ᐅ Renovating a House with Smoke Damage – Ideas and Advice
Created on: 9 Sep 2019 22:17
S
Sanierungsmüd
Hello, I would like to share the renovation issues we are currently facing and hope that someone here might have some advice on what else we can do.
We bought an end-unit townhouse (built in 1984) in the Munich suburbs at the end of 2018. During all the viewings, all the windows were open, so unfortunately, we did not notice many things. Since it was warm in 2018, we didn’t give it much thought at the time.
1. Attic: Extreme smoker house condition. As I said, we didn’t recognize this during the viewings because everything was open, the walls had been freshly painted, and two older dogs had lived in the house. We tried ozone treatment to remove the smoke smell but without success. That’s why we have already started removing the plaster from the attic walls and are having everything replastered. We have also taken out the floors. We will prime the screed and then install new flooring. We have also removed the roof insulation. Partly because it was original from the construction year and was hanging in tatters under the wooden ceiling, and partly because the insulation smelled terrible.
2. First floor: Sour, musty smell in the rooms after painting with standard dispersion paint. Apparently, there was a reaction with the substrate. It still smells very unpleasant even after months. We are now also going to remove the plaster here and have everything replastered. Additionally, it seems that under all the parquet floors, the old rubber backing from carpets was left as sound insulation. Of course, these smell accordingly. Everything will and is being removed.
3. Ground floor and entire staircase:
Originally, there was a rough textured plaster here. We had it smoothed. Rotband plaster was applied first, followed by a smooth plaster. Then a silicone resin paint was applied. Now we have the problem that the walls smell of cat urine, especially when it is warm outside and ozone levels are high. I have researched this, and it seems that titanium dioxide and ozone really do react together. For the last few days, the old smoke smell has also obviously started to come through again. We are really at our wit’s end. Anyone familiar with property prices around Munich knows this really wasn’t a bargain. We have a 10-month-old baby, and I’m worried that all these fumes and smells might make him ill.
Why I am writing here:
- Has anyone had the above problems and somehow managed to solve them?
- Are there any other ways to remove the smoke smell besides ozone treatment, sealant paint, and removing plaster? All my internet research hasn’t yielded anything useful.
- Has anyone removed plaster and replastered afterward? Did the smoke smell go away?
Does anyone have additional ideas for our problems?
We can no longer contact the previous owner, as he has since passed away from lung cancer.
Is it possible to hold the real estate agent partially liable? Shouldn’t they have informed us about this?
Many thanks in advance to everyone who read this far and for any possible ideas.
We bought an end-unit townhouse (built in 1984) in the Munich suburbs at the end of 2018. During all the viewings, all the windows were open, so unfortunately, we did not notice many things. Since it was warm in 2018, we didn’t give it much thought at the time.
1. Attic: Extreme smoker house condition. As I said, we didn’t recognize this during the viewings because everything was open, the walls had been freshly painted, and two older dogs had lived in the house. We tried ozone treatment to remove the smoke smell but without success. That’s why we have already started removing the plaster from the attic walls and are having everything replastered. We have also taken out the floors. We will prime the screed and then install new flooring. We have also removed the roof insulation. Partly because it was original from the construction year and was hanging in tatters under the wooden ceiling, and partly because the insulation smelled terrible.
2. First floor: Sour, musty smell in the rooms after painting with standard dispersion paint. Apparently, there was a reaction with the substrate. It still smells very unpleasant even after months. We are now also going to remove the plaster here and have everything replastered. Additionally, it seems that under all the parquet floors, the old rubber backing from carpets was left as sound insulation. Of course, these smell accordingly. Everything will and is being removed.
3. Ground floor and entire staircase:
Originally, there was a rough textured plaster here. We had it smoothed. Rotband plaster was applied first, followed by a smooth plaster. Then a silicone resin paint was applied. Now we have the problem that the walls smell of cat urine, especially when it is warm outside and ozone levels are high. I have researched this, and it seems that titanium dioxide and ozone really do react together. For the last few days, the old smoke smell has also obviously started to come through again. We are really at our wit’s end. Anyone familiar with property prices around Munich knows this really wasn’t a bargain. We have a 10-month-old baby, and I’m worried that all these fumes and smells might make him ill.
Why I am writing here:
- Has anyone had the above problems and somehow managed to solve them?
- Are there any other ways to remove the smoke smell besides ozone treatment, sealant paint, and removing plaster? All my internet research hasn’t yielded anything useful.
- Has anyone removed plaster and replastered afterward? Did the smoke smell go away?
Does anyone have additional ideas for our problems?
We can no longer contact the previous owner, as he has since passed away from lung cancer.
Is it possible to hold the real estate agent partially liable? Shouldn’t they have informed us about this?
Many thanks in advance to everyone who read this far and for any possible ideas.
M
Mottenhausen10 Sep 2019 10:11Really unpleasant are plastic windows with frames that have microscopic pores which open and close with temperature changes, repeatedly emitting the smell of smoke. Stone window sills? You would need to remove them and soak them for a few days in a cleaning solution to properly clean those open pores, or better yet, replace them entirely.
Wooden staircase? You will probably never get rid of the smell.
All electrical outlets and light switches should be replaced, but the new plaster will likely take care of that anyway.
In my opinion, this is a defect, but not a hidden one. As far as I know, the agent is not required to point out the most obvious defects, such as a driveway being raised by roots or a missing sink in the bathroom. It’s a different matter if the defect is deliberately concealed: for example, if before the viewing someone opened all the windows, sprayed 5 bottles of Febreze, and lit scented candles.
Wooden staircase? You will probably never get rid of the smell.
All electrical outlets and light switches should be replaced, but the new plaster will likely take care of that anyway.
In my opinion, this is a defect, but not a hidden one. As far as I know, the agent is not required to point out the most obvious defects, such as a driveway being raised by roots or a missing sink in the bathroom. It’s a different matter if the defect is deliberately concealed: for example, if before the viewing someone opened all the windows, sprayed 5 bottles of Febreze, and lit scented candles.
S
Sanierungsmüd10 Sep 2019 10:17- Regarding fragrances and oils: we don’t want to mask the smell but eliminate it. And my husband is already on my case whenever I light a candle.
- Regarding the question of why we didn’t notice any smell: as I said, all the windows were open. They had freshly painted everywhere and there were old dogs. That’s probably why we mainly noticed the paint and dog odor.
- Are there any experiences showing that once the plaster is renewed, the smell really disappears? The thought that it might still come through the bricks is frightening. When we now smell the bricks, there is a slight smoke odor.
- Regarding the question of why we didn’t notice any smell: as I said, all the windows were open. They had freshly painted everywhere and there were old dogs. That’s probably why we mainly noticed the paint and dog odor.
- Are there any experiences showing that once the plaster is renewed, the smell really disappears? The thought that it might still come through the bricks is frightening. When we now smell the bricks, there is a slight smoke odor.
Winniefred schrieb:
How can you hide smoke odor that is present throughout the entire house?By spraying 10 bottles of Febreze and airing out the house for 3 days beforehand.fragg schrieb:
where you spray 10 bottles of Febreze and ventilate for 3 days before that. But in the long run, that doesn’t help. Besides, you usually visit the house at least twice, and from the second visit on you check things by shaking, touching, wiping, moving things, and yes... smelling them as well.
And especially when you know that a smoker has lived there, you need to be sensitive.
By the way, you can also smell the Febreze if you use too much.
Sanierungsmüd schrieb:
Regarding fragrances and oils: we don’t want to cover up the smell but remove it. And my husband already gives me a hard time if I light a candle once. I know. I just wanted to offer some hope and not let my two Nos stand alone ops:
However, I don’t think the smell is harmful to health. You just become somewhat desensitized to it.
By the way, I myself was a smoker until recently and can still smell when smoking has taken place in a house.
Winniefred10 Sep 2019 10:44As I said, I know apartments and houses previously owned by heavy smokers, and in those cases, airing out and spraying doesn't help. Non-smokers can still smell it. The original poster didn’t notice the smell, which might be questionable (the mix of dogs, fresh paint, ventilation, etc. can definitely create a strange combination that distracts), but in the end, it doesn’t matter because they want to get rid of the odor, and like I said, the only solution is to remove everything. The note about any wooden staircases is a good one because they can continue to smell for years.
But since the building dates back to the 1980s, I assume there probably aren’t any wooden staircases?
Before buying our house, we were desperately searching for a four-room apartment and looked at one that had previously been owned by heavy smokers. I can tell you, even though they had repainted and repainted the radiators, just the smell of the wooden doors was horrible. It was so disgusting that even in our desperate situation, we did not want that apartment.
In this case with the original poster, the advantage is that it is a property they own and can fix everything. I also don’t think the bricks will continue to emit odor in the end, since they will be completely sealed with new plaster and were previously covered by the old plaster, so it probably won’t smell afterward (no guarantee). Also replace light switches and similar items right away; plastic parts will also smell and are likely yellowed anyway.
But since the building dates back to the 1980s, I assume there probably aren’t any wooden staircases?
Before buying our house, we were desperately searching for a four-room apartment and looked at one that had previously been owned by heavy smokers. I can tell you, even though they had repainted and repainted the radiators, just the smell of the wooden doors was horrible. It was so disgusting that even in our desperate situation, we did not want that apartment.
In this case with the original poster, the advantage is that it is a property they own and can fix everything. I also don’t think the bricks will continue to emit odor in the end, since they will be completely sealed with new plaster and were previously covered by the old plaster, so it probably won’t smell afterward (no guarantee). Also replace light switches and similar items right away; plastic parts will also smell and are likely yellowed anyway.
S
Sanierungsmüd10 Sep 2019 10:44Mottenhausen schrieb:
Very unpleasant are plastic windows with frames that have microscopic pores, which open and close with temperature changes and repeatedly release the smoke odor. Stone window sills? You would have to remove them and soak them for a few days in a cleaning solution to properly clean the open pores, or better yet, replace them entirely.
>>>> These are wooden windows with stone window sills. We are currently replacing all of them.
Wooden staircase? You will never get rid of the smell either.
>>> Fortunately not. Marble and metal. Is there a way to treat the stone?
Sockets / light switches all need to be replaced, but that will probably be done anyway with the new plaster.
>>> Correct. Everything will be redone.
In my opinion, it is a defect, but not a concealed one. To my knowledge, the real estate agent does not have to point out obvious defects, such as roots pushing up the driveway or a missing sink in the bathroom. It is a different matter if the defect is deliberately concealed: for example, if before the viewing all windows were opened, five bottles of air freshener were sprayed, and scented candles were lit. >>> So this is our problem and ignorance that caused it.
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