Brad Pitt's Make It Right foundation, which built new homes for Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans, is now trying to make right after some of the wood in the structures has rotted.
The glass-infused wood product used in several homes has severely decayed after just a few years, despite a 40-year guarantee from wood manufacturer TimberSIL, the Advocate reports. The material is billed as a nontoxic barrier to deterioration.
Make It Right has jumped to action, promising to replace all the wood and threatening to take legal action against TimberSIL, the outlet notes. While neither group immediately responded to requests for comment from The Huffington Post, TimberSIL told the Advocate it was looking into the complaints.
The extent of the damage appears to be in question. The Advocate noted that the decomposition was to the steps and porches, but Radar Online reported the houses "were rotting from the inside out."
"The wood turned gray and it was also black. Also some parts it was buckling and it had mushrooms growing out of it. Different neighborhoods saw it too," one resident told the outlet.
For his part, the philanthropic Pitt said Make It Right was doing its best.
“Make It Right is ambitious and tries new things all the time in order to make our homes better," he said in a statement in the Advocate. "Where we find innovative products that didn’t perform, we move quickly to correct these things for our homeowners."