A company carried out a Structural Survey on this property
which yielded nothing untoward with it and suggested
a test.
Their first attempt which should have taken an afternoon
ended when the "Defective" concrete damaged their Industrial
Drill.
On the next occasion the "Defective" concrete
burnt out the Industrial Drill completely!!!
Tough stuff this "Defective concrete!!"
On a personal note this property, one of twelve
terrace type built 1906-1912
has already served nearly 4 mortgage
terms,
without visible sign of deterioration
and it is plain that construction was
excellent.
Where else do find the Tenement/Extension
with a 9 inch thick reinforced concrete roof over the ground floor measuring
only l6ft x 12ft? The weight must be tremendous on so-called defected
walls.
The Royal Institute of British Architects has no knowledge
of such massive construction in a Domestic Property situation.
The distance of Torpoint from mining areas bringing
into question attributing pyrites to mine waste because of such a distance.
Particularly so, as at the turn of the last century when these
houses were build there was little motorised transport with most materials
being transported by horse and cart!
A more likely explanation is the fact that the
local Gasworks was in operation at the time of construction and any
Pyrites in the coal would have found their way into the slag which was
widely used in house building at the time. The great heat to which these
were subjected would be far less damaging to the concrete than their
counterparts in untreated mine waste. Local materials could be used
in those days more easily than today.
One Testing Co. admits "With hindsight, this probably
indicates that the pyrite present is not reactive, rather than not being
present." This in 2004!
The affect this regime has had on the "Affordable
Housing Market" must have been catastrophic in Cornwall but unfortunately
no-one knows as there appears to be no central statistics available,
it can only be gauged by the fact that one Testing Company has reached
the 10,000 case mark and as there are many operators being in this lucrative
situation the number of houses involved to date must be in the 30,000
range perhaps even greater! No one seems to know (or care).
Perhaps this expose will prompt someone in authority
into taking action to enquire into what has to be what this Website
says, A SCANDAL.
