Prefabricated housing in the West End has not stood the test of time, according to a dissatisfied resident despite Wedco taking steps to remedy leaks that are attributed to natural settling.

“They built a matchbox and now it’s coming apart,” said Erskine Darrell, who lives with his wife Betty-Anne in Victoria Place, where the units were completed at the start of last year.

The family could not be reached in the aftermath of this weekend’s near miss by Hurricane Joaquin.

Area MP Michael Scott said a number of residents had spoken out over the lack of windows on the houses, which are constructed of concrete slabs that are locked together.

Mr Darrell said that with no windows in the kitchen or bathroom, the two-bedroom home appeared to have poor air circulation and had been hot to live in over the summer, even by Bermuda standards.

Wedco general manager Andrew Dias expressed his regret but said the issues with the Darrell residence were being addressed.

Asked if residents were generally satisfied with the homes, Mr Dias said he couldn’t say it for everyone but that problems were dealt with as they arose.

“I don’t wish to make excuses — you expect to get a place that is not leaking,” Mr Dias said.

“However, this is a normal phenomenon when you have a new construction. As a building settles, you can get cracks and leaks. And you fix them.”

The houses used materials shipped in from the United States, for a project that was significantly scaled down from the 100 units planned.

Mr Darrell, who has lived in Victoria Place for a year, maintained the leaking had been an issue from the beginning. “It keeps setting off the smoke alarms, and all in the ceiling is mildew, from one bedroom to the next,” he said. “I’ve had to take one bed and throw it out.

“I don’t understand why this is happening with something that’s supposed to be brand new.”