Browse Forums DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair 1 Apr 15, 2009 11:08 pm Hi We have a holiday house on the south coast of NSW - its +35 years old and constructed of fibro and metal roof. It is a "classic" beach house design with the original house all up on steel poles which are sitting on a concrete slab, such that there would have been three parking spaces (which could fit two cars each) under the house. A number of years ago the then owner has expanded the living area by enclosing one of these spaces to create an additional bedroom, kitchenette and shower/toilet. It appears that the rooms have been created by attaching the frame to the existing slab (the frame is sitting on what looks to be a damp course type metal roll) and then adding the fibro such that the bottom of the fibro is now touching and/or below ground level, and then the outside has been concreted so the the internal and external floor levels are the same and there is no barrier to prevent the moisture entry which then creates the strong smell, particularly is the house is closed up for a week or three. I would appreciate any advice/guidance/suggestions on the best way to improve/resolve - is there any barrier that can adhered to the slab or do we need to put a new floor in to create an air space and a gap between the bottom of the fibro and the ground - this would mean cutting the fibro which is a major worry!! Hoping the above explanation make sense, thanks in advance PS Re: Musty smell in old ground floor extension 2Apr 17, 2009 5:01 pm The smell will most likely be biological and will be difficult to deal with, unless you can remove the moisture permanently. I'd bet the slab is very pourous and will allow ground water to evaporate upwards into the room and then condensate on every thing in side. You either have to prevent the moisture from getting in, or devise a way to let it easily escape to prevent the condensation. cheers Col Nation For information on caring for wool and other carpet and upholstery go to www.woolsafe.com.au Re: Musty smell in old ground floor extension 3Apr 26, 2009 11:32 am This is going to be your cheapest most effective option. http://www.solarvent.com.au/index.htm There is another one made in Europe and imported, but I like to support Australian compnaies first Basically it will move the air and moisture from the room. Other options are to epoxy the concrete but that may now solve the problem - just mask it - whereas a vent will at least remove the damp air. Re: Musty smell in old ground floor extension 4Apr 26, 2009 12:03 pm I am inclined to agree Yak_chat. Though I would be considering all possible water entry points as possible causes of the symptom seen/smelt. Causes could be plumbing, drainage, roof runoff, stormwater. M.O.R. could be as simple as replacing part of a southern verandah roofing tin, with some clear sheeting and some ventilation. ...ensuring all site waste water is contained or chanelled correctly( gutters, downpipes, soakwells, leachdrains.) and not being trapped against a pourous substrate, showing up as condensation etc. Do any off the walls get a growth that looks like fairyfloss (white) at about 300mm high? Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Hi everyone, Looking for some advise. We are about to build an above ground pool in our backyard. There is a private sewer line running under the pool at 1.6m… 0 11669 Hi, I'm new to this forum so I hope I'm doing this post correctly. Please advise if it's not. I've just bought my place. The inground pool has a marble lining that has… 0 13636 |