IRISH people across Britain who dream of retiring back home are being warned to exercise caution – as hundreds of houses in Donegal have been crumbling away.
Defective brick work in the northern county has seen walls crumbling away in several homes. It has effected homeowners in the Donegal region – as well as prospective property owners in Britain, who look to move back to Ireland.
Joseph and Movania Parkinson, who are based in Sheffield but hail from Counties Laois and Derry respectively, are just two of the hundreds of people whose houses have been effected so far.
Mr and Mrs Parkinson bought their Inishowen house with the intention of retiring in Ireland – but have experienced crumbling in the blockwork of the home. Now, they let family and friends use it when visiting Ireland – but there is little else they can do with the investment.
Their son, Fergal Parkinson, explains.
“My parents’ house in Inishowen experienced some cracking on the block work,” Mr Parkinson said. “My father is a builder and he couldn’t figure out what was wrong so I did some research and found that there was a number of people who were experiencing the same problem.”
The problem, it emerged, was that the blocks used to construct the homes had a high level of a mineral called mica, which absorbs and retains water – rendering the blockwork weak.
The result is a “crumbling” of the blockwork, which is a danger to occupants of the house.
It is estimated by the Mica Action Group, which was set up in response to the issue, that up to 1,000 homes could be effected.
A wall of a house which is covered in cracks from the high mica content. Photo: Philip McDaidThe problem has effected homeowners of all kinds – from those who are permanent residents in Donegal, to holiday or retirement homeowners.
It is also not confined to one area – and is particularly problematic in coastal areas, where there is a higher moisture content in the air.
Philip McDaid, of the Mica Action Group in Donegal, says the mica levels in the blocks are dangerously high.
“There are no definitive regulations on the levels of mica in blocks in Ireland,” he explains. “But it is recommended that there be less than one per cent – and in many cases in Donegal we’ve seen between 32 and 36 per cent mica content in a block.”
“The issue for people like my parents is money,” Mr Parkinson claims. “You can’t do anything with it. You have a mortgage but you can’t sell it because of the condition of the house, your home insurance won’t pay out and you have to move out because it’s dangerous – and you can’t rent the house either.”
The area was visited by Paudie Coffey, TD, who is Minister of State for Housing, in February. He acknowledged the problem and said that the Irish Government will look at a redress scheme when the litigation against the firm who provided the “majority” of the blocks has been dealt with.
His department confirmed to The Irish Post that the issue of redress for those who are out of pocket will be addressed once the ongoing conflict between the firm and the homeowners is resolved.
“In the event that the contracting parties cannot reach a settlement by negotiation, the option of seeking redress in the Courts can be considered. The Department understands that legal proceedings have been instigated in some of the cases relating to this problem; this is the appropriate course of action to pursue in the event that the responsible parties, i.e. the builder, the supplier and/or their insurers, do not face up to their responsibilities and provide a solution for the affected homeowners,” a spokesperson said.
See More: Crumbling Homes, Donegal, Featured
