Deteriorating House Foundations in Connecticut

Some homeowners in northeastern CT are struggling with deteriorating concrete foundations. Here's what we know.

Pyrrhotite

Some (hundreds?) of concrete foundations poured for homes in northeast Connecticut in the early 1980's are now rapidly cracking, crumbling, and failing due to pyrrhotite in the concrete mix. Pyrrhotite is an iron sulfide mineral. It reacts with oxygen and water to cause swelling and cracking.

Locations

As of this writing the defective foundations have been reported in the following towns:
Andover Mansfield
Ashford Somers
Bolton South Windsor
Coventry Stafford
East Hartford Suffield
East Windsor Tolland
Ellington Union
Enfield Vernon
Glastonbury Willington
Manchester Woodstock

Source

The homes with bad foundations have been linked to the JJ Motes Company of Stafford CT., a quarry / cement provider in Connecticut that provided the concrete mix. It has been estimated that this company provided concrete mix used to build over 10,000 foundations in the affected towns.
No problems were seen or were evident
until recently. Large cracks and settling started 20+ years after the homes were built.

Remedies

Foundations that are failing need rebuilding, with costs estimated to be averaging around $150,000 per home, not including demolition or rebuilding of finished basements. Some estimates put the cost of rebuilding at over $1 billion for this region of the state, and this is possibly a conservative estimate. At this time insurance companies have denied all claims by homeowners involving these foundations.

Allied Home Inspections LLC can inspect your house foundation for defects, settling, and any signs of deterioration.

Map of Affected area

Resources:
CT Dept. of Consumer Protection
Video - CT Forum on crumbling foundations
Capitol Region Council of Government s
Connecticut Coalition Against Crumbling Basements

Looking for a Connecticut Home Inspector? Contact Allied Home Inspections LLC - "Inspected Once, Inspected Right!"