We have a house from -77 where in the bodega there is a raised floor with vinyl flooring on top. We have started to notice an unpleasant odor and had an inspector here who found that under the wooden beams there are wedges of pressure-treated wood that are damp and emit the smell. His suggestion was to tear out and reframe a new floor with plastic spacers and have ventilation under the floor, such as a vegnivell system. My question is, is this the only option? Is it possible to tear up, clean the concrete slab and level the floor to make it even and at the same height as the rest of the basement floor which is not framed but only has vinyl on the concrete? Or is there a risk that the smell is so ingrained in the concrete slab that it cannot be removed? Or are there other risks?
The fundamental problem is probably that the slab was poured without underlying insulation. Measures against the slab won't help unless there is a ventilated floor where no organic material (i.e., wood) is in direct contact with the concrete. The pressure-treated wedges have at least prevented rot in the floor joists. The alternative is to lay a stone floor with electric heating that is turned on only when the space is to be used. It's also fine to skip the electric heating and use proper shoes.