Insulating behind skirting boards & an odd smell

cormacl

Folks,
some issues were are having with our house. It's a '98-99 build in Rinawade, Leixlip.

Issue1:
We get some drafts from the skirting boards on the external walls and want to try an insulate it. This happens on both front and rear external walls.

The ground floor is concrete and the dry wall and its insulation ends about an 1-1.5 inches from the ground. Is it OK to just plug this with more glass wool or is there a concern with dampness rising etc. Is there actually some sense for this gap being even there or is it just typical shoddy building?

The skirting and flooring is actually removed at present.. we had a burst pipe this Xmas (while away), leaving 1cm of water all over the downstairs. We've had to remove existing skirting and laminate.. so while new stuff is waiting to be installed, I wanted to properly tackle this draft issue at the same time. You can really notice it now with everything removed.

Issue2:
Since October, we've been getting an odd smell in the front attic and sometimes in the attic conversion, bedrooms, landing or even downstairs hall.

I've read threads on this forum which typically point the finger at dampness or lack of ventilation. But we've got no noticeable dampness stains forming anywhere. Our vents are fully functional and have not been blocked up. And as you can deduce from above.. there's definitely air circulating between the dry walls!

The smell itself.. the nearest thing I can match it to is the strong smell you can get in woodland near moss, bark etc. I don't know if that is a dampness smell.. but honestly it smells more like something growing. Its been there so long, that I've eliminated it being something dead in the attic. Its not a decomp smell which I'm told is supposed to be totally unbearable. I've even suspected the next door neighbours might be growing something in the attic.. but that it probably madness settling in.

I checked the gutters in the front and cleaned them. They was some small build up there but it wasn't in a bad state and after cleaning, the smell persisted. That was over a month ago.

What's strange is that the smell is not always consistent.. today, we went out for a few hours, came home and noticed it in the hall. Then in the attic and conversion room, I got no trace at all. We've even noticed it outside the front of the house.

Does this ring any bells with people?

mad m

Have you checked all electrical fittings, might be something burning like a blub in a ceiling rose etc...Any evidence of rodents, like mice/rats...Droppings, rats have droppings like currants and mice have droppings like 100/1000's milk chocolate toppings....

Has this smell only turned up since you have the water damage?

Have a rented house beside me but the other neighbours have always got a strong smell of smoke in their bedroom. This actually turned out to be an electric heater in the bedroom opposite theirs and the smell from the electric heater would seem to find its way into theirs. We found out that the party walls between our houses werent full blocked up to the top.

cormacl

Thanks fo that.

The fittings are fine.. had already checked that when it first started. We had an issue like that many years ago in my parents.. singed wiring above lights. But all seemed fine here. The lighting in use is all energy saver, so no heat being generated to burn wiring etc.

The other thing is that the smell sometimes permeates during the day even when lighting is not in use. Its also not consistently there. Like today, we got it in the hall and the attic was fine. Other days, the attic or one of the rooms has the smell.

I never saw evidence of rodents in the attic. Its all floored so it would be easy to spot. We've had the occasional mouse in the past but not for a few years since we got the attic converted.

The smell is there since October... so its not a result of the recent water damage.

The party walls in fairness were well sealed up. It was one of the first things I checked when I moved in. Now since the attic conversion, you can only see a portion either side but the photos I have of the conversion job clearly show a well sealed finish on the party wall.

Its a puzzling one.

mad m

Check behind radiators, could be an old smelly sock down the back hehe....Havent a clue.

I have sub floors downstairs in house, its ventilated but sometimes when its really rainy outside you get an auld musty smell in sitting room or maybe sometimes on a sunny day...Depends also how the wind is blowing...

Goodluck with it, nothing worse than a smell you can't find....

Edit: Where is the strongest smell when you smell it? Have you checked the storage spaces for any type of sweating the underlay or insulation might have signs of?

brendankelly

To me it sounds like you have a teenager that smokes a bit of weed.

paddy147

brendankelly wrote: »

To me it sounds like you have a teenager that smokes a bit of weed.

Id laugh if the OP came back and told you that he has no kids in the house,or that none of them smoke at all.

gsxr1

You really need to find where that smell is coming from. It could well be rot or mold somewhere. Other than that its impossible to comment on that with out seeing. This should be investigated before you claim for the flood damage.

As for your plasterboard.

A sheet of plaster board is 8' tall so one board is used. Less joints is good so one piece is better.
Your ceiling must be slightly higher.

Its not a big deal.

The fact that you insulation was above the level of the floor could have well saved the wall in you home. It would have sucked up the water like a sponge.

You should have 1 1/2 of timber before the insulation . The sole plate of the wall (if a stud wall).
I would recommend a few tubes of expanding foam around the room to seal. Leave it for a day and trim off flush with a padsaw.
Reskirt. Well. Get a good chippy to skirt as a tight fit is difficuilt for a DIYer to achieve. Tight work saves drafts

Remember to dry out everything before work is done as moister may not have an escape route after.

cormacl

I've a 2 year old... AFAIK he's not into weed. But its really like that kind of smell.

As for the strongest location of the smell.. it was originally strongest in the front attic storage (remember the attic is converted). The rear storage area is usually fine but sometimes also has the smell.

But we would occasionally notice it in the front box room or in the hall and we're positive we've got it outside a few times.

It varies.. we got a whiff of it yesterday in the hall and the attic was fine when I checked.

Good advice on the use of expanding foam. I was thinking of that or some other kind of foam/polystyrene to plug the gap. Anything that would not soak up water. We've got a very good lad lined up to install the new flooring and skirting. We'll probably also ask him to silicone seal the boards to further restrict any residual draft.

brendankelly

I have teenagers and had a very bad experience with one of them and the dammed weed. I am glad it is not that in your case believe me. Let us know when you find out what it is.

gsxr1

cormacl wrote: »

I've a 2 year old... AFAIK he's not into weed. But its really like that kind of smell.

As for the strongest location of the smell.. it was originally strongest in the front attic storage (remember the attic is converted). The rear storage area is usually fine but sometimes also has the smell.

But we would occasionally notice it in the front box room or in the hall and we're positive we've got it outside a few times.

It varies.. we got a whiff of it yesterday in the hall and the attic was fine when I checked.

Good advice on the use of expanding foam. I was thinking of that or some other kind of foam/polystyrene to plug the gap. Anything that would not soak up water. We've got a very good lad lined up to install the new flooring and skirting. We'll probably also ask him to silicone seal the boards to further restrict any residual draft.

I might be worth having a sweep take a look at your chimney flu. Heavy creocote build ups have a musty smell and soaks into block work if a flu is damaged. This is assuming your house is old and you use a fire