strong weed smell from possibly aggressive neighbour - any advice?

captionflora

So in both of my bedrooms now, I get a strong smell of weed most evenings. I've tried blocking up the vent in back bedroom, but now it's in front bedroom - there's a vent in the chimney, where it was blocked but I can't figure out how the smell is getting in, nor how I can stop or mitigate it

I wouldn't mind if I couldn't smell it.

I'm looking for advice:

• on a practical level - any way I can filter it out on my side, or other things I could try blocking up (I live in a standard two-up, two-down ex-council house - so I think the walls are all made of a sort of crumbly, mass concrete, and the walls do go up to roof in the attic, but there are small holes. However, there is no smell in the landing under the attic hatch - only in the back bedroom , and now, instead, in the front bedroom)
• on a social level - any advice on how/if I should approach neighbour. I often hear angry shouting, arguments and cursing from their house so I'm a bit scared of them - two of the three people in the house seems very aggressive. If I did approach them, is there any sort of filter I could offer to buy for them, that they could use? (i.e. I was wondering if I could approach them in a way that didn't make it sound like I was complaining or asking them to stop)
• on a more official complaints level - I'm assuming local authority or Gardai wouldn't care (it's a local authority house afaik)
• on a medical level - I don't smoke - if I can smell the drug, is there a risk I'm suffering side effects from it, especially while I sleep?

(sorry - long time lurker, but at my wits end so joined in order to ask this question)

(edited to make more anon)

artanevilla

On the last one, no.

Peig Sayers

Air purifier. You can get them second hand on Adverts. Should filter out the smell.

thereiver

There's no point in talking to your neighbor what are you going to say please stop smoking weed ? if. Your house is old theres holes in the walls underneath plaster rectangular horizontal going all the way along the wall into the next house and vertical channels up into the attic which intersect with these vertical channels

These channels are about 3 inches wide 2 inch deep common in old victorian houses in Ireland

JohnnyChimpo

You could ask them nicely not to smoke in their bedrooms cause it's coming through? Maybe they'll be absolutely mortified that it's bothering you. If they have any kind of cop on they also won't want a neighbour grassing them up (not suggesting that you would do that OP but it's an obvious concern).

Or maybe they are just ignorant and not concerned about getting a visit from the DS, in which case maybe you get told to PFO but you're unlikely to be any worse off than where you are now. Air purifier should handle the smell (and is a good idea for a bedroom regardless). Smelling weed is not an indicator that you're getting hotboxed, it shouldn't have any effect on you.

The Nal

Ask them for some and then go and buy a 6 pack of Monster Munch

BlueSkyDreams

Consuming a controlled substance is illegal.

Doolittle51

The guards won't care, and even if they do call around, the neighbour will know who called them. These types don't react positively to being told what to do, often leading to an increase in anti-social activity. From your description, I think we can guess the type of individual you're dealing with.

From a practical perspective, you'd probably need to carry out some invasive work to determine how the smell is entering your property. Lifting floorboards etc would be a start, but that's a lot of disruption unless you're planning any renovation work.

Might be worth trying out an air purifier first.

endofrainbow

Ask them for a toke. It'll help with your anxiety.

Quitelife

Becoming more and more of an issue with drug users impacting broader society … should be housing estates for drug addicts to all live in together.

blackbox

If you're thinking of blocking it you need to establish exactly where it's getting in.

xzanti

That would do my head in. I can't stand the smell of smoke. Illegal or otherwise. Sounds depressing as hell.

Plug in air fresheners would be my go-to.

You have my sympathy for what it's worth.

Esel

Are you sure it's not the smell of a growhouse? 😲 😀

captionflora

Thank you all for your suggestions (And thank you @xzanti for your sympathies - much appreciated). Air purifier is what I'm going to do for now - I'll check adverts dot ie. There's no point risking talking to these specific people - currently they leave me alone - and I'd much rather stay under their radar given their history.

edit: yes, and AFAIK it's not a grow house - it doesn't fit the profile

Dum_Dum_2

Firstly, you have my sympathy. There's nothing worse than living next to degenerate neighbours. Their behaviour imposes itself upon you and you should have the absolute right to live in peace. Furthermore their actions are undeniably illegal. In a civilised society they would removed into a shipping container and offered a water tap and bucket; the State's obligations would end there.

Your problem is a culture of indifference, or worse, tacit acceptance of illegal behaviours has developed among those who are paid to enforce law. You cannot control this.

The pungent smell permeates anything in proximity to it. There is no real remedy to completely remove it. You cannot control this.

You need to sit down and think about what you can and cannot control in this situation. I am hoping you can control where you live. You might consider moving, because you cannot control the degenerate behaviour, you cannot control enforcement and you cannot control the stench. Good luck.

captionflora

haha @Dum_Dum_2 , funnily I am now thinking about moving - this being one of the reasons , but I'll try the air purifier first :-D

LilacNails

Do u know if they are tenants, just renting the property or house share? Of so, is there anyway you could get onto the owner and mention it? Landlord would definitely not be happy.

captionflora

Do u know if they are tenants, just renting the property or house share? Of so, is there anyway you could get onto the owner and mention it? Landlord would definitely not be happy.

I think it's actually a council house so no landlord, and they've been there several years. I think issue has arisen in last few months because one of the children has got old enough to smoke weed? I'm speculating. The arguments and shouting and cursing (it's not just weed smell that makes it through the walls :-D ) have got a lot worse in last few years also.

(edited to anonymise)

captionflora

Hi @[Deleted User] - I'm in a terrace of small houses. no association, no board of trustees to complain to. Key members of the family are aggressive and loud and argumentative so pragmatically I would prefer to avoid confrontation

(edited to anonymise)

thereiver

I don't think the gardai would be interested in helping you unless the residents are selling drugs eg he's a drug dealer .if the house is old theres channels in the wall that s why you can smell the weed in your bedrooms you can find out by removing a few inches of plaster. Close to the wall eg cl

thereiver

Eg close the the edge of the wall that on you neighbours side there,ll be 2 or 3 horizontal channels the length of the wall cut out remove say inch wide strip plaste from the top to the bottom of the bedroom wall you could block up the channels with wood or plaster

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121939680#Comment_121939680

and if the council receives enough complaints then their tenancy will be terminated and they know that too

That's not how it works.

The council's first step would be to tell the OP to speak to the neighbour (not advised IMHO).

Then there would be series of interventions, warnings, etc. Eventually the council might decide that they want to evict. And they have to convince a judge to give permission for that to happen. And even if there's an eviction - the council still will have to re-house them!

The council are NOT going to all that trouble for a smell of weed.

thereiver

Get a carpenter to seal the gaps in the wall it's not a big job it could be done in a few hours you get a tax credit for the work carried out of you sell the house .presuming you bought the house at some point .

thereiver

I think you ll only get a negative reaction if you complain to the neighbour. He does not sound like an easygoing type of person .it could be worse to eg loud party's music going on after midnight .

Havenowt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121938794#Comment_121938794

Thats what i was thinking.....

delboythedub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937031#Comment_121937031

I talked to a lady out walking her dog recently and she told me it was a rescue dog that was confiscated from a family who smoked this crap in their house And now the dog was having withdraw problems and used to get seriously hyper . I dont think that there is too many retired people who now think that Weed is Harmless.

LilacNails

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121939560#Comment_121939560

Do u think u could knock on the door some day, and explain to them that the smell of weed is blowing into your house and there's often a 'stench'. Suggest they could smoke it in a different area, that you would appriate it. The more calm and reasonable you come across about, it the better. Dont give them a reason to become defensive. If they have a problem with it, then you have a bigger problem on you hands. If thats the case i would get in contact with the council and see if they can do anything.

You could be surprised they may actually listen and stop. Before you do anything g else, you need to approach them first.

AndrewJRenko

Same issue arises with cigarette smoke. We had neighbours both sides smoking in their gardens, which made our garden unusable on summer evenings. The stench was coming in to children's bedrooms if we left the windows open.

Esel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121940511#Comment_121940511

Or a grow room...

captionflora

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943055#Comment_121943055

curtains open. no obvious plants. no condensation. no lights, bright or otherwise. Think we're okay

Esel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121943790#Comment_121943790

Could be in the attic, or a smaller setup inside a wardrobe, for instance.

I don't doubt they are smoking; I'm just trying to imagine a scenario where the smell is so pervasive.

Is the smell constant?

captionflora

Could be in the attic, or a smaller setup inside a wardrobe, for instance.

that’s interesting- i hadn’t considered that. luckily the smell isn’t constant - mostly just evenings, though sometimes earlier, so hopefully that’s also consistent with just smoking.

(edit - i was in the attic s few weeks back and i didn’t notice any smell. i will check again when i get smell in bedroom just to double check, but i’m pretty sure it’s someone smoking in their bedroom, sometimes with window open)

i just try and open windows when there is no smell, to get in fresh air, and keep internal bedroom doors shut so smell is contained to one room.

i did look at the walls, and took off some plaster but the walls seem to be solid (old) concrete and no obvious channels.

thanks everyone for their help and advice.

fuzzy dunlop

This doesn't have to be a grow house. The smell from this sh!t is like the blob. There arethree DHL guys smoke out the back of their warehouse next to where I work who smoke it on their break. They are 50 meters away and it still manages to makes its way over to our office.