There are believed to be well in excess of 20,000 properties in Ireland which are contaminated with pyrite backfill. We hope that our website will help you find the information you require concerning all aspects of pyrite damage to houses.

When damage occurs as a result of pyrite under the floors it can be a very stressful time.  Generally you will find that some insurance companies and builders will make it both difficult and expensive for you to prove beyond doubt that their is pyrite under your floors before they will accept a claim from you.  Many home owners are finding that the cost associated with complying with these high standards is preventing them from getting a basis diagnosis or test carried out on their homes. These delays in some cases will lead to greater damage to the floors, walls and foundation resulting in a higher repair costs.

Cracked wall

It is not unusual for cracks to be visible in foundation walls, structural walls and floors in your house, even when you don’t have a pyrite problem in your home. These cracks can stop the sale of your house as potential buyers will not take a chance in buying property which may have pyrite under their concrete floors.  After you go through this website and our main pyrite website you will get a better idea if the cracks and settlement in your property is the result of pyrite or settlement or movement to the foundations or structural walls.

Be Knowledgeable About Pyrite Damage and Pyrite Testing

From our experience some Insurance Companies and Builders are likely to take advantage of property owners who are not very familiar with what to do if they suspect that contaminated pyrite backfill may have been used under their property.  We have been working with our clients with regard to pyrite problems ever since the problem was first understood in Ireland. One of the greatest problems we find is that some builders and insurance companies make it expensive for property owners to submit a claim before they will accept your complaint.

Building surveyors who are  familiar with pyrite identification are aware that most builders and one insurance company now claim that they are not able to pay to repair the damaged property. Our Government have said that they will not subsidise the cost of repairing pyrite damaged houses as they do in Canada where contaminated pyrite backfill problem also exists.

A current misconception about the ongoing damaged caused by pyrite is that damage to your concrete floors will become very evident within a couple of years.  This is not the case, research from Ontario in Canada shows that pyrite in the back fill can continue to expand on a gradual basis for twenty five years plus.  The research carried out in Canada, who have been dealing with this pyrite issue for going on thirty years shows that slow pyrite expansion can continue for at least thirty years creating similar amount’s of damage (as explosive pyrite expansion) but spread over a far greater time period.  As a result of this misconception that pyrite problems show up within the first few years, many property owners believe that they do not have a pyrite problem under their property until after their ten year insurance policy has come to an end.

In summary many home owners they will find that the quarry supplier of backfill, their builder or insurance company will not fully pay to repair their home and at best may only get a small contribution towards the repair costs if they are lucky. Dealing with pyrite damage and pyrite testing can be complicated for a typical home owner, we have setup a sister website whose sole aim is to provide the property owner with all the self build information that is available including contract samples, costings, etc. in order that they can best repair their property at sub-contractor prices, as many thousands of home owners will be left high and dry with no insurance to cover the cost of rebuilding.

We hope to add to this new website in the short term, any ideas on how we can improve or add to this site which would benefit home owners would be appreciated, please contact us or send us an email.

Peter Sweeney FBEng