Wood product said to be rotting in ‘green’-built homes

Actor Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation, which has built 100 energy-efficient new homes in the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged Lower 9th Ward, is considering legal action against the manufacturer of an innovative glass-infused wood that was used in some of the homes’ outdoor steps and front porches. The wood has begun rotting, despite being guaranteed for 40 years, a Make It Right spokeswoman said.

Construction crews used the wood product, called TimberSIL, to build decks and stairs for about 30 homes from 2008 to 2010, said Taylor Royle, the Make It Right spokeswoman.

TimberSIL is described in promotional materials provided by its South Carolina-based manufacturer as offering “an effective barrier in lumber to rot, decay and common wood problems without using toxic ingredients.”

Make It Right, known for its homes’ eye-catching designs and “green” building features such as solar panels and rainwater collectors, was interested in an alternative to conventional treated lumber, which “usually uses chemicals,” Royle said. “In trying to be sustainable and green, we didn’t want to use decking lumber that had chemicals in it,” she said.

The absence of chemicals in the TimberSIL wood meant it could be “mulched and composted at the end of its life cycle,” she said.

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