My local paper says that a lot of the old shotgun cottages in New Orleans are built of cypress and that this wood stands up very well to flood water. Is this true, and if so, will they still be ok if the waters are there for a long time?
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Cypress siding seems to rot
new growth installed green is the problem there most of the time
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Heart pine and cypress can be, as I understand it, be quite resistant to water damage. Particularly the old growth stuff that has dried for a few hundred years.
A lot depends on how long they stay under water, how soon they get dried out after the water goes down and what is in the water they were under.
If they are under for just a day or two, they are in a well ventilated location when they come out, trapped between sheathing and interior plaster might not be ventilated enough particularly if the windows are shut tight, and the water wasn't too polluted they might be alright. I suspect that given the tendency of the area to flood some of the buildings may have been under water before.
If people could get in as soon as the building is out of the water and open it up, some fans and a dehumidifier would help, and possibly remove the interior drywall or plaster, to get the water out and the wood dry ASAP I think the outcome would be more favorable.
Rich,
A little water ain't going to hurt the cypress. Hardly ever see rot on old growth siding either. Newer growth (grobeck) is a different story.
KK
I used to be a carpenter in New Orleans. The old cypress down there won't rot easily. The pilings under the very old buildings are cypress and they are essentially underground and underwater and they have lasted hundreds of years. Once they dry out they are more susceptible to rot.
I would worry more about getting out the stink and bacteria.
Billy
Seeing a lot of the houses on TV, most up them were pieces of s**t and falling apart from years of disrepair already, never mind the water from the last week.
Also, I think the major problem is all the bacteria and god know what from all the backed up sewer, 40,000 cars leaking gas, grease, oil, etc into the water, not to mention all the dead people and animals. I doubt you could get all the toxins out of the structure, even if you could I think the monetary cost would be much higher than building a new house. Besides, if they build ones like habitat for humanity does, there isn't going to be much cost. Saw one of those built, couldn't believe how cheaply constructed they were.