New Crisis for US Homeowners

The concrete is so weak in some homes, you can remove it with your bare hands. New England homeowners are undergoing a crisis no one could have expected… and for some residents, it could be life-ruining.

What’s up with New England concrete?

The problem is pyrrhotite. Pyrrhotite is a naturally occurring mineral that does horrible things to concrete if it gets mixed into it. More specifically, it makes the concrete become weaker and crumbly when exposed to oxygen and water… things kind of hard to avoid on Earth.

Pyrrhotite was originally found in a quarry in Connecticut, but has since been found in several Massachusetts-based quarries long after they were used to build homes in the regions.

The discovery has come too late for thousands of residents.

What’s happening with the houses?

Houses made from the weak concrete are undergoing rapid structural degeneration and could pose a risk to the people living in them. Unfortunately, despite this being far outside the control of most homeowners, home insurances refuse to cover the cost of repairs resulting from bad concrete and most banks won’t give out loans for repair projects like this.

This leaves homeowners on the hook for potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs, rendering them financially at-risk, at best. They aren’t able to sell their homes in such conditions either, leaving them stuck for the foreseeable future.

Waiting for Aid

The Connecticut government has stepped up by establishing the Connecticut Foundation Solutions Indemnity Company, or CFSIC, which maintains a fund to help homeowners cover the cost of repairs stemming from weak concrete.

Massachusetts has lagged behind in this regard, although there is a growing advocacy movement for affected Massachusetts-homeowners. Calls for the establishment of an institution similar to the CFSIC are being championed both inside and outside the statehouse as well. Hopefully for those affected, relief will come soon.

References: State and federal help for Massachusetts homeowners with crumbling concrete | Homes with crumbling foundations expand in Massachusetts | Homeowners left with crumbling foundation after contaminant makes thousands of Massachusetts homes “worthless”