Elderly man’s beloved home CRUMBLES due to building work on student flats next door as emergency services declares his bedroom a ‘no go zone’- and he’s powerless to stop it
- Elderly man’s home is falling apart due to construction of apartments next door
- Con Raptis has been living in his house in Sydney’s east for 47 years
- Apartments next door were demolished to make way for new student housing
- Damage to Mr Raptis’ house includes major cracks, shattered glass and debris
- Mr Raptis has been told it is not safe to enter his bedroom or living room
An elderly man’s home is falling apart around him after the construction of new apartments next door led to walls cracking, glass shattering and emergency services saying he can’t enter his own bedroom.
Con Raptis has been living in his Kingsford home in Sydney’s east for 47 years but since 2019 has been forced to live with consistent noise and damage, and in constant fear his house may collapse.
‘The last year and a half, he’s literally gone through hell living in a house which is vibrating and cracking,’ Con’s son Jim told A Current Affair.
‘And seeing his house, which he’s worked hard for all his life, deteriorating in front of his eyes.’
Con Raptis has been living in his home in Sydney’s east for 47 years but since 2019 has been forced to live with consistent noise and damage, and in constant fear his house may collapse
Demolition to turn an apartment block next to Mr Raptis’ home into student accommodation began in October 2019.
Since then he has seen significant cracking to walls around his home, glass windows shattering, temporary scaffolding brought in to keep his walls from falling down, a retaining wall in his front yard being demolished and debris covering his garden.
‘I want someone accountable and to fix his house, fix the damage as it was before, so he can live the rest of his life in peace,’ his son said.
The Raptis’ say the SES has come in and declared both his bedroom and living room to be no-go zones, and that an independent engineer was called in just to prevent the house from collapsing.
‘The independent engineer stated it’s unsafe and they supported it from the outside so it won’t collapse,’ Jim said.
Demolition to turn an apartment block next to Mr Raptis’ home into student accommodation began in October 2019.
Mr Raptis has seen glass shatter around his home as a result of the construction work next door (pictured, the smashed sliding doors in his living room)
They say there has been $750,000 worth of damage as a result of the construction next-door so far, and a dilapidation report conducted by Goral Pty Ltd says Mr Raptis will almost certainly have to leave his home.
‘The state of the damage is so severe, fixing of the damage will require for the people to be moved from the premises and then partial removal of the building,’ independent structural engineer Goran Serafimovski of Goral Pty Ltd said.
‘The damage is excessive and it has been done by the development next door. And the fixing of the damage will be even worse because it requires more severe reconstruction of the house.’
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to the building company, Randwick City Council and Goral Pty Ltd for comment.