Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We were in NOLA for a 5th anniversary Katrina event. A relative was involved.
We drove to area that flooded due to levee failure. There were a few finished houses and some under construction.
The people hired by Pitt to do the design and construction are at fault, IMO.
The workers do not decide what materials will be used, so it matters not if they were legal or illegal.
The houses were like the ones they were replacing. Not large. But it was fairly close to town. IDK about NO land prices. A friend has a B&B on St Charles. I do know what she paid and what she has in it. Using that as a guide, 260 is way too high for softwood framed houses on land that will flood.
The homes were more costly due to the emphasis on well- intended “green” technologies. Minimally, the glass- infused wood products used to construct these homes could not withstand the extensive moisture that engulfs NOLA.
Pitt’s Foundation sued the manufacturer. Other suits followed. The wood products would not hold paint and warped in areas with nowhere near as humid as NOLA. The manufacturer folded.
Defective product, not workers, appears to be the primary cause of the problems.
I know of someone here that bought a home that had that happen. It was a problem with the heating/cooling system.
It was human error.
And -- you know in the south they hate those darn regulations. They get in the way of folks' freedom don't you know.
It's sad to watch you try to bootstrap New Orleans = All of the South so you can try to turn this political by extrapolating a republican south onto a democratic New Orleans.
Can we just set politics aside (or at least not infuse them into everything) and have a reasonable discussion about what went wrong here?
The homes were more costly due to the emphasis on well- intended “green” technologies. Minimally, the glass- infused wood products used to construct these homes could not withstand the extensive moisture that engulfs NOLA.
Pitt’s Foundation sued the manufacturer. Other suits followed. The wood products would not hold paint and warped in areas with nowhere near as humid as NOLA. The manufacturer folded.
Defective product, not workers, appears to be the primary cause of the problems.
Reportedly the homes in the 9th District of NOLA cost $150,000 to build, attributed to the emphasis on “ green” materials.
Homes were built using special wood products manufactured by TimberSIL Treatment Technologies out of Greenville, SC. The glass- infused wood products were advertised as free from many toxic ingredients. The wood products were not however able to withstand the extreme moisture that engulfs NOLA.
The Make It Right Foundation sued.
Other suits followed. The structures built with this product would not hold paint and warped in other areas , not affiliated with this foundation.
The CEO sued employees and investors. A judge removed the CEO. The company folded.
Distressed assets were acquired by a third party.
Thanks for the good information.
This is one of the challenges for people that feel strongly about green or other issues. There is always someone out there angling to make a buck by slapping on a label like "green" or lying about "Made in USA" or a host of bad product stories we've all heard about things coming here from China including fiberboard, dogfood etc.
Mr. Pitt & friends likely learned a good lesson here that it's great to have values and support whatever they may be with your wallet but to be wary and not just blinded by the sales story.
Reportedly the homes in the 9th District of NOLA cost $150,000 to build, attributed to the emphasis on “ green” materials.
Homes were built using special wood products manufactured by TimberSIL Treatment Technologies out of Greenville, SC. The glass- infused wood products were advertised as free from many toxic ingredients. The wood products were not however able to withstand the extreme moisture that engulfs NOLA.
The Make It Right Foundation sued.
Other suits followed. The structures built with this product would not hold paint and warped in other areas , not affiliated with this foundation.
The CEO sued employees and investors. A judge removed the CEO. The company folded.
Distressed assets were acquired by a third party.
interesting. i can't find a link indicating the company folded, do you have one?
Aside from the fact that they are built on ground destined to be flooded periodically and washed away at some point, the building products and processes seemed to make sense.
Either they didn't know what they were talking about, which judging from the number of flat roofs seems quite possible, or they weren't built according to their specs or local building codes.
In any case, they need to buy back the homes, bulldoze them to the ground and let the lots be used as playgrounds, parks, and gardens until the next hurricane wipes it all out again.
Code within those flood prone areas, should be stilt built up higher than the flood, with a mandatory lifeboat!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
