A Derry couple say they face a repair bill of over £100,000 after their family home was one of the first confirmed cases of Mica in Northern Ireland.
Danny and Kate Rafferty built their home on Beragh Hill Road in the city back in 2006 but six years later they noticed what they initially believed were settlement cracks.
When more spider cracks emerged on the outer walls and chimney of the house after it was repeatedly painted, tests carried out earlier this year have since confirmed the presence of high levels of Mica.
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The Rafferty family are one of an ever-growing number of people across the island of Ireland who live in a home unfit for purpose, built as it was from faulty blocks with unsafe levels of mica minerals. It absorbs water, which can cause walls to crack and begin to crumble.
It is estimated more than 5,700 homes in counties Donegal and Mayo are affected by the faulty concrete blocks.
Living close to Donegal, like many people the Raffertys sourced building materials on both sides of the border, including blocks from different suppliers, some of which have now deteriorated.
"The cracks kept coming back worse and we also noticed bubbling and flaking paint. I didn't know it at the time but that's also a sign of Mica as the moisture is being released from the blocks and coming out in the paint," Danny, 55, told Belfast Live.
Danny and Mayo native Kate, 57, who live with their 20-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son, paid for a surveyor who told them that he knew their house had mica just by looking at it.
"We thought it could be various things and mica was on that list but we just weren't 100% sure. We had a builder out to look at the wall and a surveyor who drove past the house and said 'you have mica'," Danny explained.
"We had this confirmed by a mica test carried out by a guy from Donegal at a cost of £1,000. Samples were taken from around the house in June of this year and sent to Cornwall for official testing. The results came back in September which confirmed that there were high levels of mica.
"Even since then, the cracks seem to have got a lot worse and I'm seeing them all over the house - it's right around it. I'm seeing hairline cracks too and I'm wondering how long have we got in this house and how safe is it?"
Late last year the Irish government agreed to finance a €2.2billion (£1.9bn) scheme to rebuild and remediate an estimated 7,500 homes which have been structurally damaged by mica.
The couple are now facing the prospect of having to replace the external walls and possibly chimneys with no guarantee of potential redress beyond the government scheme in the south but they are in the process of being taken on as the first 'international' mica case.
They also will need to take out a major loan for repair works just five years out from paying off their mortgage.
"I've been advised to go for another more intense mica test to find out the level of expense that we face," Danny said.
"More samples will be taken from the outside walls, chimney breast and foundations, which will govern how much it's going to cost in terms of redress. I have a timber frame house luckily enough so if it's just the outer skin wall that has to be replaced then you're probably talking £60,000.
"If we have to take the chimneys away too and expose the whole house to the weather, then we are going to have to move out because there will be no heating. If it's in the foundations then it has to be underpinned which could be another £40,000. Worst case scenario we are talking over £100,000."
Danny and Kate's home also isn't covered by their house insurance.
"If this house was burnt to the ground or hit by lightning or flooding, I can claim for that but not for defective building materials,” Danny said.
Kate said: "I'm quite worried and stressed about the whole situation especially if we have to take down all the walls and chimney. We wouldn't be able to live here if that happens and will have to try and find somewhere else to stay.
"I feel annoyed that someone would sell defective materials in the first place for people to build their homes with just to make a profit."
She also believes there are other houses in the Derry area with suspected mica.
"We're not the only ones on this side of the border in this situation so it's likely we'll see more families here coming forward with similar problems with their houses."
A spokesperson for Derry City and Strabane District Council confirmed that it was contacted last month by the owner of a property in the area that had received test results indicating that following testing of concrete blockwork samples taken from the property by the owner results indicated that it was affected by Mica contamination.
They added: "The council has not been made aware of any other affected properties in the council area, despite an extensive desktop exercise and consultation process carried out in 2018. The council is not aware of any formal redress scheme for owners of properties located in Northern Ireland that are affected by Mica.
"The council has made contact with the owner and is happy to engage in order to offer whatever advice it can."
The spokesperson added that it's the council’s understanding that the relevant UK government department, responsible for the national regulation of construction products is the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has called for efforts to establish how many homes here are impacted by Mica.
Mr Eastwood expressed concern that other homes in border areas could contain the mineral and said proper redress must be provided to those affected.
The Foyle MP said: “We have all seen the devastating impact mica has caused in the South, with families left watching their homes crumble before their very eyes.
“Before we do anything else we need to establish just how many homes in the North are impacted by mica. We have seen the need for robust compensation schemes to be put in place to help people whose homes are damaged and we can only do this when we know the scale of what we’re dealing with.
“There can be no doubt that anyone found to have mica in their homes must be properly compensated and I would urge the Irish Government to immediately begin liaising with officials in Belfast to discuss putting proper support mechanisms in place. Nobody should have to fight to keep a roof over their heads as a result of mica being discovered at their home.”
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