Why do Abandoned Houses Fail & Decay?
Occasionally we notice houses that have been recently abandoned and start to fall apart in no time - why do they seem to fall apart so fast? A good example is an original house on a plot of land that a builder takes a couple of years to rezone, etc. for a subdivision. The house might be 30 years old, it might be a 100. But in the couple of years it sits empty, it seems to fall apart before your eyes (your morning commute past it is like 'time lapse photography').
It comes down mostly to water:
- A leak through the roof supplies water enough to soak drywall and wood sheathings, stressing the structure, generate decay, and kick-start mold
- And the mould feeds off the organic materials it finds
- Eavestroughs fail putting copious amounts of water adjacent the foundation
- An unheated house and basement allows the soil and water to freeze both the soil and the concrete foundation, an these put enormous destructive stresses on the foundation, destabilizing it, cracking it, and displacing it
- The failing foundation stresses the structure, opening cracks at joints (window sills and lintels, etc.) allowing even more water in, along with organics like soil, vermin, insects, etc.
More of the story is found at these two links:
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/18dsmk/why_do_abandoned_buildings_seem_to_decay_so/
http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/repair/house-entropy.htm
