Brad Pitt’s Charity Faces Rotting of Some Post-Katrina Homes

The Make It Right Foundation, organized by the actor Brad Pitt, says it will replace the wood in 30 of the homes it erected in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans after the steps and porches began showing signs of rot only three to five years after construction, The Advocate of New Orleans reports.

The charity, which has drawn praise for building 100 energy-efficient and environmentally sound homes in the district ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, said it is considering legal action against TimberSIL, the firm that manufactured the lumber used in the affected houses.

TimberSIL eschews conventional chemical treatments for wood, instead using a glass infusion as a barrier against rot and other problems. Taylor Royle, a spokeswoman for Make It Right, said the company offered a 40-year guarantee on the wood. A TimberSIL executive said the company would look into the complaints.

“Make It Right is ambitious and tries new things all the time in order to make our homes better,” Mr. Pitt said in a statement. “Where we find innovative products that didn’t perform, we move quickly to correct these things for our homeowners.”