HARTFORD — Two companies based in Eastern Connecticut have agreed to stop selling concrete products that have been linked to deteriorating foundations, which continues to cause problems for hundreds, if not thousands of homeowners.
Attorney General George Jepsen and state Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Jonathan A. Harris announced Monday that the Joseph J. Mottes Company and the Becker Construction Company have voluntarily agreed to stop selling materials or products containing aggregate from Becker’s Quarry in Willington for use in residential concrete foundations in Connecticut until June 2017.
Concrete aggregate is essentially crushed stone, sand and/or gravel that is combined with cement, water and sometimes other additives to produce concrete.
The state released a statement on the issue Monday afternoon and said they will continue to investigate deteriorating foundations in eastern Connecticut.
The DCP has been investigating since July, and more than 220 people have filed complaints, but possibly thousands of homeowners are dealing with cracking, crumbling concrete foundations. Most of the homes with this damage were built in the ’80s and ’90s, but the problem took years to become noticeable.
If you think your home foundation might have this type of foundation, you can file a complaint here.
At this time, neither company is facing any legal violations, but the state could file claims after the agreement expires.
The Joseph J. Mottes Company released a statement just after the attorney general and DCP made theirs:
While the state’s investigation of the causes of the failing concrete foundations continues, the Joseph J. Mottes Company and Becker Construction have decided – as a good faith measure and with the goal of finding answers homeowners deserve –to voluntarily join with the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office and the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection and agree to suspend sales of aggregate or concrete for residential home builds through June 30, 2017. We continue to believe this is an issue of improper installation and not materials – findings which were proven in our only Connecticut court case involving a failed foundation, the Tofolowsky decision of 2003 – and we have always cooperated with the state and will continue to do so in the hope of finding sustainable and meaningful solutions for the homeowners and future homeowners.
