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 10:55In the end, the real estate agent is a smoker himself and says he didn’t notice because he was ventilating due to the pets.
Even if, after a lengthy legal dispute, a court were to partly rule in your favor, you have already created too many facts through your renovation.
No expert can now determine the disputed condition; reversing the purchase is no longer an option and not in your interest, as much has already been changed; the opposing party no longer has any influence on the scope and execution of the renovation, since everything has already been completed.
Even if, after a lengthy legal dispute, a court were to partly rule in your favor, you have already created too many facts through your renovation.
No expert can now determine the disputed condition; reversing the purchase is no longer an option and not in your interest, as much has already been changed; the opposing party no longer has any influence on the scope and execution of the renovation, since everything has already been completed.
Sanierungsmüd schrieb:
>>> So, our problem and the ignorance that caused it.I don’t understand what you are trying to say.Cause of the smell: the smoker in the house.
Problem: yours, because it is your house.
Cause of your problem: probably ignorance, naivety, and similar factors when buying the house.
None of us are blaming you, just because we say it out loud.
A real estate agent has a role, a position in the house sale, which is secured by their terms and conditions. But that role should also be well known by now, since the profession is not new.
Then there is the role of the seller and the role of the buyer, which is you. Each has their responsibilities. The seller must not hide defects.
If windows are open, that is not hiding defects; likewise, the presence of dog odor probably cannot be laid at their door. Your responsibility would have been to bring an expert and/or friends on the second visit, to take a closer look and perhaps question what constantly tilted windows might indicate. If none of that happened, you could have at least googled for a house-buying checklist.
A second visit is like X-raying the house with as many pairs of eyes as possible.
In the end, you can only say: bad luck.
No one here wishes you any harm.
But it is understandable if you want to blame someone else.
M
Mottenhausen10 Sep 2019 13:19ypg schrieb:
But understandablealso understandable given the price paid for the house and the high additional costs.
If I could turn back time by one year, I would also change and clarify some of the wording regarding additional services in our building contract. But it’s too late now; we have to live with the extra costs.
H
HilfeHilfe10 Sep 2019 13:35Self-inflicted. You bring an expert into the house. And a smoker’s house? You would also see visible yellow stains on the walls, etc.
A proper ozone treatment eliminates all odors.
How was it done in your case? Powerful machines are required, and the process usually lasts several days.
Some of what you describe does not seem to be caused by old smoke but rather by other issues.
As HilfeHilfe mentioned, there would be other signs as well...
How was it done in your case? Powerful machines are required, and the process usually lasts several days.
Some of what you describe does not seem to be caused by old smoke but rather by other issues.
As HilfeHilfe mentioned, there would be other signs as well...