We have a pair of old chain-smokers next door. Its a 1960’s ex-council semi, shuttered concrete walls, (fairly porous from what I can see in the attic, but pretty thick). Understandably, what they do in their house is absoluteley none of my business, but somehow the stench makes its way into ours. So, I have a couple of questions…

If I can smell their smoke, does that mean we’re getting the bad stuff that goes with it ? (Thinking passive smoking etc).
Seems to be at its worst in the kitchen & bathroom, as these are party walls. Also, our airing cupboard has been rendered unuseable, unless we want smoke stenched bedding & towels.

Second question, is there a way of creating a barrier, think along the lines of dry-lining these party walls, (as we decorate), with some kind of specialist plasterboard for instance ?

To give you an idea of the amount of smoking we’re talking here, the pic below is whats left on the UPVC soffit from having their bedroom window on the night-catch. They have to clean this off every few months.

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/takisawa2/1780145093/]IMG_0969[/url] by pten2106, on Flickr

Don’t rush they will probably be dead pretty soon or you could perhaps suggest they try wacky baccy and charge people to come round yours for a quick inhale

Jesus Christ!

Do concrete walls need to breathe? Is the smoke really coming through the wall instead of e.g. vents or air bricks or some shit?

Eugggh at that nicotine stain. Can you imagine what their lungs are like?

Hopefully the walls will be filtering most of the bad stuff out and your risk will be negligible.

moving to a large detached house in the country is your only option

That picture is firghtening/disgusting!
I wouldn’t have thought that the smoke can get through the walls (think chimney), but there may be some gaps in the construction that are allowing the smell to get through somewhere.
But as TT said, they can’t be long for this world if they smoke that much.
Maybe you could speak to your local environmental health department and ask them as it could be termed as a form of pollution (same as noise).

Edit: found this:

“Tobacco legislation and regulation UK & European Union” best to Google it.
The basic content is that:
Section 79 of the Environment Act commits any fumes,gases or SMOKE deemed to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance to be a “statutory nuisance”. Section 80 of the Act allows for local authority to intervene in such a situation,evaluate the nuisance caused and require the party responsible for the nuisance to ‘prohibit or restrict its occurrance or recurrance’.
If this fails,Section 82 of the Act allows the appellant to take their case to a magistrates court for adjudication.

The fire risk of them smoking that much in bed must be horrendous.
Ian

That pic made me gag. This is a tricky issue as smokers tend to be very defensive so prepare for a fight, I would tread very softly at first. TT’s advice is probably sound, they may well expire soon..

Why not just start smoking yourself? Problem solved, and you’ll look waaaaaaaaaay cooler than you do now

We had a similar problem a few years ago in a ex council terrace. we had a skunk smoker on one side and a chain smoker on the other ours and our kids rooms stank. i complained to the council who came and took up the floors as the joists ran across the properties, sealed up all the gaps round the joists and it certainly helped. always a problem if the windows were open at the wrong time though. In the end we moved on as we had no end of problems of a more serious nature with the ganja smoker. we did eventually move to a large detached in the country!

moving to a large detached house in the country is your only option

I’m liking this solution. Would Australia suffice ?
The Wife will moan though.

Why not just start smoking yourself? Problem solved, and you’ll look waaaaaaaaaay cooler than you do now

That’s like a Viz Top Tip.

That picture is grim.

burn their house down. no-one’ll suspect a thing and you’ll have a nice detached house

burn their house down. no-one’ll suspect a thing and you’ll have a nice detached house…..

… and a bigger garden 🙂

Can’t help but that picture is amazing!

The cheapest option would be to buy lots of tape and go round taping all the gaps between the floors and the walls.

I would’nt worry too much, if they’re smoking that much they should both be dead soon!

I would’nt worry too much, if they’re smoking that much they should both be dead soon!

You’d be surprised, they didn’t get to be old chain smokers by being the type that are easily damaged by all those chemicals they probably have the DNA to keep ’em going into their 90’s 🙂

some smokers just don’t die young at all

The fire risk of them smoking that much in bed must be horrendous.

I hope you’ve got plenty of working smoke detectors.

The fire risk of them smoking that much in bed must be horrendous.

Top (subtle) tip there 😉

My next door neighbour smokes out in his garden, out playing with my boy he just shouts “Eurgh! Who’s smoking!” or “Smells like someone’s lighting a fire!”
Kids have their uses!

You could install a ceiling mounted extractor fan above the stairs or in the loft hatch and feed the pipe to the outside soffit, leave it running continuously an d all the smoke should be sucked out, but it may also suck more smoke in from next door.

or seal all the gaps betwen skirting boards and floorboards, seal loft hatch, and anyothe opening .

This is yer neighbours house

Watch it right to the end…

I’d be more concerned about the inevitable fire from them smoking in bed.

I’d be more concerned about looking forward to the inevitable fire from them smoking in bed.

FTFY.

moving to a large detached house in the country is your only option

Nah! You want to rent a luxury flat off TJ in Edinburgh, you do! I believe it’s very nice.

I grew up in my Grandma and Grandad’s house when I was a kid. They both smoked themselves silly. Their ceiling was a nice shade of yellow. I can remember walking into the room and seeing a nice haze of bluey smoke floating in the air.
I was hospitalised twice with my Asthma. Rushed in by ambulance.
I still have asthma now but it’s fair to say that I don’t, never have or never will smoke.