The Curse of Defective Concrete (Mica, Pyrrhotite, etc.) in Donegal homes - Read Mod warning Post 1

malinheader

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118583298#Comment_118583298

Is it up to the person selling the house or the person buying the house to get the test done. Or is it up to each individual.

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118583350#Comment_118583350

For the sales that I know of the seller paid between 2000 to 2500 euro to get a % result of mica before the estate agent would list the property. There are estate agents who list properties known locally to have been replastered and painted to sell to some poor sod. They just put in some nonsense disclaimer and play dumb. Maybe the agent really didnt know. Its a real mess.

Im struggling to see a situation where the buyer would even get the chance to test a house. Lets say a house is already listed for sale with no test and you want it tested. Do you think the seller will let you core their house and potentially scupper any future sale? I dont think so.

But even if an estate agent or seller produced test results would you trust them. If I was buying these days it would be a 50+ year old house then renovate it.

malinheader

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118583746#Comment_118583746

I was just wondering if someone was looking for a mortgage for a house would the bank be looking for proof of testing before lending the money.

I would be in the same mindset as you towards buying an older house or I would definitely want a test done on property I was thinking of buying. Maybe even share the cost of the test, but then that could be tricky too if someone else then tried to buy the house.

firemansam4

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118550156#Comment_118550156

Yes I agree fully. I think this is going to rumble on for many decades. My worry is the government may try and draw a line under the sand at some stage and try and end the scheme.

This cant ever be allowed to be contemplated, if it ever looks like they try to put an end date on the scheme.

I live on a small housing estate of 10 houses, 3 houses are starting to show quite a few cracks now, these seem to be the most exposed houses. My house and others only have a few small cracks but there are more starting to appear. Now it may or may not be a mica problem, im not sure. If

As far as I can tell, even if I get a test done which confirms the presence of mica I still wont be able to join the scheme due to their not being enough damage showing on the property yet.

So it looks like I will have to wait it out for the long term and see how things go. I could try pay for a private test myself, but then I dont want to void my house insurance if I knowingly have Mica confirmed.

firemansam4

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118583746#Comment_118583746

You would think if an estate agent is producing a mica test certificate which then turns out to be falsified in any way at all, they will be opening themselves up to all sorts of legal trouble, would they really risk it?

Also the architect who carried out the test would also be on the hook if it turns out that tests were being falsified, or deliberately misleading.

It is starting to look like that any houses of a certain age will probably need a mica test done on them now as a condition of sale, I would imagine anyone not insisting on this on a condition of purchase would be taking a huge risk.

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118585689#Comment_118585689

Thats a good point and a worry for a lot of people. I have cracking also. The main worry I have is if I confirm mica my house will not be insured structurally. Does this void my mortgage contract? I have 6 years left on my mortgage. At all costs Im gona try and not confirm until then because Ive looked at my mortgage contract. It gives the bank huge powers if I break the contract in any way. They could take my tracker rate away and who knows what else. Its a disgrace whats happening.

firemansam4

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118585760#Comment_118585760

What an absolute minefield, I never really thought about the mortgage side of things, I guess im lucky enough now that I have paid off my morgage. But its certainly something you will need to be very careful with. I certainly wouldnt want to be confirming a mica problem before you have to.

But then its just the thought of not knowing for sure either way which is a killer. I sure would like to know now if I have a mica problem or not.

Dempo1

Just wondering what is the actual status of the redress scheme/offer , its seems to have gone all quite on the matter. Is, what is being proposed agreed or under going legislative scrutiny 🤔

malinheader

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118585739#Comment_118585739

Not so sure anyone would be held accountable for anything misleading or falsified if you can go by the way the block suppliers don't seem to be accountable for anything so far. There seems to be none or very little accountability in this country.

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118585850#Comment_118585850

Check this post of mine from about a week ago: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118545018/#Comment_118545018

Dont think there has been much progress since. Approval for scheme entry is frozen until housing agency scheme is sorted and legislated. That could be a while though.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118586015#Comment_118586015

Thank you , hadn't heard much about what was going on 👍

jj880

I know its only delaying the inevitable but are people filling in cracks? If so what are you using?

I have a few on my gable now that are a few mm wide. I really need to fill them. Im pretty sure with all this crap weather its not good to leave them open.

RandomViewer

Came into Letterkenny from the Glencar side at the weekend, some cracks on those Solomons hill houses

Penfailed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118603962#Comment_118603962

I tried a flexible epoxy resin. It was futile.

jj880

SCSI Recommendation to Minister For Housing on grant aid for rebuild sq foot/metre rates:

https://scsi.ie/DCB-Construction-Costs/

The terms of reference for this is 2007 building regulations, no poured foundations included, no interior furniture, carpets, curtains (fair enough imo) and nothing outside the walls of the house (driveways, sheds, boundary walls etc).

Issues raised so far are demolition and disposal costs not included, professional fees not included and why are poured foundations not included? (although some campaigners think this will be included as part of the IS465 review currently ongoing). I read that planning laws will force a rebuild to include up to date regs on energy efficiency etc. if poured founds are removed but dont know if thats true.

Keep in mind this is just an "independent" recommendation from SCSI. What the government will do with it we shall see.

Im still of the opinion home owners shouldn't be left to fight it out with builders on what can and cant be done within a sq foot rate. Inflation is rampant and that pressure should be taken away from home owners. Government should tender the work and manage it themselves. That however doesn't seem to be on anyone's agenda who is involved in negotiations with the government. Arguing for months over things like sq foot rates seems to be the plan for however many years this takes. Its very frustrating.

muffler

"I read that planning laws will force a rebuild to include up to date regs on energy efficiency etc"

Planning and Building Regs are 2 completely different animals so personally I dont really see that being an issue. Im glad to see that things are moving in the right direction though.

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118731561#Comment_118731561

Yeah Ive probably picked that up wrong. The overall point was if you remove poured foundations you have to rebuild to current energy regulations not the 2007 regs that are costed in this SCSI report. I believe it was posted on the MAG facebook page.

I hope the minister does take these rates on board and adds funds for demolition, disposal, professional fees and poured foundations (or at the very least testing of foundations then replacement if needed) because as it stands (even with these SCSI rates) a lot of people will be left behind.

When will rebuilding start in a large scale way do ye think?

RandomViewer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118776949#Comment_118776949

Current costs would make it unlikely,

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118779459#Comment_118779459

And the next recession brought on my this war might make it even more unlikely.

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118776949#Comment_118776949

If you are already approved for demolition on the old 90/10 scheme (EDIT: or have not been told your application has been suspended until agreement of the Housing Agency's Scheme) you have some chance over the next few years as there are not that many approved (a few hundred houses I believe). If you are not approved for demolition yet you will be relying on the Housing Agency's damage threshold to get demolition in the "enhanced" scheme that hasnt been agreed yet. No-one knows what the criteria for that will be as it is rumoured to be based on a visual inspection. So it's an unknown at the moment. I think its a safe bet it will be much more difficult to get demolition in the Housing Agency's scheme based on the Pyrite Scheme in Leinster. Some home owners are still waiting 10 years for works to commence since they dont satisfy the Housing Agency's scorecard system for approval.

You are not allowed to bring this up on MAGs Facebook page or in the 100% Redress Facebook group though. Your comments will be deleted and you will be blocked/removed. A lot of people who marched in Dublin last year are not happy as they were led to believe holiday homes/rentals would be a deal breaker if not included. They also believe the damage threshold is a scam as it is an attempt to limit demolitions and refuse people entry to the scheme based on a visual inspection as opposed to the private engineer led approval for demolition in the old 90/10 scheme.

The next few months will be interesting. Once this new scheme is legislated it will be very difficult (or at least take more years) to get it changed or "enhanced" again.

Penfailed

I see Paddy Diver has stepped back from the public face of the 100% Redress campaign. I'm not surprised. When an elected representative tries to win votes by attacking all around him and splitting the camps involved, it can only be a bad thing.

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118794968#Comment_118794968

Paddy walked out of the Working Group because he could see it was a talking shop. He even said at the time the government were not interested in addressing the scheme properly and he was right. It's been delay tactics and empty promises ever since. The latest SCSI report is crumbs and only just a recommendation to the government. Paddy took awareness of this scandal to a whole new level. He stopped Cassidys from supplying defective blocks for 100s if not 1000s more buildings when he blocked their lorries. He gave people courage and they stood up and protested because of him. No-one can take that from him.

When he walked from the Working Group MAG should have went with him. They let him down. I feel he has has been used politically by MAG / Joe McHugh etc. ever since. I feel for him because he is being asked questions that he cannot answer as the political end of the campaign (MAG) wont/cant get the answers and have banned / blocked anyone else who asks. The government are still taking the p!ss out of everyone, the difference is now people are starting to get angry about it. The so called "enhanced" scheme is not shaping up well. It's a sad situation.

I have no affiliation with anyone. I am just a mica home owner myself. I agree with you the councillor you speak of attacks all round him and is no doubt causing friction but his ongoing legal challenge (via his father) could yet be the only hope to force the government to get serious about this disaster.

CastorTroy

For anyone waiting on reimbursement for engineer/lab fees, check your spam. I just saw today that I got a mail on Wednesday but it went to my spam folder.

Penfailed

Micheál Martin was on Donegal today. He met with MAG at a couples house in Inishowen and then went on to a meeting in the Grainan Hotel with MAG and DCC. Hopefully something starts moving soon.

Furze99

Anyone thinking of investing in some of these mica houses? If they could be picked up cheap and then the state funds the rebuilding, might be a nice little slice to be made by flipping them then? Is that on the cards at all?

jackboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118871387#Comment_118871387

Hopefully, but the current inflation spiral may well end things for the foreseeable. It’s now unlikely there will be significant rebuilding in the next five years.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118871490#Comment_118871490

And not forgetting the recent cost to look after the refugees for each year has been costed at 2.5bn , the same cost they put on fixing Mica homes.

I can see the refugees getting priority of any money available.

Although we all know that the Mica issue wasn't a quick fix, the money was going to be spread over at least a decade. Maybe two.

Penfailed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118871480#Comment_118871480

No. If you've bought after a certain date (I can't remember when it was), you're not eligible for the scheme.

malinheader

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118871618#Comment_118871618

I was listening to the housing minister today on RTE stating 35,000 homes would be needed for Ukraine refugees this being on top of the 33,000 homes that have agreed to supply each year. Big push now on to insulate homes thanks to that clown of a Ryan .

This all with the price of materials doubling in some cases and serious shortages of labour and skill sets..