reconstruction.” Technical Preservation Services National Park Service U.S.
Department of the Interior

The Horsethief Lake-Dalles Mt Ranch Master Planning Project: Phase III-Final Recommendations.
Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission. June 2003.

58
 appendix a: field notes & sketches
The following field notes & sketches were gathered and produced during the deconstruction
workshop at the Brune Homestead, Columbia Hills State Park, Washington on October 9-10,
2010.
II

Figure A.1: Field notes by Brian Nice regarding the surveying of the Brune
Homestead site.

59
 appendix a: field notes & sketches
10/9/2010 9:06 am
Brune Homestead, Columbia Hills State Park, Washington
Documented by: Serena Orwick, Larisa Zimmerman & Matt Powers

Documentation and Assessment

Building is leaning, mainly to the East. The walls are propped-up by exterior and interior bracing
placed by park employees.

Roof structure

Skip sheathing:
•Boards measure 15’-10”x 7 ¼” x 1” at the bottom, the rest at 6” wide
•They are spaced about 3” apart with random variation
•There are 10 boards on the N side and 11 on the S side
•The NE corner skip sheathing has a hole in it for the stove pipe. The hole is in the 5th and 6th pieces
of skip sheathing from the bottom. The hole is 8” wide and 10” tall.

Ridge cap:
•Appears to be about half as wide as the sheathing: 15’-10” x 3 ½” x 1”
•There are remnant shingles sticking out of the ridge boards

Rafters:
•There are 7 per side: 2x4s 28 ½” OC 92 ½” long toe to toe

Ceiling joists:
•142 ½” long toe to toe
•The bird’s mouth in the end of the ceiling joist is 4” by 2”
•The ceiling joist on the W side is 5 ½” and the joist on the E side is 4 ½”, the rest in between are 4”

N top plate: 174 ½” x 2 1/8” x 4 5/8”

S top plate: 174 ½” x 2” x 4”

Interior Walls & Ceiling

Ceiling:
•Tongue and groove double bead board? 5 1/8” x ¾” x 173 1/8”
•Appears to have been treated with linseed oil
•Most of the ceiling boards had fallen out, making it difficult to count the original number
•1” x 6” tongue & groove bead with center bead

60
 appendix a: field notes & sketches
East wall:
•On top of the top beadboard course is a board 41” x 3” x ¾” and it is 3” from the N wall
•Up above the ceiling joists is a cleat measuring 4” x 6” x 1” nailed to the exterior siding. It is on the
first board coming down from the peak toward the S side.
•There are two cleats nailed to the East wall:
•On the 19th course is a cleat 20 ½” x 2 ¼” x ¾” that is 35 ¼” from S wall
•On the 16th course is a cleat 19 ¾” x 2 3/8” x 1” that is 36” from S wall

North wall:
•174 3/8” x 3 ¼” x ¾”, 25 courses
•Top course (#25) is double and patched, it appears that they use ceiling remnants to patch it 6
patches total were used
•NW interior corner board measures 78 ¼” x 3 ½” x ¾” this board has red paint residue on it
•24th course has a patched-in beadboard piece that is 2’ from the E wall
•23rd course has a patched-in beadboard piece that is 19” from the E wall
•21st course has a patch 14 ½” off W wall
•There are two cleats in the NE corner:
•34 ½” down from the ceiling is a board 3” x 8 ½”
•52 ¼” down is a board 3” x 10 ¾”
•At the top of the NE corner there are four shingles nailed.
•The top two are 2” wide and 16” long.
•The bottom two are 1 ½” wide and also 16” long.

South wall:
•24 courses counted using holes in wall
•The majority of the south wall is missing. This is the elevation which contained the window and the
door. These parts plus the wall between them are gone.
•18th course: cleat 22” x 1 7/8” x 7/8”
•12th and 11th courses: cleat 21” x 4 ½” x(¾” to 1”) tapering depth
•The longest interior wall board measured 40 ½” long
•Courses 12-25 are made up of flush T&G.
•Courses 9-11 are beadboard and then course 8 is flush T&G
• Courses 1-7 are missing.
•Last remaining piece of window casing measures 33 5/8” x 4 5/8” x ¾”.
•It is level with the top of the 24th course of flush T&G.
•There is a “W” carved into the casing 11” down from the top. It is 2” tall, 1 1/4” wide and 2” from
the left side.

61
 appendix a: field notes & sketches
Nails in the walls
•Most of these are not square nails, but new round head nails, 16d)

North wall:
•24th course: 11 nails spread across
•23rd course: 2 nails on the R side
•18th course: 2 nails in the center of the wall
•14th course: 4 nails
•12th course: 1 nail on W end
•11th course: 4 nails

East wall:
•23rd course: 2 nails
•22nd course: 8 nails
•15th course: 2 nails on top of each other
•13th course: 2 nails
•11th course: 1 nail

West wall:
•25th course: 2 nails
•24th course: 6 nails
•19th course: 1 nail
•12th course: 1 nail

South wall:
•23rd course: 2 16d nails with wire wrapped around them & one 5” spike
•Between 23rd and 22nd courses: a second 5” spike

Exterior Walls
•Board-on-board siding

North wall:
•88” tall
•21 underboards and 17 overboards remaining,
•4 missing overboards (NM, NQ, NR, NU)
•At least two rotted overboards will also have to be replaced (NG & NJ) + 4 missing = 6 new
•Underboards measure 7 7/8” with variation and overboards measure 5 ¾” with variation.
•Between overboards G & F is a patch at the bottom measuring 2 5/8” x 29” to the toe or 27” to the
heel. It is ½” thick.
•D & E overboards are butted right next to each other and secured with newer (not square) nails.
•Between A & B is a patch at the top. It measures 40 ¾” from the top, 3” wide and ¼” thick.

62
 appendix a: field notes & sketches
West wall:
•18 underboards and 16 overboards remaining
•1 missing overboard (WA)
•N side underboard height to heel: 87”
•S side underboard height to heel: 95” approximately (lots of rot at bottom)
•Peak (middle) underboard height is 152”
•Underboard height to eaveline is 85”
•On this wall underboards are cut at eaveline and overboards are continuous (1-4 & 17-18 are
continuous, the rest are cut at eaveline).

East wall:
•17 underboards and 17 overboards (none missing)
•On this wall underboards are mainly continuous and overboards are cut at eaveline.
•EG, EH, EK, EL and EM are not continuous, but are cut at the eaveline.
•Between EB & EC there is shingle material patched in at the top and nailed to E3. This shingle
measures 4” x ¼” x 31 ¾” (heel) & 39 ¼” (toe).
•Between EG & EH there is another patch measuring 12 3/8” x 2” x ¼” and it starts 9” down from G’s
peak.
•There is a board spanning across EN, EO, EP & EQ at the top. It measures 34 ¾” x 6½” x ¾”.
•N side overboard is flush with the North wall. It is 86” tall (to heel)
•S side underboard is 95 ½” tall (to heel)

South wall:
•5 underboards and 2 whole overboards, 2 partial overboards remaining, SC is missing
•95” is the height of overboard SA ( a lot has rotted away)
•During deconstruction beadboard courses 1, 2, & 3 turned to dust from the N interior wall
•There is a 5” wide post 6’ in from the S wall that is notched to hold up the floor joist (33 ½” OC)
underneath where the cookstove was. The notch is 2 ¾” wide & 5” tall.

63
 appendix a: field notes & sketches
Suggested Treatments:

Exterior Siding:
•The exterior siding is rotted 6” up in many places. What should be done?
1.Reconstruct N & S walls with original material and E & W with new
2.Bolt a 12” band along the bottom flush with the boards, “batts” on top
3.Move floor up and make more visitors duck to get in
•Thinking as the original builder, is it important that each board stay where it originally was?
•Which option is more affordable?
•The best course of action in regards to the exterior siding may be to attach a supporting pieces to the
back side of the underboards. This supporting piece can be attached to the outside of the sill,
relieving the pressure on the planks from direct attachment to the sill. Plywood or other wide but
thin board could be used. It needs to be long enough to run the length of the wall, and wide enough
to reach up to connect the underboards at a healthy spot to the floor sill below.
•The vertical planks can be left with ragged bottom ends, if the ends are stabilized. This will help hide
the supporting piece behind on the outside. Alternatively, the ragged ends can be trimmed back to
the point where the wood is not rotted, if there is enough material left to cover the supporting piece.

Roof:
•A few existing shingles were salvaged. These should be used as a template in creating new shingles
for the roof structure. The rafters will be able to be reused.

Window/Door:
•Using the physical evidence of the remaining window casing board, the South wall will be built with
openings for the window and door. The window will be built to the west of the door. There is no
evidence as to what the original window and door looked like so these will not be reconstructed.
•If photographic evidence can be found to corroborate Ranger Andy’s memory of the window being
on the other side a discussion should be had as to which side of the South wall to place the door and
window openings.

Interior Walls:
•Most of the interior beadboard was in good condition and it will be reinstalled in the reconstruction.
The South wall will be built of new beadboard that matches the original style, which is 1” x 6” tongue
& groove bead with center bead.

Foundation:
•A foundation will be built to keep the structure off of the ground and thus help to minimize rot and
damage to building.

64
 appendix a: field notes & sketches
Floor:
•A new floor will be built because all the original floorboards were beyond repair. Since the floor is
being completely reconstructed, it can be built 1/2” smaller all around to accommodate the thickness
of the supporting piece, without making the walls splay out at the bottom. The interior beadboard
can be brought down to the top of the supporting piece, so it would likely appear to be a baseboard
below the beadboard courses. Better yet would be to have the beadboard cover the supporting piece
entirely, but that may cause a raised ridge or
angle at the base of the wall.

65
 appendix a: field notes & sketches

Figure A.2: Field sketch by Randy Brown of the Brune Homestead floor joist system.

66
 appendix a: field notes & sketches

Figure A.3: Field sketch by Randy Brown of the Brune Homestead board-on-board siding and ceiling joist details.

67
 appendix a: field notes & sketches

Figure A.4: Cut List for Brune Homestead by Alex McMurry

68
 appendix b: workshop packet
The workshop packet was handed out to all nine students who participated in the reconstruction
workshop. It contained four items: a fasteners list, a materials list, a tentative work schedule & a
documentation worksheet. The purpose of the workshop packet was to prevent confusion and to
keep documentation relatively consistent in format and style.

Fastener List for the Brune Homestead Reconstruction

18-         4 ½“ galvanized lag bolts with nuts & washers

700-       1 ½” galvanized teco nails, to attach beams to joist and floor joist hangers      

27-         hurricane ties, Simpson H3 ZMAX coated

32-         90 degree side joist hangers, Simpson A35 framing angle ZMAX coated
 
150-        1 ½” or 2” galvanized #8 screws for temporary flooring

650-        10d galvanized box nails for under boards & skip sheathing

1250-      1 ½” galvanized box nails for over boards

1200-      1 ½“ Senco galvanized angled finish nails for t & g

100-        3” or 3 ½” screws, for temporary holding  

150-        12d galvanized box nail for trusses & miscellaneous

Galvanized roofing nail length to be determined and exposure length to be determined.  

1000-   10” exposure,      800-   12” exposure,     400-    24” exposure 

69
 appendix b: workshop packet
Materials List for Brune Homestead Reconstruction

Foundation & Floor

Concrete pier blocks (12x12)
Floor beams: 3 PT 4x6x16
Floor joists: 9 2x8x14
2 2x8x16
Floor system: salvaged rough sawn material (2x6 full sawn for floor joists)

Siding
Overboards: 35 1x6x10’ new material
Underboards: 28 1x8x10’
Drops from untreated railroad ties (3/4 by 8” by 10”)

Roofing
Skip sheathing: 22 1x6x16’ salvaged from old barn material (nail-pulling party)
Ridge boards: 2 1x6x16’
Rafters: 14 2x4x10’
Ceiling joists: 4 2x4x12
2 2x6x12
Shingles: 36” long, 10” exposure?

Note: Ceiling beadboard & flooring will be installed at a later date. Temporary plywood floor will be
installed this weekend.

70
 appendix b: workshop packet
Schedule for Brune Homestead Reconstruction Weekend

Thursday May 5th

Joseph and Serena arrive early
flag endangered flowers near Brune Homestead site
start setting up workstations in the barn
pull out and organize new & original material (fasteners & lumber)
review reconstruction plan with Kevin Palo
coordinate schedule with Ranger Andy Kallinen (Wagons to Wildflowers Festival & getting a group
tour of other homestead ruins sites & petroglyphs)
move gravel & blocks to site for foundation

Friday May 6th

Orientation session as soon as Matt Powers, Donya and Charles arrive
Go over schedule for weekend
Make introductions & organize into groups
Hand out workshop packets with construction drawings
Discuss making a good impression on the public (Wagons to Wildflowers Festival happening on same
weekend as the workshop)
Break into groups and assign responsibilities (documentation & communication)
Serena stays on homestead site while Joseph is with the groups in the barn.
On-site:
Dig 12 foundation block holes, level foundation blocks, secure fasteners & attach floor platform
In barn:
construct floor platform
construct N, S, E & W walls
construct rafters & ceiling joists
Take staggered lunches so each group can see what the others are doing.
Rotate groups after lunch so everyone gets a chance to try something else?
Evening nail-pulling party

Saturday, May 7th

Whole group at homestead site
Tilt-up walls and attach at corners
Set-up scaffolding?
Install ceiling joists and rafters
Install skip sheathing

Sunday, May 8th

Shingle roof
Clean up workstations
Collect documentation forms, photographs, & sketches
Maryhill Museum of Art & Stonehenge Memorial

71
 appendix b: workshop packet
Brune Homestead Reconstruction Documentation Worksheet

Brune Homestead Reconstruction Date___/___/____

Columbia Hills State Park Time___:___
Page #____
Name(s):

Structural Component:

Dimensions of Component:

Reconstruction Process:
Total duration (hrs worked x number of people working)_________
Start time:
End time:
Deviation(s) from original structure’s design:

Materials Used:
1. Fasteners (type, approx. number, & method of installation)

2. Original Lumber (number & dimensions of boards)

Original Location (look for yellow label, ex: SB):

Condition & treatment of material (penetrating epoxy used?)

3. Introduced Lumber (number & dimensions of boards)

Material (salvaged, new, pressure-treated, species of wood?):

Photographs & Sketches of materials and reconstruction process:

Who took photos?
Who drew sketches? Please attach.

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 appendix c: reconstruction documentation
Cabin Component: Platform (foundation & floor)

Dimensions
Outside to outside of 1x8 rim joists = 144 ½”x174 ½”
PT Floor beams = 4x6 x16’
Floor joists = 2x6 x 14’
Plywood Sheets = 3/4”x4’x8’
Rim joists = 2x8x16’ & 2x8 x12’

Reconstruction Process
Duration of work (hours worked x number of people working)
Leveling of site: 1 ½ hours * 4 people = 6 hours
Construction of platform: 5 hours * 5 people = 25 people
Construction methods and deviations from original cabin’s design
The original cabin joist system was elevated on field rocks that acted as piers. For the restoration
concrete blocks were used instead of stone. Three pressure treated 4x6 beams were installed on top
of the concrete piers. The floor joist system was constructed on top of these beams to complete the
floor system. The three beams were incorporated into the reconstruction for additional stability and
to raise the joist system off grade level. These building elements were not original to the cabin’s con-
struction style.
The original floor was tongue and groove and 5/4” The temporary floor installed is plywood. This
floor will be removed and a historically accurate t&g floor will replace it as soon as budget and time
schedules permit.

Materials Used
Fasteners
The three beams were attached to the concrete pier brackets with #8 1 5/8” ceramic coated screws
Hurricane ties to attach the floor joists to the floor beams. The #8 1 5/8” ceramic coated screws here
as well.
Rim joists were attached to the floor joists with 90 degree side joist hangers, Simpson A35 framing
angle ZMAX coated.
The 1x6 horizontal band was attached to the rim joists with #8 stainless steel screws.
Plywood sheets (temporary flooring) were attached to the floor joists & rim joists with #8 1 5/8”
ceramic coated screws.
Original Lumber
None of the original flooring structure was salvageable.
Introduced Lumber
9 concrete pier blocks were installed. 12 had been purchased for the project but the space being
spanned was not that great.
3 PT Floor beams
7 floor joists
4 rim joists
6 sheets of ¾ “ plywood were used

73
 appendix c: reconstruction documentation
Cabin Component: North Wall Siding (underboards, overboards and cornerboards)

Dimensions
Underboards were 8” wide and and were scribed to length during installation. Most were about 90”
long.
Overboards were 6” wide and 88 ½” long.

Reconstruction Process
Duration of work (hours worked x number of people working)
Installation of underboards: 1 ½ hours * 2 people = 3 hours
Installation of overboards: 1 hour * 3 people = 3 hours
Construction methods and deviations from original cabin’s design

Materials Used
Fasteners
The underboards were installed with 10d nails. Two were put in the top sill and four were used in the
bottom. The overboards were attached with two 10d nails at the top and the bottom and six 4d nails
in the between.
Original Lumber
None of the original siding material had enough length remaining to be used on the North side. Too
much of the material had rotted at the bottom of the boards from being in contact with the ground.
Some of the North wall siding was used to patch in the East and West wall siding.
Introduced Lumber
21 overboards, 21 underboards, and 2 cornerboards were installed. All were from Edensaw.

74
 appendix c: reconstruction documentation
Cabin Component: South Wall Siding (underboards & overboards)

Dimensions
Underboards were 8” wide and and were scribed to length during installation. Most were about 90”
long.
Overboards were 6” wide and 88 ½” long

Reconstruction Process
Duration of work (hours worked x number of people working)
Installation of underboards: 1 hour * 3 people = 3 hours
Installation of overboards: 1 ¾ hours * 3 people = 5 ¼ hours
Construction methods and deviations from original cabin’s design
The siding was installed with the planed side down (rough-sawn side up).
Our storypole was used to layout the window and door openings. The window opening will be
opened when the reconstruction is finished next year.

Materials Used
Fasteners
The underboards were installed with 10d nails. Two were put in the top sill and four were used in the
bottom. The overboards were attached with two 10d nails at the top and the bottom and six 4d nails
in the between.
Original Lumber
No original material was used to side the South side. Some of the South side siding was used on the
East and West walls, however.
Introduced Lumber
All of the South wall siding was new material milled at Edensaw.
17 underboards were used. The window opening was covered for the time being with underboards.
13 overboards were used. Two of these were cornerboards. None were used over the window open-
ing. 9 more overboards still need to be installed.

75
 appendix c: reconstruction documentation
Cabin Component: West Wall Siding (underboards & overboards)

Dimensions
Underboards varied in width, but most were about 8” wide. Lengths varied depending on position on
gable wall.
Overboards were also varied in width, but most were 6” wide. Lengths varied depending on position
on gable wall.

Reconstruction Process
Duration of work (hours worked x number of people working)
Installation of underboards: 3 hours * 2 people = 6 hours
Installation of overboards: 1 ¼ hours * 3 people = 3 ¾ hours
Construction methods and deviations from original cabin’s design
To begin attaching the underboards to the box frame, the centerpoint of the wall was found (71 ¼”).
Then the underboards that form the gable’s peak (W9 & W10) were installed. The peak was 3/8” off
from the center of the boards so they were positioned 3/16” off from the centerpoint.

Materials Used (see Figures 4.32 & C.1 for details of materials used in board-on-board siding)
Fasteners
2 10d nails used in the top and bottom of each overboard with 6 4d nails in the middle along the
South side of the board
Original Lumber
Underboards: 16 out of 18 underboards were reused in their original location.
Overboards: 5 top & 1 bottom overboards were reused in their original location
Introduced Lumber
Underboards: 2 out of 18 underboards were replaced by salvaged railtie drops.11 tops & bottoms
were replaced with original material from another location.
Overboards: 2 out of 17 overboards were replaced with new material from Edensaw. 6 boards were
replaced with original material from another location.

76
 appendix c: reconstruction documentation
Figure C.1: Table of Materials used for West wall board-on-board siding

West Wall Underboards West Wall Overboards

Board ID Material Continuous? Board ID Material Continuous?
W1 railroad tie Y WA WB Y
W2 railroad tie Y WB not yet reconstructed Y
W3 top E15 N WC WD Y
W3 bottom original WD WE Y
W4 top E15 Y WE WF Y
W4 bottom S4 N WF not yet reconstructed Y
W5 both original N WG original Y
W6 both original N WH original Y
W7 both original N WI original Y
W8 top original WJ original Y
W8 bottom S1 N WK Edensaw Y
W9 top N17 WL Edensaw Y
W9 bottom original N WM N18 Y
W10 top original WN WO Y
W10 bottom W2 N WO Edensaw Y
W11 top original WP Edensaw Y
W11 bottom W1 N WQ original Y
W12 top N18 N
W12 bottom original N Key
W13 both original N Board restored to original location
W14 both original Original material in new location
W15 top N17 N No Fill Introduced lumber
W15 bottom original
W16 top W15 Y
W16 bottom S2 Y
W17 original
original, glued w
W18 Gorilla Glue

77
 appendix c: reconstruction documentation
Cabin Component: East Wall Siding (underboards & overboards)

Dimensions
Underboards varied in width, but most were about 8” wide. Lengths varied depending on position on
gable wall.
Overboards were also varied in width, but most were 6” wide. Lengths varied depending on position
on gable wall.

Reconstruction Process
Duration of work (hours worked x number of people working)
Creation of template: 1.5 hours * 2 people = 3 hours
Underboard installation: 3 hours * 3 people = 9 hours
Overboard installation: 2 ½ hours * 2 people = 5 hours
Construction methods and deviations from original cabin’s design
Installed the East wall peak first in order to give the roof framers a point in the sky to measure to for
rafter lengths.

Materials Used (see Figures 4.34 & C.2 for details of materials used in board-on-board siding)
Fasteners
Nail edges were blunted in order to avoid splitting original material.
2 10d nails used in the top and bottom of each overboard with 6 4d nails in the middle along the
South side of the board.
Original Lumber See East Wall spreadsheet for details.
Underboards: 16 out of 18 underboards were reused in their original location.
Overboards: 5 top & 1 bottom overboards were reused in their original location
Introduced Lumber See East Wall spreadsheet for details.
Underboards: One board was replaced with lumber from Edensaw. One board was replaced with
original material from another location.
Overboards: 6 boards were replaced with lumber from Edensaw, 10 boards were replaced with
original material from another location and one board was replaced with salvaged skip sheathing
lumber.

78
 appendix c: reconstruction documentation
Figure C.2: Table of Materials used for East wall board-on-board siding

East Wall Underboards East Wall Overboards

Board ID Material Continuous? Board ID Material Continuous?
E1 original Y EA both Edensaw N
E2 original Y EB EN Y
E3 W4 Y EC top scrap N
E4 original Y EC bottom WK
E5 original Y ED EC Y
E6 original Y EE scrap Y
E7 original Y EF scrap Y, originally 2 pcs
E8 original Y EG top original N
E9 original Y EG bottom scrap
E10 original Y EH both original N
E11 original Y EI top original N
E12 original Y EI bottom Edensaw
E13 original Y EJ top original N
E14 original Y EJ bottom scrap
E15 Edensaw Y EK top original N
E16 original Y EK bottom scrap
E17 original Y EL skip sheathing Y
E18 original Y EM Edensaw Y
EN Edensaw Y
Key EO Edensaw Y
Board restored to original location EP EO Y
Original material in new location
No Fill Introduced lumber

79
 appendix c: reconstruction documentation
Cabin Component: Beadboard (North, West, and East walls installed)

Dimensions
North wall: 174 3/8”x3 ¼”x¾”
East wall: 142 ½”x3 ¼”x¾”
West wall: 142 ½”x3 ¼”x¾”
South wall: There will be three sections of beadboard (East and West sides and a section between the
door & the window.) The dimensions of the three sections will be two @ 4’ wide and one at 3’ wide.

Reconstruction Process
Duration of work (hours worked x number of people working)
Installing beadboard On N, E, & W walls: 2 ½ hours * 2 people = 5 hours total
Construction methods and deviations from original cabin’s design
Only 22 courses of beadboard were installed on the North, West, & East walls. This was all of the use-
able original material. There were 25 courses originally. The North wall beadboard was installed first
with the East & West beadboard butting into it. By measuring the lengths of the material, it was de-
duced that this was how it was installed originally. The first three courses of beadboard were installed
and then we measured up from each corner to make sure we were level. We continued to make this
measurement after every 4 courses or so.
New material will be used to fill in the top three courses at a later date. The South wall will also have
25 courses of beadboard installed to match relatively closely with the original design of the building.
During deconstruction it was found that the South wall’s beadboard was in rather poor condition. A
lot of it was missing and some of it did not match the beadboard in the rest of the cabin. Some of it
was tongue and groove with no bead.
North wall: N1-N3 too rotted to use, started with N4 on the floor
West wall: W1 & W2 too rotted to use, started with W3 on the floor
East wall: E1 too rotted to use, started with E2 on the floor
When the beadboard wall was deconstructed it was labeled numerically, ignoring gaps. When the
beadboard walls were reconstructed courses were butted together, leaving no missing courses in the
middle.

Materials Used
Fasteners
About 10 nails were used per course on the East & West walls, nails were used per course in the
North wall. 1 1/8” Senco galvanized finish nails were installed with a nail gun at an angle to fasten the
beadboard to the exterior underboards.
West, & East walls when the reconstruction is completed next year.

80
 appendix c: reconstruction documentation
Cabin Component: Beadboard (continued)

Original Lumber
North wall:
N4-N19 were installed as originally done, just moved down three courses because N1-N3 were not
useable.
N20: section of S10 used to patch in for approx. 18” on R side
N21: installed as originally done, no patches needed.
N22: section of S10 used to patch in for approx. 20” on L side
N23: section of W25 used to patch in for R side
N24: used E25, section of W25 used to patch in L side
N25: used E24, section of W25 used to patch R side
West wall:
W3-W24 were installed as originally done, just moved down two courses because W1 & W2 were not
useable.
East wall:
E2-E23 were installed as originally done, just moved down one course because E1 was not useable.
Introduced Lumber
All beadboard installed during the initial reconstruction was original material to the cabin.
New beadboard will be introduced on the whole South wall and the last three courses on the North,

81
 appendix c: reconstruction documentation
Cabin Component: Roof Framing (ceiling joists & rafters)

Dimensions
Ceiling joists were 44 ½” tip to tip.
Rafters all varied (90” +/- 1 ½”). The East & West rafters (#1 & #7 were 88” & 89”.

Reconstruction Process
Duration of work (hours worked x number of people working)
Installation of rafters & ceiling joists: 3 3/4 hours * 2 people = 7 ½ hours
Cutting of rafters & ceiling joists: 3 hours * 2 people = 6 hours
Construction methods and deviations from original cabin’s design
Once East wall peak underboard was installed this point in the sky was used to measure for the rafter
lengths.
Ceiling joists #2-#6 got notched to plane out with the outer edge of the framing.
Rafters were installed to land on top of ceiling joists. Originally this was not so.

Materials Used
Fasteners
12d galvanized box nails were used to nail the rafters and ceiling joists together and to fasten them to
the building.
Original Lumber
Five original ceiling joists were used.
No original rafters were used because the ends where they attached were rotted and had too many
nail holes.
Introduced Lumber
Ceiling joist #2 was replaced because it was too rotten to use. Only six original ceiling joists were
found during the May reconstruction workshop. It is possible that the original cabin only had six
ceiling joists. The mystery seventh ceiling joist does not appear in any of the deconstruction docu-
mentation. New joists were milled out of salvaged barn material.
All new rafters were cut from salvaged barn material.

82
 appendix c: reconstruction documentation
Cabin Component: Roof Covering (skip sheathing, shakes, & ridgeboards)

Dimensions
Shakes used were 36” installed with a 10” reveal. They were 7/8” to 1” at the butt.
The roof measured 16’-18” along the East-West axis. From eaveline to ridge it measured 97”.
The ridgeboard was a 1x6 x 16’-2 1/8” to get a 1” overhang on each side.
Skip sheathing was 1x6 x 16’- 1 ½ ”.

Reconstruction Process
Duration of work (hours worked x number of people working)
Pulling nails from skip sheathing: 5 hours * 2 people = 10 hours
Installation of skip sheathing: 2 hours * 4 people = 8 hours
Installation of shakes: 4 hours * 4 people = 16 hours
Installation of ridgeboards: .5 hours * 2 people = 1 hour
Construction methods and deviations from original cabin’s design
The skip sheathing was installed so that there was a 6” overhang at the gable ends. It was installed
with a 1” overhang over the overboard edges on the North and South sides.
The South side ridgeboard was installed to butt into the North side ridgeboard. The original ridge-
boards were half the width of the original skip sheathing. The replacement ridgeboards were the same
width as the replacement skip sheathing.

Materials Used
Fasteners
The skip sheathing was fastened with 10d nails. 14 nails were used per board (2 per rafter). (14 nails *
21 boards = 294)
Shakes were fastened with 4 nails per shake. Top three courses were nailed by hand with 8d galva-
nized box nails because the build-up from the overlaps prevented the hold from being adequate. The
bottom courses were nailed with a nail gun and 11/4” nails. One roll of nails was used per course
(~136 nails).
Total fasteners used for shakes: (816 8d nails + 1904 = 2720 nails total).
Ridgeboards were fastened with 3 ½” stainless ring shank nails.
Original Lumber
No original material was used in the roof covering:
All of the original skip sheathing was too rotten to use in the reconstruction.
Very few shingles remained but these were used to make sure the shakes procured were similar to the
original material.
Introduced Lumber
The skip sheathing was created from salvaged barn material. 11 boards were installed on the North
side gable and 10 boards were installed on the South side gable.
This same salvage material was used for the two ridgeboards.
The cedar shakes were purchased from 208 Sawmill. 540 shakes were installed
(27 shakes per course * 20 courses)

83
 appendix d: time schedule & budget
Actual Reconstruction Schedule

Thursday, May 5th

1:00pm: Kevin arrived
2:00pm: Joseph & Richard arrived
3:30pm: Serena, Matt M., & Chris arrived
3:45pm: Serena & Joseph went down to the barn with Kevin. Laid out rafters to find
the height from the eave line to the peak of the gable. Used this number and
the length of the interior cornerboard to determine the dimensions of the jig
for the East and West walls.
4:30pm: Lucien & Randy arrived
5:00pm: Larisa arrived
6:00pm: Alex McMurry arrived
6:30pm: Dinner

Friday, May 6th

9:00am: Orientation & safety meeting at Bleakney ranchhouse
9:30am: At Reuter barn pulling nails out of skip sheathing, loading lumber for milling
(2x12 to be milled into 2x8 rim & some roofing system material), loaded
materials for foundation, and loaded roof framing material
10:00am: Safety module with Andy K. on lifting & ladders, discussed construction of the
walls
11:00-2:00pm Alex and Matt M. milled salvage & drop materials
11:00-12:30pm: Larisa & Joseph built template for East/West walls, start laying out
underboards for E&W walls
Chris cut siding material to length
Kevin & Serena pulled & sorted material (focusing on laying out siding
material)
Donya, Matt P, Doug, & Lucien (foundation team) leveled site
Randy & Richard pulled nails
1:30-4:00pm: Chris cut material to length
1:30-5:30pm: Kevin, Larisa, & Serena did layout of West & East overboards with
underboards
Randy & Richard pulled nails from salvaged barn material
Doug, Donya, Matt P, Lucien, & Joseph installed foundation piers and built
platform

84
 appendix d: time schedule & budget
Saturday, May 7th

Periodically throughout the day Ranger Andy Kallinen would bring up groups to observe the recon-
struction process. They were to stand 25 feet away and sign up to come 4 at a time.

9:15-10:45am: Loaded material out of barn & brought to cabin site

9:15-10:45am: Donya, Richard, Joseph, Doug, & Lucien installed temporary flooring on joist
system
10:45am-1:30pm: Matt P, Serena, Joseph, Larisa, Kevin, & Alex installed all corner underboards
Put up ceiling joists #1 & #7 ( East and West ends)
Put up ribbon boards (North & South ends)
Installed center underboards of North & South walls
Laid out East and West underboards next to the site
Richard & Donya shoveled and moved extra dirt with a wheelbarrow, leveled
out area next to cabin
2:30-6:20pm: East & West underboards were installed
North underboards were installed by Chris & Matt M.
Ceiling joists & rafters were measured and installed by Doug & Joseph
Sunday, May 8th
8:00-9:00am: Alex, Kevin, Serena, Larisa, Donya, Matt M., & Randy loaded shingles and
overboards into trucks
South underboards installed by Matt M. & Chris
Ceiling joists cut & rafters done by Matt P. & Richard
9:00-10:15 am: Kevin, Larisa & Serena install West overboards (individually scribed and cut to
length)
10:15am-12:45pm: Kevin & Serena install beadboard
Larisa & Doug install East overboards
8:00-10:00am: Matt M., Matt P., Alex, & Joseph install skip sheathing
Lucien & Richard cut and hand up materials & tools
10:00-2:00pm: Matt M., Joseph, Matt P., & Alex install shingles
1:0 0-2:00pm: Larisa, Serena & Alex install North overboards
12:45-2:30pm: Donya, Lucien, & Alex installed overboards on South & installed cornerboards
2:00-2:30pm: Alex & Joseph installed ridgeboards
1:30-2:30pm: Clean-up

85
 appendix d: time schedule & budget
Figure D.1: Table of Time spent in Planning for the Reconstruction
Columbia Hills State Park, WA May 6-8, 2011

Aspect of Project Time Used to Complete

Planning & Prepping Time Spent # People Involved Total Time

Communication
Meetings with Lucien to decide on project 2 hours 2 people 4 hours

Meetings between Joseph & Serena to

coordinate project 3 1/2 hours 2 people 7 hours
Meeting with Alex to initiate project 1 hour 3 people 3 hours
Emails to/from Alex McMurry 2.5 hours 2 people 5 hours
Gathering & Assessing Materials
Visit to CHSP with Alex McMurry
12 hours (7 hrs driving,
5 hours at the park) 2 people 24 hours
Picking up salvaged material in Ilwaco 3 hours (1 hr driving, 2
hrs sorting through &
loading salvage) 2 people 6 hours
Planning
Preparing work schedule 2 hours 2 people 4 hours
Writing project proposal 4 hours 2 people 8 hours
Individual research & work
Brainstorming sessions 3 hours 1 person 3 hours
Composing documentation worksheet 2 hours 1 person 2 hours
Researching & writing cut-list, tools list,
materials list 5 hours 1 person 5 hours
Writing work-flow schedule & assigning
groups 3 hours 2 people 6 hours
Transportation & Preparation
Packing Tools & Supplies in van 3 hours 1 person 3 hours
Driving to Site 3.5 hours 13 people 45.5 hours
Subtotal 125.5 hours

86
 appendix d: time schedule & budget
Figure D.2: Table of Time spent in the Reconstruction of the Henry F. Brune Homestead Cabin
Columbia Hills State Park, WA May 6-8, 2011

Aspect of Project Time Used to Complete

# People
Reconstruction Time Spent Involved Total Time
Daily Orientation 1 hour 13 people 13 hours
Cutting siding material to length 4 hours 1 person 4 hours
Building template for West/East walls 1 1/2 hours 2 people 3 hours
Laying out material in Barn 5 hours 3 people 15 hours
Milling material 3 hours 2 people 6 hours
Safety Modules 1 hour 13 people 13 hours
Documentation 9 hours 1 person 9 hours
Pulling nails out of salvaged material 6 hours 2 people 12 hours
Loading & Hauling material to the site 3 hours 7 people 21 hours
Leveling ground 1 1/2 hours 4 people 6 hours
Building foundation & platform 5 hours 5 people 25 hours
Building box frame 2 3/4 hours 6 people 16 1/2 hours
Laying out East & West Underboards 1 hour 2 people 2 hours
Site maintenance 1 hour 2 people 2 hours
West Wall underboards 3 hours 2 people 6 hours
North Wall underboards 1 1/2 hours 2 people 3 hours
East Wall underboards 3 hours 3 people 9 hours
South Wall underboards 1 hour 3 people 3 hours
West Wall overboards 1 1/4 hours 3 people 3 3/4 hours
North Wall overboards 1 hour 3 people 3 hours
East Wall overboards 2 1/2 hours 2 people 5 hours
South Wall overboards & cornerboards 1 3/4 hours 3 people 5 1/4 hours
Beadboard 2 1/2 hours 2 people 5 hours
Rafters & Ceiling joists 3 3/4 hours 2 people 7 1/2 hours
Cutting & handing up material 5 3/4 hours 2 people 11 1/2 hours
Skip sheathing 2 hours 4 people 8 hours
Shakes 4 hours 4 people 16 hours
Ridgeboards 1/2 hour 2 people 1 hour
Clean up 1 hour 5 people 5 hours
Subtotal 239.5 hours
Total Time to Complete Project 365 hours

87
 appendix d: time schedule & budget
Figure D.3: Lumber Used in Reconstruction
Columbia Hills State Park, WA May 6-8, 2011

Amount Dimensions Source Purpose Material Original Used

Skip Sheathing + 1
22 1x6 x 20' Barn Salvage Overboard Fir 0
2 1x6 x 16' Barn Salvage Ridge Boards Fir 0
35 1x6 x 10' Edensaw Overboards Cedar 26 (fir)
29 1x8 x 10' Rail-tie Drops Underboards Fir 33 (fir)
7 2x6 x 14' Barn Salvage Floor Joists Fir 0
2 2x8 x 16' Barn Salvage Rim Joists Fir 0
2 2x8 x 12' Barn Salvage Rim Joists Fir 0
3 4x6 x 16' Home Depot Floor Beams P/T Hemlock n/a
14 2x4 x 10' Barn Salvage Rafters Fir 0
6 2x4 x 12' Barn Salvage Ceiling Joists Fir 5 (fir)
16 bundles 36" long 208 Mill Shakes Cedar 0
9 12x12 Home Depot Pier Blocks Concrete n/a

Materials Leftover after Reconstruction

Columbia Hills State Park, WA May 6-8, 2011

Amount Dimensions Description

3 12x12 Concrete pier blocks

15 bundles 36" long Shakes
3 1/2 1# boxes 4d Nails
1 5# box 7d Nails
1 5# box 10d Nails
2/3 box 1 1/4" Roofing Nails

88
 appendix d: time schedule & budget
Figure D.4: Table of Tools Used in Reconstruction of Henry F. Brune Homestead Cabin
Columbia Hills State Park, WA May 6-8, 2011

Hand Tools Power Tools Site Set-up

Hammers (no waffle head) Chop Saw Tarps
Nail Pullers Table Saw String Line
Tape Measures Skill Saw Chalk Line
Clamps Extension Cords 8' Ladders
Shovels Generator & Fuel Scaffolding
Rakes Air Compressor Saw horses
6' Level Air Hoses
Framing Square Roofing Gun
Combination Square Brad Gun
Chisels Cordless Drills & Bits
Gorilla Glue
1 1/2" by 1/2" plywood strips for jig
Tool Belts

Personal Protection Equipment Documentation Tools

Gloves Pencils
Ear Protection Clipboard
Eye Protection Wood Crayons
Strapping Tape
Blue Tape
Sharpies
Tape Measures

89
 appendix d: time schedule & budget
Figure D.5: Table of Fasteners Used in Reconstruction of Henry F. Brune Homestead Cabin
Columbia Hills State Park, WA May 6-8, 2011

Amount Fastener Purpose

4 1/2" galvanized lag bolts with nuts & did not end up purchasing or using in
18 washers reconstruction
1 5/8" galvanized #8 screws ceramic- attaching beams to joists and floor joist
700 coated hangers
hurricane ties- Simpson H3 ZMAX
27 coated attaching floor beams to floor joists
90 degree side joist hangers, Simpson
32 A35 framing angle ZMAX coated joist hangers
1 5/8" galvanized #8 screws ceramic- temporary plywood flooring to floor joists &
150 coated rim joists
650 10d galvanized box nails overboards
1 1/2" Senco galvanized angled finish
1250 nails fastening T&G beadboard to siding
100 3" or 3 1/2" screws temporary plywood flooring
150 12d galvanized box nails attaching ceiling joists & rafters
2720 1 1/4" galvanized roofing nails shakes

Table of Total Value of Materials

Columbia Hills State Park, WA May 6-8, 2011

Cost of
Materials
purchased $1,719.75

Value of
Salvage
Lumber * estimated at $2100
Total Cost $3,820
*680 board feet procured for free by Parks

90
 appendix e: brune homestead cabin artifacts

Figure E.1: Field sketch showing the locations of artifacts found during the Figure E.2: Artifiacts found during site
leveling of the site and excavation for the pier blocks. excavation.

Figure E.3: Doug Graham holding stove leg found at

location “C.”

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 appendix e: brune homestead cabin artifacts

Figure E.4: Stove leg found at location “C.” Figure E.5: Glass bottle with “Cliquot Club” label
found at location “A.”

Figure E.5: Unknown object found at location “E.” Figure E.6: Collection of artifacts found during
excavation of site.

Figure E.7: Porcelain doorknob with rim lock found Figure E.8: Glass bottle found at location “D.”
at location “B.”

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