Getting rid of cigarette smoke

pinkshoes

RedFraggle said:

Cost of opening windows zero. That's the smoke gone. 
Cost of professional clean. Depends on area but couple of hundred tops for the average house. 
Getting rid of the lingering smell is more of a challenge. 
Impact to house value, none imo.
Impact on desirability, depends on the individual. 

I disagree with this.

We looked at a house that had been lived in by a chain smoker. Everything was nicotine stained and it absolutely stank. We decided against it in the end as we wanted a bigger garden.

The people who did buy it ended up having to re-plaster the walls in a couple of rooms as the stench just wouldn't go even after scrubbing with sugar soap and re-painting! 

So with hind-sight they would have deducted £4000 cost of 2 rooms being fully re-plastered plus the hassle and chaos of it all and not being able to use those rooms until the plaster was dry and painted. 

Emily_Joy

Just to add - I thought at first it has nothing to do with the smoke, but maybe it does. For some reason there are rectangular shaped brown-ish stains all over the ceiling. Any thought what this might have been caused by?

ThisIsWeird

Emily_Joy said:

Just to add - I thought at first it has nothing to do with the smoke, but maybe it does. For some reason there are rectangular shaped brown-ish stains all over the ceiling. Any thought what this might have been caused by?

I suspect these are due to cold areas on the ceiling, from the loft insulation having been lifted for these downlighters. The moist room air - loaded with ciggie smoke - will have condensed out on these areas more than the surrounding.

You can get fire covers that sit over the downlighters in the loft, and then relay the loft insulation over it. Also swap for LED lamps if not already.

Interesting what folk have said that smokers wouldn't mind or even notice the smell. The very very few smokers I know are quite fussed by other people's smoke!

You just need to factor in to the whole house equation whether it's worth the work, or how much it will cost. But, if you do get a suitable discount, then you'll end up with a brand new interior.

Mil recently moved in to a retirement bungalow which hadn't been redecorated since it was built, 20-odd years ago. It wasn't like the place you are considering, but was still obviously 'tired', and the carpet faded in parts. Most retirees (her competitors...) seemingly like 'ready-to-move-in-to' homes, so this was struggling to sell at the £325k asking price, so she offered £310 - and this was accepted. £6.5k had the whole floor done in Amtico, and a further ~£3k+ had it completely repainted. It was not only like a new home, but was exactly what she was after. She did have the luxury of being able to stay with us whilst the work was done, and smoke smell also wasn't an issue (although the previous resident clearly liked his hash - for medicinal reasons), but she loves the place and is grateful she didn't pull out as she had felt like doing a few times.

So, I'd ask P&Ds how successfully this could be done, an assurance that the smell would be eradicated, and an idea of the cost. Then factor in new carpets and floor coverings. Make a judgement on what else this house offers you compared to others, and how it's currently priced - then make your offer.

Martico

From experience, carpet and curtain changes are an easy win. Walls and ceilings redecoration as well. 
Perhaps the toughest thing is wood, if you have wooden floors or fitted cupboards. It's absorbent and the stale smell does linger. 
Floors may need a fresh sand and oil. For fitted cupboards, it's a matter of time really. Lots of fresh air, plenty of misting (every time you leave the house for an hour or two) with a white wine vinegar and water solution, and give it time, it will go, but will take a good while. 

km1500

I wouldn't want to live in a house previously occupied by heavy smokers - all.that yukness sinking into the walls and ceilings - no amount of re-decoration would make me happy living there.

youth_leader

When my husband and I finally stopped smoking we were disgusted by the nicotine stains in our house.  Where I'd smoked at the computer under the stairs the ceiling was brown Luckily I didn't sell until ten years later.  

Skiddaw1

youth_leader said:

When my husband and I finally stopped smoking we were disgusted by the nicotine stains in our house.  Where I'd smoked at the computer under the stairs the ceiling was brown Luckily I didn't sell until ten years later.  

Sounds familiar actually. We both still smoked when we moved to previous house (as did many of our friends) and after we'd both quit I had to wash the walls and ceilings with sugar soap to get rid of the nicotine (we also later redecorated, which got rid of the remaining historic evidence of smoking). We only ever smoked downstairs- never in the bedrooms or office- and in the latter days only by the back door but even so... It does dissipate eventually but I can imagine that if someone had smoked throughout a house for years on end it would take a fair old time.

Emily_Joy

ThisIsWeird: So, I'd ask P&Ds how successfully this could be done, an assurance that the smell would be eradicated, and an idea of the cost. Then factor in new carpets and floor coverings. Make a judgement on what else this house offers you compared to others, and how it's currently priced - then make your offer.

Can one get estimated cost without extra intrusive testing? We would like to have the house livable (by us) within no more than 3 months after exchange of contracts, this means we need to get rid of the nicotine by then.

mi-key

If you really like the house then go for it. Honestly I have never heard of anyone having to replaster walls to get rid of a smell !!!

Do you like the current curtains and carpets? If not then the cost of replacing them is just something you would be paying anyway. Would you keep it as decorated, or redecorate? If the latter, again this is something you would have to spend out at some point.

As people have said, its pretty easy to mask any smells until you get the work done or it naturally fades. 

Emily_Joy

I like the house,  location less so. The nearest small shop is M&S at a petrol station (15 minutes walk downhill, so some climbing back with groceries), the train station is some 25 minutes walk away. A proper supermarket... maybe an hour on foot. We would be relying on deliveries for the grocery shopping.