[DaIceman]

Just wondering if anyone is affected by the issue of crumbling foundations in eastern CT. NBC30 did a piece on this not too long ago. There are at least 4 houses on my street (including mine) that have this issue, and I'm curious why this issue doesn't seem to have a bigger profile in the media. Are people just not aware of it?

[JayCT]

I have not heard of it but it sounds like there are problems with the concrete provided by one concrete company more than 20 years ago. Since this is happening so long after the foundations have been built I am not sure what anyone can do about it. Jay

[DaIceman]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I have not heard of it but it sounds like there are problems with the concrete provided by one concrete company more than 20 years ago. Since this is happening so long after the foundations have been built I am not sure what anyone can do about it. Jay

What can anyone do about it? Great question, Jay. I'm being told by a structural engineer that the cracks that I'm seeing now in my foundation are going to get worse over time and if I don't do anything then the house will eventually become unstable and be condemned. The only way this problem can be fixed is to jack the house up, demolish the old foundation, and pour a new foundation in its place.

I'm being told that most insurance companies for affected homeowners are denying similar claims, so at this point there are 2 options - pay for the new foundation yourself, or if your insurance company is denying your claim, the only other option is litigation. I don't have the kind of money lying around to be able to get the work done myself, so I'm relying on my insurance company to come through for me.

There are huge implications for this in eastern Connecticut (we are in South Windsor, but I know of people in Tolland, Enfield, and Somers who have also had the problem) because of the potential for many, many homeowners to have this happen to them. I've heard this might be a problem for some of the buildings at UConn, too. Even if I wanted to, I cannot sell my house now, unless I want to sell it for pennies on the dollar. Yet at the same time, I'm being taxed by my town on what they originally assessed the house at, while it's worth nothing close to that any longer.

Anybody buying a house in eastern Connecticut needs to be aware of this issue, and make sure that the house you're looking at has been inspected by a structural engineer who is aware of the problem and knows the signs to look for.

[WouldLoveTo]

Seeing as CT was founded in the mid-1600s, it's really a stretch to say "anyone buying a house in eastern CT needs to be aware of this issue". My house was built in 1926 with no foundation issues, and I know of many older houses with no issues as well.

More detail is needed. What year range, are they subdivisions with a builder in common?

I was affected by the GAF shingle fiasco in the late-80s. It was not a house issue although my roof was leaking like a sieve. It was a specific shingle issue.

[ctguy87]

Originally Posted by WouldLoveTo

Seeing as CT was founded in the mid-1600s, it's really a stretch to say "anyone buying a house in eastern CT needs to be aware of this issue". My house was built in 1926 with no foundation issues, and I know of many older houses with no issues as well.

More detail is needed. What year range, are they subdivisions with a builder in common?

I was affected by the GAF shingle fiasco in the late-80s. It was not a house issue although my roof was leaking like a sieve. It was a specific shingle issue.

The specific criteria for potential impacted homes are listed in the article:

Crumbling Foundations | NBC Connecticut

Dozens of affected homeowners, contractors and building officials claim all of the failed foundations were poured between the early 1980s through 1998 by J.J. Mottes Company, a concrete and septic supplier out of Stafford Springs.

FYI - It is not covered by insurance because the damage was not caused by a covered peril. Insurance does not cover construction defects, only losses like fire, theft, wind, lightning, hail, etc.

[WouldLoveTo]

Thanks, I did not see the hyperlink. So it's a specific subset of houses. Fascinating too, how a homeowners insurance policy was re-written to exclude the foundation before even the homeowner knew about the issue.

[DaIceman]

Originally Posted by WouldLoveTo

Thanks, I did not see the hyperlink. So it's a specific subset of houses. Fascinating too, how a homeowners insurance policy was re-written to exclude the foundation before even the homeowner knew about the issue.

Exactly right. A lot of people knew about this issue years ago, including the insurance companies.

[ctguy87]

Originally Posted by WouldLoveTo

Thanks, I did not see the hyperlink. So it's a specific subset of houses. Fascinating too, how a homeowners insurance policy was re-written to exclude the foundation before even the homeowner knew about the issue.

Not sure what you mean by rewritten - insurance contracts follow the same basic standards for dwelling coverage from company to company. It wasn't rewritten because of this issue, it's just how the policy contract exists.

[Beeker2211]

Did you also get a terrain expert to see if there are groundswell/heaving issues? It might be worth the few bucks if you go for repouring the foundation...

[WouldLoveTo]

Originally Posted by ctguy87

Not sure what you mean by rewritten - insurance contracts follow the same basic standards for dwelling coverage from company to company. It wasn't rewritten because of this issue, it's just how the policy contract exists.

From the article "Walter Zaldwy built his home in 1988 in Willington. He says J.J. Mottes supplied the concrete for his foundation. He never questioned why his insurance company sent him a notice in 2008 stating his foundation would no longer be covered – until he started noticing the spider cracks on his walls growing within the last year. "Looking back, I’m wondering, how did they get this information to decide they weren’t covering basement foundations anymore?" Zaldwy said."


His policy was changed 10 years after he bought the house.