The home of a newly married couple in Dublin is slowly falling into the river beside it.
Ellen Blehein and Robert Sommerville bought the property four-years ago but have had to move out because their back wall suddenly collapsed into the River Camac.
Speaking on Moncrieff, Ms Blehein said the couple have since vacated the property as it feels “very scary being there”.
“About nine months after getting the keys, so around December 2021, there were cracks starting to show in the house between the back part of the house - which was extended in the early 2000s - and the original house which was built in the 1800s,” she said.
“Basically, it looks like there was historical subsidence there and the previous owners had covered up cracks so that when our engineer and the bank’s engineer came out, they missed it completely.
“The insurance company’s engineer who came out shortly after we noticed the cracks could see then in the cracks that it had been previously plastered over.”
Despite this, the couple did not think their home was structurally unsound and it was only on Friday night that part of it suddenly collapsed.
“We were out with friends and our neighbour called to say that he heard, basically, an earthquake and his whole house shook,” Ms Blehein said.
“He looked out his window; he’s also on the river and he saw all of our back patio and all of our conservatory in the river.”
“We were trying to live in the house but, unfortunately, on Sunday night we began to hear cracking and we thought the whole back end of the house was about to go back into the river,” she said.
“So, we had to leave about half one and we’ve been there during the day since because we’re meeting with solicitors and loss assessors but at night we can’t stay there."
As the problem with the property is historic, their insurance will not cover the damage and further inspection has revealed the entire home is at risk.
“The house is tilting and it’s at very real risk of falling into the river,” Ms Blehein said.
“From chatting with our engineer, they believe that we will have to demolish the conservatory because it’s such a big risk.
“There is nothing holding up the conservatory.”
Future
The couple only got married in October and Ms Blehein said they spent most of their savings on their wedding.
She “can’t even think" about how much it will cost them to restore the property and is finding the situation very stressful.
“Everywhere we turn, we’re looking for professional advice,” she said.
“We are two first time buyers, we bought the house four-years ago, we were relying on professionals to support us and give us their opinions.
“Even now, we’re relying on professionals and public servants to be able support us and provide us with information but we honestly just feel like we’re being let down.
“Every day has been a massive struggle and… we honestly don’t know much pressure we can take ourselves.”
The couple have set up a GoFundMe page to help them with their costs.
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Split of the collapsing home in Dublin 8. Images: Supplied.