Faulty cement caused their foundations to collapse. Today, they want the state to intervene.

Every time Cynthia Poirier of Holland hears a pop, she wonders which part of her house will be destroyed. She is missing the home of 31 years that Poirier built herself as a single mother of two.

Unbeknownst to him, the concrete poured during the construction of the house contained a natural mineral called pyrrhotite. Over time, this mineral has cracked the foundations to the point where large pieces can be grabbed by hand and carried away.

As it continues to collapse, the structure of the house also begins to deteriorate, with bowed walls, doors that don’t close properly and fears that the upstairs supports are deteriorating.

“I’m sure they’re going to start breaking and breaking and I hope nothing comes through the ceiling on my head,” Poirier said.

According to a 2019 State House report, thousands of homes across the state may have failing concrete foundations due to pyrrhotite, an iron sulfide found in concrete.

The report states that pyrrhotite causes concrete to deteriorate when exposed to oxygen and water, leading to irreversible damage to foundations. This damage can take anywhere from a decade to 30 years to appear and can result in horizontal cracks forming a web-like pattern. Rust-colored residue or white powder can also develop and walls will often peel.

The only solution is the complete replacement of the foundations with pyrrhotite-free concrete. Depending on the size of the home, cost estimates in 2019 ranged between $150,000 and $250,000 in the report.

Many of the crumbling foundations in the state were connected to the J. J. Mottes Concrete Company in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Between 1983 and 2015, Mottes used aggregate from the Becker Quarry in Willington, which tested positive for the mineral. It no longer provides materials for house foundations.

But homes across the state were found to contain the ore in areas too remote to have realistically received cement from the Connecticut company. Most cement is transported locally.

The Massachusetts Residents Against Crumbling Foundations advocacy group, founded and led by homeowners affected by this problem, is tracking the spread.

Beyond neighboring Connecticut towns like Hampton, Monson, and Holland, other more distant towns include Holden, located north of Worcester, and Winchendon and Dracut, near the New Hampshire border. The houses are located near quarries along fault lines known to contain the mineral.

Questions are being asked about “how far this will go,” said Michelle Loglisci, one of the founders of Massachusetts Residents Against Crumbling Foundations. “We haven’t figured that out yet in Massachusetts.”

But for many homeowners, like Poirier, once their home tests positive for pyrrhoitite, they find themselves in a desperate situation.

When Poirier first found out 18 years ago, she asked for help from her home insurance – which she was denied; she explored whether she could sue the concrete company – not liable due to lack of required testing; and applied for a loan – rejected, because his house was deemed worthless. Desperate, she turned to her state officials, but they too could offer no solution.

“I feel like there’s no way out,” Poirier said. “I feel like I’m wearing an ankle bracelet.”

Owners demand state action

That’s why Poirier and about 100 other property owners went to the State House on October 30, demanding action after previous attempts failed.

Legislation to address this problem has twice been blocked in the state Senate Ways and Means Committee.

This year, lawmakers in affected communities took a new approach, adding an amendment to the Affordable Housing Act to create a special commission to develop and fund a replacement program. However, during late-night negotiations in July, the amendment was withdrawn.

“So now here we are, our last Hail Mary, asking our governor to use his executive order power to create the commission,” said Loglisci, who has been fighting state government for seven years to he does something.

If Gov. Maura Healey doesn’t pass an executive order, the group will have to start from scratch by filing another standalone bill in the next legislative session.

“My life is on hold, and others like me, thousands of us now, some of us for seven, eight, nine years, have been waiting for our state to do something,” Loglisci said. “And it’s so easy to do and it makes so much sense.” How could we have been excluded from the Affordable Housing Act? »

Those who visited the State House said they were disappointed when they were turned away from Healey’s office.

The Healey-Driscoll administration, in a statement, said it recognizes the importance of supporting homeowners whose concrete foundations are collapsing.

“We will continue to work with partners in the Legislature to evaluate potential solutions that would provide relief to homeowners,” an administration spokesperson said.

Karen Riani, who spent $280,000 to replace her foundation in Holden, said she recently saw that Healey was working to help save the “Pink House” in Newbury. She asked: “What about our houses?

For two years, Senator Peter Durant, who represents the Worcester and Hampshire districts, has been working to resolve the problem.

“It was so obvious that this was a major problem here in central Massachusetts, and it was growing,” he said. “You start to go down that rabbit hole and find out how big this problem is and how devastating it is. »

When he learned that the Affordable Homes Act amendment had not passed, “upset is really an understatement,” Durant said, especially since “it costs nothing to create this fund and establish a commission.” not a cent.”

State Sen. Michael Moore, who represents Worcester’s Second District, agrees.

“I was very disappointed that this was not included in the bill,” he said. “I really don’t understand how anyone can object to this, oppose it.”

Everyone recognizes that there is a housing crisis right now, Moore said. People who have invested all their savings in houses now find themselves, through no fault of their own, in a position where they could lose them.

“Often Parliament or the government waits until a tragedy occurs before reacting,” he said. “I hope that’s not the case.”

Problems seep into communities

However, a key piece of legislation was passed last year requiring all aggregate producers to test for pyrrhotite by obtaining a license from the Division of Highway Transportation (MassDOT).

In a statement to Boston.com, MassDOT said it is still taking steps to implement the law’s requirements. Once completed, the agency will publish the proposed regulations and accept public comments.

Policymakers are also concerned that as more homes detect the presence of pyrhotite, property values ​​will fall, resulting in a fiscal impact on property tax revenue. Cities across the state are just beginning to grapple with how to destroy homes containing the ore that makes them worthless.

In one case in Rutland, homeowners Michale and Karen Cove claim city assessors unfairly assessed their home, whose foundation contained pyrrhotite. The couple are now taking their case to the Tax Appeals Board, which will hear it in early December.

According to the State House report, Connecticut’s tax revenue decreased by about $81 million due to reduced home property values.

Additionally, lawmakers fear the real estate industry could take a hit when homeowners reevaluate and decide to either work toward repair and replacement or sell as-is. The state report says homes in Connecticut towns affected by the problem saw their average value drop by about $89,000.

To help address this issue in Connecticut, the state legislature imposed an annual $12 surcharge on certain homeowners insurance policies issued, renewed, modified or approved between January 2019 and December 2029, which will be filed in the Healthy Homes Fund. This general fund helps affected homeowners replace their foundations up to $190,000.

Additionally, according to a report from the United States Government Accountability Office, communities in Canada and Ireland have imposed similar solutions on homes affected by this mineral.

Many people in this situation cannot afford to spend $250,000 or more out of pocket to raise their home, replace the foundation, and put it back together.

Owners say more people haven’t come forward because they’re afraid. After all, once a foundation tests positive for pyrrhotite, it is, as Dracut resident Scott Rosa put it, “a death note.”

“Ignorance is bliss, I guess, for some people, and it was for me,” said Karen Forgues, of Winchendon, who cannot afford to replace her foundation. “I can attest to that as well. But the time has come for us to make changes. »

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Beth Treffeisen is a feature reporter for Boston.com, focusing on local news, crime and business in the New England region.

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