Syllbyte - Is this the right approach?

[Gamern]

How has it gone for you?

We are in the situation ourselves where we are soon moving into a 70s house with pressure-treated sill plates. Most likely we will replace the sill plates and also install some form of ventilated floor on the ground floor.

 

[lillespillevinken]

How has it gone for you?

We are in a situation where we will soon move into a 70s house with pressure-treated sill plates. Most likely we will replace the sill plates and also install some form of ventilated flooring on the ground floor.

Hi,

Since almost all the smell disappeared as soon as we removed the old carpets, we skipped the sill plates, so unfortunately, I have nothing to contribute.

We are currently installing Jape VentGolv, and they recommended us to tape all outer walls, where the floor meets the wall, to prevent the smell from coming into the house. When the ventilation is running, it will probably reduce the smell further.

If it's just odor and not actual moisture problems, you necessarily don't need to replace the sill plates.

Good luck!

 

[El-Löken66]

Hello,

Since almost all the odor disappeared as soon as we removed the old carpets, we skipped the sills, so unfortunately, I have nothing to contribute.

We are currently installing Jape VentGolv, and they recommended taping all the outer walls where the floor meets the wall to further prevent the odor. Once the ventilation is running, it will likely reduce the odor even more.

If it's just an odor issue and not an actual moisture problem, you don't necessarily need to replace the sills.

Good luck!

But didn't you check the condition of the sills? For example, by the outer wall.

I find it hard to see that the odor problem doesn't come from a moisture issue; were there perhaps some dead rodents?

 

[lillespillevinken]

But didn't you check the condition of the sills? For example, at the outer wall.

I'm having a hard time seeing that the smell problem doesn't come from a moisture issue, were there any dead rodents maybe?

Yes, we did.. 10% moisture according to the inspection. The critical level is 16-17% if I remember correctly.

So the smell is due to moisture, but since the level isn't critical and the smell disappeared after we threw away the carpets, we skipped it. But who knows, maybe we'll need to address it in a few years.

The idea is that if we don't notice it, and the moisture doesn't get worse, it doesn't matter if it stays at 10%. It's survived for almost 50 years anyway.

 

[Gamern]

Okay, in our case, we know in advance that the sill is damp. So we have no choice.

But also interested in hearing experiences from Jape vented floor. Do you install it yourself? How do you handle wet areas, do you skip them or include them in the "air box"?

 

[Villa1949]

Oh yes.. 10% moisture according to the inspection. The critical level is 16-17% if I remember correctly.

So the smell comes from moisture, but since the level isn't critical and the smell disappeared after we threw away the carpets, we skipped it. But who knows, maybe we need to address it in a few years.

The idea is that if we don't notice it, and it doesn't get worse, it doesn't matter if it stays at 10%. It's survived for almost 50 years anyway.

But 10% must be very dry, right? Or how dry can wood get? Can it get much drier than that?

 

[lillespillevinken]

But 10% must be very dry, right? Or how dry can wood get? Can it get much drier than that?

Haha, moist enough to smell.

Ok in our case we know in advance that the sill is moist. So we have no choice.

But also interested in hearing experiences from Jape vent floor. Are you installing it yourself? How do you handle wet areas, do you skip them or include them in the "air box"?

Jape has overall been very good. We did everything ourselves. We actually finished yesterday. It's very simple but time-consuming.

We skipped wet areas since they're not being renovated until next year, but it is absolutely possible to lay there as well. Doesn't feel as necessary though.

However, we discovered yesterday that the projection for Jape was a bit off, as the consumption of certain materials was much higher than estimated for some materials, and much lower for others, and we followed the instructions very carefully.

We got several meters too little sealing tape & insulation, even though they sent extra, and we got way too much platon & joint tape. So feel free to calculate yourself before you approve any offer.

 

[StarkK]

Haha, damp enough to smell.



Jape has overall been very good. We did everything ourselves. We actually finished yesterday. It's very simple, but time-consuming.

We skipped wet areas, as they won't be renovated until next year, but it can definitely be done there too. Doesn't feel as necessary though.

We discovered yesterday, though, that the planning of Jape was a bit off, as the consumption of some materials was much higher than estimated for some materials, and much lower for others, and we followed the instructions very closely.

We got several meters too little sealing tape & insulation, despite being sent extras, and we got far too much Platon & joint tape. So maybe calculate yourself before you approve any quote.

May I ask how much you paid for the ventilated floor and how many square meters?

 

[lillespillevinken]

May I ask how much you paid for the ventilated floor and how many square meters?

117m2 for 39000.

That includes planning, clear instructions, and all the material you need.

If you can handle the planning yourself, you might be able to get the material much cheaper, but since we were beginners it felt safe to get help with that part.

 

[StarkK]

117m2 for 39000.

This includes project planning, clear instructions, and all the materials you need.

If you can handle the project planning yourself, you might be able to get materials much cheaper, but since we were beginners, it felt reassuring to get help with that part.

Thanks for the reply. It still feels affordable, relatively speaking. We are in a similar situation as you with limited experience and need to fix a problem.

 

[lillespillevinken]

Thanks for the response. It feels manageable, relatively speaking. We are in a similar situation as you with limited experience and the need to fix a problem.

Saw your history, and I just want to say that ventilated floors never solve the root problem. It's more of a guarantee that they don't get worse and that the inner floor is protected. If the sill is the problem, it has to go. We've had the house for a year now, and the smell has significantly reduced, but there's still a faint scent in one room that will probably never disappear unless we replace the sill.

 

[StarkK]

Saw your history, and I just want to say that ventilated floors never solve the root problem. It's more a guarantee that they won't get worse and that the inner floor is protected. If the sill is the problem, it must be removed. We've had the house for a year now and the smell has significantly reduced, but there is still a faint scent left in a room that probably will never go away unless we replace the sill.

I understand what you mean. Honestly, I'm currently considering doing a proper renovation and replacing the floor, including the sill and joists (which I suspect are also impregnated). It will probably cost several hundred thousand, but I want to get rid of the problem. We are in love with the house itself, but the smell is seriously irritating. I've actually been thinking about starting a new thread to ask for advice on which companies might be suitable in the area between Sthlm and Uppsala, who might also take on a bathroom renovation since we have an old bathroom that needs to be renovated anyway - so it's just as well to tackle everything at once.

 

[StarkK]

Saw your history, and I just want to say that ventilated floors never solve the root problem. It's more of a guarantee that they don't get worse and that the inner floor is protected. If the sill is the problem, it must be removed. We've had the house for a year now, and the smell has reduced significantly, but there's still a faint odor in a room that will probably never disappear unless we replace the sill.

Here I've described the problem in more detail: https://www.byggahus.se/forum/threa...g-badrumsrenovering-foeretagsfoerslag.450826/

 

[Gamern]

I understand what you mean. Honestly, I'm currently considering doing a proper renovation and replacing the floor, including the sill and joists (which I strongly suspect are also impregnated). It will probably cost a few hundred thousand, but I want to get rid of the problem. We are very fond of the house itself, but the smell is seriously irritating. I've actually thought about starting a new thread to ask for advice on which companies might be suitable in the area between Sthlm and Uppsala, which might also take on a bathroom renovation since we have an old bathroom that needs renovating anyway - so might as well tackle everything at once.

I live in Uppsala and recently had a sill replacement done with the help of a company from Skåne (most sill replacement companies seem to be based in Skåneland). Contact me via PM if you want some info!

 

[lillespillevinken]

I understand what you mean. Honestly, I've been thinking lately about doing a proper renovation and replacing the floor, including the sill and joist (which I strongly suspect are also treated). It might cost a few hundred thousand, but I want to get rid of the problem. We are very fond of the house itself, but the smell is quite irritating. I've actually been thinking of coming back with a new thread to ask for advice on which companies might be suitable in the area between Sthlm and Uppsala, who might also take on a bathroom renovation since we have an old bathroom that needs renovating anyway - so might as well tackle everything at once.

I understand and sympathize with you. We've just finished a complete renovation, but I'm still bothered by the faint smell, so I'm also keen on replacing in the future, at least in some rooms. It's sad to tear everything up again, but you need something to do next year anyway.

It seems that replacing the sill from the inside is relatively simple. It doesn't seem very demanding, and it feels like companies take advantage of private individuals quite a bit in this area. It shouldn't be that complicated. The only thing to be careful about is to support the ceiling while replacing the sill, that's likely the scary part to do yourself, but if you get help from someone knowledgeable there, you should be able to solve it.