Mica Express

Picturesque tea break spot today!

If you need testing for conveyancing, a Building Condition Assessment for accessing the statutory scheme, or any other chartered engineering services associated with defective concrete blocks then don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Marian gave Mica Express Ltd 5 stars. Check out the full review... We asked Kaine to carry out further testing on our home, and to provide additional support for ...

john gave Mica Express Ltd 5 stars. Check out the full review... We needed a Mica test done for a house we were selling in Donegal. After looking around and as ...

SEBASTIAN PUNNAKAL PHILIP gave Mica Express Ltd 5 stars. Check out the full review... Dr Kane Lynch is a true professional and our experience with Mica Express was exceptionally gre ...

✅ Remember that your Competent Building Professional under the redress scheme must be an IS 465 panel engineer if you are moving forward with anything other than Option 1

❌ We had a conversation with a prospective client today that had previously engaged and partly paid another professional for Option 3, and this was causing issues in processing payments.

In response to requests from satisfied clients and in line with our mission to limit stress associated with addressing defective concrete blocks (DCB), we have recently expanded our service offering to include the end-to-end management of the entire grant process from initial assessment to certifying remediation. We have also established a panel of reliable contractors to ensure competition and value for money. Please see process / service map below.

If you would like to limit stress associated with DCB, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Dr Kaine Lynch MEng, PhD, CEng, FICE, MIEI, FCIHT (IS 465 Panel Engineer)
Director, Mica Express Ltd

100% Redress NO LESS for All Affected Home Owners With Defective Blocks I100%Redress/Compensation for Mica/Pyrite/Sulphate VictimsMICA Rebuild Resources - Donegal

"Our mission is to deliver the highest quality chartered engineering services across the north west in relation to defective concrete blocks. Whether it's for buying, selling or repairing, we provide a specialist and time-efficient service"

Dr Kaine Lynch MEng PhD CEng FICE MIEI FCIHT
Director, Mica Express Ltd

Mica Express *Chartered Engineers* *Specialists in Defective Block Testing* *Buy, sell or repair with confidence*

High quality academic paper further illuminating the deterioration processes associated with defective concrete blocks. This paper also has strong practical utility for those designing remediation works as it identifies procedural differences based on the block's location.

Key points include:

- The relatively high concrete quality in the foundations and the high degree of water saturation slows down pyrrhotite oxidation; however, the potential for internal sulfate attack remains high over the coming decades.

- The lower concrete quality of the rising blocks accelerates pyrrhotite oxidation compared to foundations.

- The lower water saturation in the outer leaf compared to the rising blocks allows easy access of oxygen and a fast progress of internal sulfate attack.

- The lower moisture content in the inner leaf facilitates fast carbonation and therefore limits the expansion due to secondary ettringite formation. Further pyrrhotite oxidation will create expansion caused by the formation of iron oxides, iron hydroxides and gypsum.

Defective Homes in Donegal, Ireland: Effect of Exposure Conditions and Concrete Quality on Pyrrhotite Oxidation and Internal Sulfate Attack

Ruth McCutcheon gave Mica Express Ltd 5 stars. Check out the full review... Would thoroughly recommend mica express. We had a defective block test done by them prior to pu ...

Really interesting debate at Stormont’s Communities Committee on defective concrete blocks in the Derry and Strabane area.

Committee for Communities Meeting, Thursday 16 May 2024 - Northern Ireland Assembly TV The Committee for Communities met on Thursday 16 May 2024.

Sue Cruse gave Mica Express Ltd 5 stars. Check out the full review... We were so satisfied with the service. Kaine discussed the process clearly and with patience to ...

Really busy day today supporting clients’ appeals under the statutory scheme with express pyrite / pyrrhotite / chemical testing and analysis!!

Chartered Engineers, led by Dr Kaine Lynch, specialising in defective concrete blocks.

We offer a full range of testing and analysis services for buying and selling (price list on our website). We also offer advisory services for buyers that have been provided with a property's test report, as well as Building Condition Assessments for those seeking access to the statutory grant scheme.

If you need specialist advice in relation to defective concrete blocks, whether you are buying, selling or repairing, then please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Mica Express Chartered engineers specialising in the testing and analysis of properties potentially containing defective concrete blocks

Another fantastic view from our final property of the week. If you need defective concrete block testing for buying, selling or repairing then please get in touch.

When engaging an engineer to undertake Building Condition Assessments, testing or analysis in relation to defective concrete blocks, it’s important to ensure that they are on the Engineers Ireland register (link below).

All our reports are approved by our Director, Dr Kaine Lynch, who is on the Engineers Ireland register.

Registers and Panels | Engineers Ireland

bredge gibson gave Mica Express Ltd 5 stars. Check out the full review... Mica Express is definitely that I messaged Kaine at the beginning of last week about a BCA he d ...

Over the weekend, we passed the milestone of 100 page likes since we began sharing our insights on defective concrete block testing and analysis only a few months ago.

Thank you for your continued support. We are committed to continuing to improve transparency and supporting wider understanding over the forthcoming months.

Great to be at Engineers Ireland HQ today discussing defective concrete blocks with other Chartered Engineers

Please check out the summary of our defective concrete block testing, analysis and advisory services below. Additional information is available on our website (www.mica.express) or our page (Mica Express). If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Mica Express Buy, sell or repair property with confidence

As we are regularly asked to review 'mica reports' for conveyancing purposes, we have developed an initial checklist that any buyer or seller could use when considering engaging a professional to undertake testing or reviewing a property report.

If you need a property tested or report reviewed, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Free muscovite mica, freeze thaw, 0.1%, 5%, pyrite, pyrrhotite, thaumasite, inner leaf, outer leaf, web-like cracking, pattern-like cracking...Confused??

Are you buying a property in Donegal and have been given a 'mica report' to consider as part of the transaction, and are unsure what the results mean?

This is an all too common occurrence as the reports are necessarily technical, with specific percentages, limits, risk classifications and terminology.

We are here to help! We offer buy-side services interpreting the report from your perspective and clearly describing any residual risks.

For £250 our Director, Dr Kaine Lynch, will:

1. Have an initial telephone conversation to understand the context.
2. Review and analyse the vendor's report in detail
3. Arrange a telephone / video call (approx. 30 mins) to discuss key findings and residual risk areas.

Please check out our TrustPilot page for reviews from people who have already availed of this service

Mica Express *Chartered Engineers* *Specialists in Defective Block Testing* *Buy, sell or repair with confidence*

☘️☘️ Fuelling up with the best coffee in Donegal at Curious Coffee Co. ahead of a very busy St Patrick’s Day testing 4 properties in the North West!!☘️ ☘️

We've had a number of calls from people in the Derry and Strabane area this week in relation to testing of a current or future property for defective blocks. On the back of this, we are sharing the link to Council's website where they are undertaking a data collection exercise in a bid to quantify how many homes in the area are impacted. Whilst there isn't currently a government-backed scheme in NI, the Council's current data gathering exercise is a useful first step.

https://www.derrystrabane.com/services/building-control/mica

Free muscovite mica, freeze thaw, 0.1%, 5%, pyrite, thaumasite, inner leaf, outer leaf, web-like cracking...Confused??

Are you buying a property in Donegal and have been given a 'mica report' to consider as part of the transaction, and are unsure what the results mean?

This is an all too common occurrence as the reports are necessarily technical, with specific percentages, limits, risk classifications and terminology.

We are here to help! We offer buy-side services interpreting the report from your perspective and clearly describing any residual risks.

For £250 our Director, Dr Kaine Lynch, will:

1. Have an initial telephone conversation to understand the context.
2. Review and analyse the vendor's report in detail
3. Arrange a telephone / video call (approx. 30 mins) to discuss key findings and residual risk areas.

Please check out our TrustPilot page for reviews from people who have already availed of this service

We are often engaged by property buyers to provide advice in relation to defective block reports that have been provided by sellers.

There is an increasing trend towards fewer and fewer samples and limited testing. For example, we have reviewed a number of reports over the last couple of weeks that have tested only two samples, with one sample being subjected to SEM analysis (no simple / detailed petrography or chemical analysis) and the other being subjected to compressive strength testing.

This trajectory significantly increases the level of risk for buyers. Whilst there is inherent risk in any sampling approach, using a a single SEM result without other methods means that the risk classification for the entire property is based on an approx. 1.5cm2 area of a single block. There is little consideration of the potential that multiple types of blocks were used in construction.

Hannah Doherty gave Mica Express Ltd 5 stars. Check out the full review... We contacted Kaine to advise us on a block test that the seller of a property we were intereste ...

☘️☘️ Due to demand as we enter prime time for buying and selling, we are working over St Patrick’s weekend testing properties all over the North West. ☘️☘️

We still have 3 slots available.

If you need a property tested to get it on the market, please get in touch.

If you require testing for a property, whether you are buying, selling or repairing, don’t hesitate to get it touch. Our highly-experienced team can undertake analysis for mica, pyrite or pyrotite with results provided in the shortest time available on the market.

Major research paper finds Mica not primary cause of concrete block crisis in Donegal - Highland Radio - Latest Donegal News and Sport A major research paper published today claims Mica is not the primary cause of the failure of defective concrete blocks in Donegal. Four properties in Inishowen built between 2001 and 2004 were investigated as part of the research project. Microstructural and chemical analysis combined with thermody...