Haulin’ homes

The view is fairly spectacular, and must have been even better on Dec. 7, 1941. From the top of the Red Hill area near Moanalua, a small neighborhood of construction managers’ homes were grouped together for the creation of the vast underground oil storage there, and they looked directly down upon Battleship Row. No one knows if they shot photographs or just gazed on the destruction with horror.

Military housing in the area, 6,800 units, is now operated by the Forest City civilian contractor. The 1941 houses are being removed so the Navy can do something with the little cul-de-sac of property — exactly what, they’re not sure yet — but the houses are being preserved. Actually, the entire neighborhood is being preserved.

They’re going to a farm near Wahiawa. The entire neighborhood.

"We went to Historic Hawaii and consulted with (preservationist) Mason Architects and asked what to do with the homes," said Forest City vice president of development Will Boudra. "We offered them up, put out a call, and heard back from Bello’s Millwork Inc."

Based in Wahiawa, Bello’s manager Eric Bello — a military history enthusiast — was in the midst of planning a new farm project on former pineapple land near Kemoo Farms. He needed employee housing, and the surplus buildings fit the bill.

Working with building mover Kikiaola Construction of Kauai, six houses are being dissected and trucked to Wahiawa in the dark of night. The entire move will be accomplished by the end of the month, and the houses reassembled in the same neighborhood layout.

On site, Kikiaola carpenters are busy cutting up the homes, making them small enough to truck, while still big enough to be easily reassembled. In case you’re wondering, all it takes to cut a house in half is a chalk line down the middle and a steady hand with a Skil saw. The houses are no bigger than 12,000 square feet.

"Look at this wood," marveled Forest City construction manager Rich Montoya. "Can’t get wood like that these days. Look, the 2-by-4s actually measure 2 by 4 inches! Old-growth redwood, good wood. We have a Navy house on Hospital Point that was hit by a falling Norfolk pine in 2006, and the tree pretty much just bounced off.

The building halves, secured to enormous flatbed trailers, are moved after midnight, two or three times a week, and proceed slowly down the highway with a police escort.

Thanks to the superior wood quality, plus frequent Navy termite tentings, the houses are in surprisingly good condition. "Look at this iron railing," said Bello, pointing out a welded steel railing decorated with hearts. "Ever see anything like that before? I call it the honeymoon railing.

"One of the problems with pre-war housing is that, over the years, the floors have been sanded and sanded until they’re too thin. But I don’t think these floors have ever been sanded. They’re nice and thick."

Another problem with military building this old, according to Bello and Kikiaola boss Mike Faye (another military history buff), is that over the years they were serviced by a variety of low-bid contractors, each of whom had different suppliers. This means there is no standardization in the homes, even in different rooms in the same house.

"On the other hand," Bello said, "they still have the original spec windows and trims for the 1940s."

"A little paraffin, and the built-in drawers and window sashes will be working just fine," said Faye, pulling out a wooden drawer. "Look, dovetail joints! These were built to last."

The move is costing Bello about $150,000 and his housing budget is about $100 per square foot, which he’s meeting thanks to recycling the houses. But that’s not really the point.

"It’s cool, totally cool to preserve these buildings. They’re a part of local history," he said.