ROTTING BEAUTIES

By: Mick Blankenship

What makes our area of town so beautiful? What are the unique qualities that let you know you are in Midtown? What gives it its character? Some would say the oak trees that create beautiful tunnel-like ceilings over our streets. Others would say the lush greenery and colorful gardens. While both of those definitely contribute, I would have to say it’s the architecture, specifically our wooden homes. Wood allows for various architectural styles, lots of detail, and a variety of eye-grabbing color themes. I’ve lived in Midtown most of my life and I still can’t help but check out houses as I ride my bike to work. I feel like I am surrounded by art and it makes me happy. Whenever I am in a newly developed neighborhood, I just feel blah. Brick house after brick house after brick house. No variety in architecture. No color. Just blah. I’d have to say the architecture is the main reason I love Midtown.

But something doesn’t make sense. We live in one of the wettest parts of the country. Humidity is high, rain fall is high, and bodies of water are near. So why would we build so many homes out of wood which is susceptible to rot in wet environments? I lived in a home downtown which was 90% brick. The other 10% of wood made up 90% of my problems. The mortar on the brick just needs touching up every 10 to 20 years or so, but the wood was constantly rotting. I had to replace wood on a yearly basis. One of the wood framed windows rotted out twice in 5 years. I thought to myself, what if this whole house was made of wood? Of course, that didn’t stop me from buying my current home which is all wood. I’ve just learned to accept that rotten wood is a part of life and I’m just going to have to live with it.

Why are so many houses in Midtown made of wood? The main reasons are probably availability and cost. When European settlers arrived, most homes were made of wood because wood was everywhere, readily available, and easy to prepare for construction. Also, construction is faster when working with wood. Until recently, wood remained the lower cost alternative for centuries when compared to concrete and brick. As we know, it’s just human nature to want everything cheap and now. Therefore, we have wooden houses.

Wood is also preferred for its versatility. It can be shaped in many ways allowing for more variation in architecture and detail. It is easier and more visually appealing to paint than brick or concrete. I also read that wooden houses might be preferred in our area because of our soil. Being at sea level and having a lot of rainfall creates soft soil. Brick and concrete homes may be more difficult to build here as they may sink into the ground.

Since we have accepted that rotting wood is going to be part of our lives, we should try to understand why wood rots. Rotting is nature’s way of turning dead tree branches into nutritious soil. It is an essential function of our ecosystem. For wood to rot, four things are required. You need wood, warmth, water, and fungi. Fungi are in the air, in the ground, and all over the place. The fungi eat wood, but it has to be wet and stay wet. The fungi cannot grow without water. When water is consistently getting to bare wood, it doesn’t take long for fungi spores to land there, grow, and start to munch. Wood is mostly made up of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Cellulose and hemicellulose make up the wood’s cell walls while lignin is the glue that holds them all together. Depending on the type of fungi, they eat either the cellulose or the lignin, breaking down the structure of the wood. Most fungi need the temperature to be between 65- and 90-degrees Fahrenheit to survive. Some can live in temperatures ranging from 0 – 110 degrees Fahrenheit, but they are more common in nature, not homes. Our warm, wet climate is perfect for fungi.

There are three types of rot. Brown rot, also known as “dry rot,” is when fungi eat the cellulose of the wood. The wood shrinks, turns a dark brown color, and breaks apart into cube shaped pieces. White rot, also known as “wet rot,” is when the fungi eat the lignin in the wood. Since lignin is the glue holding the wood together, the wood’s structure is broken down leaving behind the light colored cellulose and giving the wood a spongy texture. Soft rot is the third type. Fortunately, it is mostly found in fallen trees and broken branches in nature, not in homes. While decomposition of wood takes longer with soft rot than with white or brown rot, it’s fungi can survive temperatures ranging from 0 – 110 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas brown and white rot fungi can only survive between 65 – 90 degrees.

Common places you might find rot on your home are windows, exterior doors, outdoor decks, basements, bathrooms, kitchens, wood siding, roof decking, soffits, gables, or anywhere else wood is exposed to moisture. Once you have rot, it is difficult to repair without replacing the wood. You could try to remove the rotten part of the wood and fill it with wood filler, but if any of the fungus and moisture are left behind, the rotting will continue underneath the filler. Because you covered the wood with filler, you won’t see the damage taking place until the rot is so bad the wood just falls completely off. It is highly suggested that you just replace rotten wood, however there are circumstances where patching is warranted.

To prevent wood rot, keep all wooden surfaces painted and caulked. Inspect all wood for moisture and address any areas where water sits. If you think you have rot, take a screwdriver, and push it into the wood. If it goes into the wood, you have rot. That being said, it is nearly impossible to prevent all rot on your Midtown wooden home. It’s going to happen. Just try to prevent it as much as possible.