Musty smell

[#1]

We have a ground floor bedroom which has a bit of a musty smell for want of a better description.

The bedroom is used and the windows are left open for most of the day with the bed sheet and duvet folded down to the bottom of the bed.

I suspect the musty smell is coming from the floor/skirting board and several years ago I put a air brick in the outer wall and painted the lower part of the inner wall where the problem is with anti mould paint but the musty smell is still there.

The wall in question is at the gable end of the house, the other 3 walls appear to be ok.

The property was built in 1987 so not really all that old.

Nothing actually feels damp.

Anyone any ideas.

[#2]

Get a "damp meter" and do some probes around the bottom of the wall... and lift the carpet too, and do the floor .. 

http://www.diy.com/search/results/?question=damp+meter

Haven`t tried these, but it`s a "starter for ten! "   as the saying goes.... 

[#3]

Probably dry rot. Have a specialist check it out.

[#4]

The irony being "dry", the rot has to be damp as that's how the fungi that cause the rot survive...

Best advice, call in a professional, making guesses based on a forum of patchy advice is okay for changing a lightbulb, but if the structure of a house is involved and potentially at risk (I know, over-egging the pudding there!!), call in people who know what they're doing so they can do it right when it comes to repair...

[#5]

Built in 1987...... check the deeds and see what the NHBC guarantee period is... ... ...

[#6]

Not a wasp nest down there is it.... or even dare I say it rats or squirrels? 

Had a "musty smell" in our 'newish' house back in the 80s and on investigation found one the size of a football. Not as big as this one though.... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-37471529

1987 might not sound old but that's still thirty years - even so, I'd not expect any rotten timbers. As for wasps, rats, and squirrels I've had all three at various times plus of course that old favorite smelly lodger, birds nests.  

[#7]

Sounds like it could be a damp problem i would have the walls checked and lift the floorboards to check for damp,dry rot or wood worm.

Or you could have a wasp nest  

[#8]

@St3 Neat summing up of the previous posts   !  !   !  

[#9]

When you put the air brick in, did you bridge the damp proof course?

[#10]

Thanks for the responses.

It is a solid floor ashphalt on concrete.

As it's a end wall the only timber I am aware of is the internal small skirting board so nothing else subject to dry rot that I am aware of

NHBC  guarantee was for 10 years so that's out.

@shutterwill invest in a damp meter, thanks for the link

Everything looks solid enough around the outside of the wall, massive concrete flags set on cinder, no signs of anything digging around there, unlikely to be wasps or bees as you can see them going to and from the nest during the summer.

I did put a air brick above the damp proof course. Should it have gone below the DP course ?

If all else fails I may have to get the professionals in but that will be a last resort, will check and double check the points made in some of your posts.

Thanks

[#11]

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gleneagles wrote:

Anyone any ideas.

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Stop burying corpses under the floorboards lol

[#12]

@7up ....gleneagles said...

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It is a solid floor ashphalt on concrete.

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Doh ! 

[#13]

@shutter Sorry buddy ... i used to work for a company who dealt in treating wood worm, dry rot, damp. Didnt mean to hog your post .. you the man  

[#14]

I once had a thrush fly in the window, couldn't escape so it crawled under the bed.

We couldn't locate the horrible smell for months.

So look under the bed.

[#15]

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shutter wrote:

@7up ....gleneagles said...

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It is a solid floor ashphalt on concrete.

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Doh ! 

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@shutter

Go easy on 7up he possibly got distracted with the work he is doing on that large volvo diesel engine.

@7up

Just pulling your leg no offence meant !