Hello,
I know this is a home construction forum, but I am at a loss and hope to get some helpful advice.
For a few days now, there has been a smell of stale beer/marijuana in the bedroom of my partner and me. We have searched everywhere and found nothing. It is absolutely certain that the cause is not related to these substances.
Now, I smelled the walls (sounds strange, I know) and noticed that a slanted wall smells strongly of this. It is the "sun wall" on the upper floor. The house is about 70 years old.
What could be causing this? Do we need to open up the wall? Could it be mold or maybe a decomposing animal?
I am at a loss.
Thank you in advance!
I know this is a home construction forum, but I am at a loss and hope to get some helpful advice.
For a few days now, there has been a smell of stale beer/marijuana in the bedroom of my partner and me. We have searched everywhere and found nothing. It is absolutely certain that the cause is not related to these substances.
Now, I smelled the walls (sounds strange, I know) and noticed that a slanted wall smells strongly of this. It is the "sun wall" on the upper floor. The house is about 70 years old.
What could be causing this? Do we need to open up the wall? Could it be mold or maybe a decomposing animal?
I am at a loss.
Thank you in advance!
I also remember the thread @Zaba12 :p
Decomposition odor seems possible to me. It can be quite strong. My parents once had a cat that occasionally brought mice into the basement. Sometimes there was a very peculiar smell, and eventually, a decomposing mouse was found under a cupboard or behind the washing machine.
But I wouldn’t have associated it with stale beer or even "grass" — that smells different.
How do I know this... uh... a friend told me... 😉
The question is whether you have any chance of finding out without opening the wall.
For clarification: it’s about the ceiling — so the sloped roof. Or the wall (knee wall / dwarf wall) beneath the sloped roof.
What is behind it? Is that known? Cavity, roof insulation?
Decomposition odor seems possible to me. It can be quite strong. My parents once had a cat that occasionally brought mice into the basement. Sometimes there was a very peculiar smell, and eventually, a decomposing mouse was found under a cupboard or behind the washing machine.
But I wouldn’t have associated it with stale beer or even "grass" — that smells different.
How do I know this... uh... a friend told me... 😉
The question is whether you have any chance of finding out without opening the wall.
For clarification: it’s about the ceiling — so the sloped roof. Or the wall (knee wall / dwarf wall) beneath the sloped roof.
What is behind it? Is that known? Cavity, roof insulation?
face26 schrieb:
For clarity. It’s about the ceiling — the sloped roof. Or the wall (knee wall / dwarf wall) below the roof slope.
What is behind that? Is it known? Cavity, roof insulation?I agree with that.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
Marie221324 Feb 2021 14:28face26 schrieb:
I also remember the thread with @Zaba12 :p
I think the smell of decomposition is possible. It can be quite strong. My parents once had a cat that occasionally dragged mice into the basement. Sometimes there was a strange smell, and eventually, we found a decomposing little mouse under a cabinet or behind the washing machine.
But I wouldn’t have linked the smell to stale beer or even "grass"—that has a different odor.
How do I know this… uh… a friend told me… 😉
The question is whether you have any chance to find out without opening the wall.
To clarify: Are we talking about the ceiling, i.e., the roof slope? Or the wall (knee wall) below the roof slope?
What is behind there? Is that known? Cavity, roof insulation? Thanks first for the answer. Behind it, you can see directly the roof, so there should only be some insulation there. However, when you knock on the wall, it sounds hollow. We had mice and martens in the attic several times but haven’t seen any for a long time. ♀️
We might wait a little because last week there was a lot of snow, and now it’s 20 degrees Celsius (68°F) with full sun exposure—maybe the smell will go away.
M
Marie221324 Feb 2021 14:3411ant schrieb:
Ah, a sloping roof in a house about seventy years old (so around 1950). At that time, the rafters (layman’s term: roof beams) usually had battens for the roof tiles or shingles attached on the outside, while on the room side, due to post-war conditions, some boards or panels were installed very individually, and nothing between the rafters. Then in summer it is like a sauna and in winter a refrigerator – if not, the construction is no longer "original" and someone still alive would know what was done. Is it only odor, without moisture and without any material discoloration? You would see something if you photographed this sloping roof (I assume not, otherwise you wouldn’t start investigating just by sniffing). Speaking of sniffing: do you have pets – how do they react to the smell? Thanks for the detailed and informative reply!
Exactly, you can’t see anything on the wallpaper or the exterior wall either. Maybe I can ask around the neighborhood if someone knows anyone who was involved in the construction of the house, or (in a small village that might work)
We have a cat but it doesn’t behave much differently than usual (he rarely reacts to different smells)
face26 schrieb:
But I definitely wouldn’t have connected that smell with stale beer or even "grass," it smelled different.
How do I know... uh... a friend told me... Stale beer smells flat and slightly musty. Grass smells sweetish.
Marie2213 schrieb:
We used to have mice and martens on the roof quite often, but not for a long time now.♀ I’d also guess some dead animal. Corpses smell sweetish, fur smells musty, and eventually the carcass smells musty...
Makes sense!
Similar topics