Smoke damage from neighbours house - advice needed

rich20112

6 weeks ago, our neighbors had a major fire that resulted in their house being un-inhabitable.

Our house is the semi adjoining (built about 1930), and while it didn't fortunately catch fire, it did receive severe smoke damage throughout. Initially there was a sticky tar-like residue over everything. Wooden floors were stained and it was a huge mess to say the least.

We've been going through the insurance claim. The house has been cleaned by a services company, mattresses and fabrics have been replaced, a building contractor has been assigned to redecorate and re-varnish our wooden floors and replace loft insulation etc.

We thought that the smell may have subsided by now because of all the above activity (the house is actually still empty while all of this work is ongoing) but it is almost as strong as the first day.

They have tried "fogging" underneath the floors but I think this only masks the smell for a day or two, as it comes back shortly after.

Does anyone know, or has anyone had a similar experience ? I'm wondering if the floors will actually need to be replaced completely. I was even wondering about the wooden joists that may need the same. I now feel that the loss-adjuster and building contractor are trying to push us into accepting the house as is.

Any advice on what else needs to be looked at?

Thanks

southcoastrgi

are you sure the smell really is in your house & just not coming through from next door ?

rich20112

Maybe. You can only really smell it upstairs, downstairs is much less and it's difficult to tell exactly. So this is why I assumed that the smoke would have risen and left soot etc under the floorboards. In our loft, you can see where the smoke has risen up the adjoining wall.

keystone

rich20112 wrote: »

I now feel that the loss-adjuster and building contractor are trying to push us into accepting the house as is.

Afraid thats inevitable. They'll both want to do the absolute minimum albeit for different reasons.

Cheers

Edit: You need to keep the pressure on the LA because its he that authorises the builders costs.

muckybutt

Unfortunately the smell from the fire will be with you a good few years yet.

As a sparky I have been to many places for wiring jobs that have either had a fire or have been next door to a fire and you can still smell it years later, not so much in the main living areas as they tend to get their own living smells back again, but in cupboards and places like lofts and under floorboards the smell can still be quite pungent.

rich20112

Muckybutt, thanks.

Should I be getting the wiring under the affected floorboards checked for any damage from soot/smoke ? As I mentioned, didn't have the fire in ours but the firemen had to break into our house to check the joists and ensure that it hadn't spread with temp probe (luckily it hadn't). I'd been thinking that we might possible need to get electrics checked out aswell and it would be helpful to know if smoke could have any effect.

Thanks for any advice.

muckybutt

The smoke its self wont have damaged your wiring, it will possibly be sticky if the smoke actually got into your floor boards.

For them to have got damaged there would have needed to have been a fair ammount of heat so unless your floorboards got to the point of combustion then I shouldnt think there is anything to worry about with your wiring.

Having said that though if you are still at all in doubt over the condition of your wiring, get a condition report from a registered electrician who is in one of the qualifing bodies such as Niceie / Napit etc