Musty smell hallway/dining room

[1930sreno1]

Hello everyone,

Newbie to DIYnot. Bought a house and it smells as soon as you walk through the door. Fine upstairs. At first we thought it was the newly painted dining room giving off a weird smell however I noticed a strong smell coming up from the boarded fire place that was used as a cupboard for storing items. I think that could be the smell overpowering downstairs?

We had a damp survey... no rising damp but had noticed the bottom of a skirting board is damp where the corner of that room the floorboards are raised as well so think water is coming in from outside.

The smell is driving us crazy if there is no damp what could it be? At first we thought maybe it was from the void under the house but we sealed the entrance with vinly and it still smells. Could moisture in the dining room cause the smell or could it just be the very strong odour coming from the boarded fire place wardrobe?

Thanks for your help. Photos of the cupboard and wet skirting board/raised laminate

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Redundant chimney needs to be ventilated, if not then you can have condensation issues. Whats the situation externally? Any downpipes, gullies, is the ground level below Damp Course etc.

Also that heating pipe is close to the issue, is that possibly leaking? If a sealed heating system, is it losing pressure, or gravity system, tie the ballcock up and see if the level drops over time.

 

[tell80]

OP,
you have an unventilated chimney breast flue - plus the flue might not have been swept, & the fireplace cleaned before any fireplace work took place.
The skirting inside the opening appears slightly discoloured, and there are faint dark smudges on the back wall plaster. If its Gypsum plaster its wrong - it should have been render.

Why not read my back posts on damp hearths, fender walls and flues.
Presume the floor is suspended?
Are the walls outside walls?
What exactly did you "seal with vinyl"?

 

[RandomGrinch]

Funnily enough, my house had the same laminate flooring as yours when I moved in, ...and I had exactly the same blistering of the laminate.
Firstly, I'm afraid the quality of the laminate is sh*te!
Secondly, my issues were caused by the previous owners cats! I don't think I need to say more!

 

[1930sreno1]

Redundant chimney needs to be ventilated - how can we ventilate this?? Yeah our surveyor did say there was some condensation in that room but nothint required treatment. We have another one that doesn't have doors and it doesn't smell at all!
Outside is fine, a couple of airvents outside. One is blocked but the surveyor said they were sufficient.

The walls backs on to the neighbours living room. There is a void under the house about a meter deep.

It's just strange that one chimney breast doesn't smell but the other one does. The people here previously renovated the house around 20 years ago.

Thanks - I will read up on your previous posts.

 

[1930sreno1]

I think we need to take the laminate off. The bubbling is due to water coming through I think - needs repointing.... we thought it was from the radiator but the plumber said there is no leak so it's not from the radiator

 

[1930sreno1]

OP,
you have an unventilated chimney breast flue - plus the flue might not have been swept, & the fireplace cleaned before any fireplace work took place.
The skirting inside the opening appears slightly discoloured, and there are faint dark smudges on the back wall plaster. If its Gypsum plaster its wrong - it should have been render.

Why not read my back posts on damp hearths, fender walls and flues.
Presume the floor is suspended?
Are the walls outside walls?
What exactly did you "seal with vinyl"?

Redundant chimney needs to be ventilated - how can we ventilate this?? Yeah our surveyor did say there was some condensation in that room but nothint required treatment. We have another one that doesn't have doors and it doesn't smell at all!
Outside is fine, a couple of airvents outside. One is blocked but the surveyor said they were sufficient.

The walls backs on to the neighbours living room. There is a void under the house about a meter deep.

It's just strange that one chimney breast doesn't smell but the other one does. The people here previously renovated the house around 20 years ago.

Thanks - I will read up on your previous posts. I hope I can figure out what to do about it, I have no idea what I am doing

 

[Nige F]

Funnily enough, my house had the same laminate flooring as yours when I moved in, ...and I had exactly the same blistering of the laminate.
Firstly, I'm afraid the quality of the laminate is sh*te!
Secondly, my issues were caused by the previous owners cats! I don't think I need to say more!

I had a cat like that - on engineered wood floor - always in the same place so I would take up that area of laminate and also a floorboard under it. Because my latest house had a smell under the floor - I changed airbricks for plastic ones that let in more air, so I've got a draught under the floor but the smell is gradually going. See what you find before you do the chimney.

 

[tell80]

reno ( I was once married in Reno),

Thanks for the reply.
Seems like you will have to get under the floor and probe all the joist tails seated in the brickwork - and all the trimming joistwork around any hearth fender walls.
Regs suggest air bricks every 1.5m, & through ventilation from front elevation to rear elevation of the crawl space. A/B's are for under the house - not the outside.

Does the neighbour have any damp issues? Is his FFL at the same height as your FFL?
Remove the doors & shelf.
Insert Hit&Miss vents above the openingss on the face of the c/b's in both chimney breasts - flues should have thro ventilation from fireplaces to roof stack terminals - redundant flues have redundant terminals/cowls inserted.

If I'm right, the second pic seems to be of an outside wall turning into a bay? Whatever, crawl under & pay particular attention to that area.

Your "Surveyor" doesn't appear to have been too bright.

Do you have any copies of the reports/work done 20 yrs ago?

 

[1930sreno1]

Thanks for the tips everyone, I've been keeping the cupboards open to air them out and it's made a big difference - I might paint too and see how it is and if it still smells will look into ventilation. Regards to the risen floorboards and damp skirting board in the other room I think it's due to some gaps in the bricks outside that need repointing. Fingers crossed.

 

[opps]

Thanks for the tips everyone, I've been keeping the cupboards open to air them out and it's made a big difference - I might paint too and see how it is and if it still smells will look into ventilation. Regards to the risen floorboards and damp skirting board in the other room I think it's due to some gaps in the bricks outside that need repointing. Fingers crossed.

Fitting a cowl on top of the chimney may help to reduce the amount of water that falls down. A vent just above the cupboard may help, but will be unsightly. You could fit one on the underside in the cupboard and then vents in the doors, but in the absence of a cowl, you may get dust falling down.