Since 1992, hundreds of northern Connecticut homeowners have discovered the concrete foundations that support their homes are crumbling and have to be replaced. So far, neither homeowner’s insurance nor the government have stepped up to help them with the cost of the repairs, which can run between $150,000 and $250,000.
The first homeowner to discover the problem was Linda Tofolowsky, who co-owns a power-washing company with her husband. They bought a Tolland home in 1984, built the year before, and moved right in. Linda noticed cracks in the concrete foundation in 1992 and immediately called the builder, who told her to keep an eye on it.
The cracks worsened and an expert told her the foundation had to be replaced. Their insurance company denied the claim. The Tofolowskys combined money from a HUD loan, an inheritance and their retirement fund to replace the foundation. They lived in a camper in their driveway for more than three months while the work was under way.
“They said if we didn’t replace the foundation right away, they were going to condemn the house,” Tofolowsky said. “It hurts to the core because it cost us so much money. Some houses would cost more to repair than the house is worth. We’re going to have to work until we’re in our 80s.”
The Tofolowskys sold that house and now live in Stafford, but Linda remains active in the Connecticut Coalition Against Crumbling Basements (CCABC), a group that is trying to raise awareness of the issue and get financial relief to homeowners facing the exorbitant expense of replacing their foundation.
“A lot of these people who have this problem right now are so afraid to say anything,” Tofolowsky said. “They’re afraid their insurance rates will go up or the mortgage company will foreclose. We can’t get an accurate count.”
State Gathering Information, But Offering Little Help
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection said it has received 313 complaints about crumbling concrete foundations as of Sept. 27. The Connecticut Capital Region Council of Governments says the actual number of affected concrete foundations could number in the tens of thousands.
The problematic concrete has been traced to a single source – Becker’s Quarry in Willington. The J.J. Mottes Concrete Co. in Stafford used gravel from that mine in its concrete mix. Unfortunately, that gravel had a lot of pyrrhotite in it. Pyrrhotite is an iron-rich mineral that reacts with water over time and swells, causing damage to the concrete. Pyrrhotite has been linked to concrete foundation failures in Quebec and Ireland as well.
The Office of the Attorney General “cannot find sufficient basis to support claims for violations of Connecticut consumer protection laws,” according to a statement.
“We will continue to seek options for homeowners who are dealing with these foundation failures, and I encourage them to urge their insurers to participate in the fund to benefit impacted homes,” Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, who is spearheading this issue for the state, said in the statement.
The state has identified 24 towns in north central Connecticut, as well as a handful of Massachusetts communities where the affected concrete was used. However, since the problem is difficult to discover in finished basements and can take a decade or two to become evident, the exact number of effected owners and municipalities is still unknown.
Impact Could Spread Beyond Affected Homeowners
Tim Heim bought his Willington home, originally built in 1994, about 10 years ago. In late spring of last year, he found a golf ball-sized chunk of concrete on the floor and became concerned. When he saw a July 22 news story about pyrrhotite-damaged concrete in area homes on NBC, he immediately recognized the problem. Along with Cheryl Cranick, he founded the CCABC in February of this year.
“We estimate the total cost to repair these foundations will be well in excess of a billion dollars,” Heim said. “We need to come up with some type of funding. The insurance companies, lenders, the state and the feds need to all get involved. One single group will not be able to afford this. My foundation alone will cost almost $200,000, and I’m just the top of the iceberg.”
Heim invited state legislators, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and Wyman tour his home so they could see the damage firsthand. All were sympathetic, he said, but to date none have been able to offer him or the other affected homeowners much help.
“This problem takes 10 to 20 years to surface,” Heim said. “I’m aware of confirmed cases from 1982 to 2003. Problems could appear as late as 2035. This is going to have a major impact on all of these small towns with no commercial tax base. Even if you don’t have this problem, you’re still a victim. Your mill rate will go up. People are afraid to buy homes around here because of the fear of the unknown.”
The issue is increasingly becoming a concern among buyers and sellers, said Julie Corrado of Coldwell Banker in South Windsor.
“Buyers definitely bring it up if they did a little research,” Corrado said. “They want to know if they should be concerned or if they should avoid certain towns. I try to educate them, but deals are absolutely falling apart after the foundations are testing positive for pyrrhotite.”
Before she takes a listing, she tries to confirm whenever possible who placed the foundation. If sellers can document that the concrete didn’t come from Becker’s Quarry, they advertise that. The only other way to know if it’s safe is to have a core sample performed, and that can cost $1,000 or so.
“I can tell you it has impacted the market beyond just a handful of sales,” Corrado said. “For home sellers, it can stigmatize entire neighborhoods. The emotional impact is huge. This is a person’s home and it’s literally crumbling and they’re not safe in it at a certain point. And their home isn’t worth anything.”
For more information visit www.ct.gov/DCP/concrete.
Email: jmorrison@thewarrengroup.com.
