Cabin smell - Birch Plywood interior

[DW10]

Hi there,

I've a mystery smell that i'm hoping the forum can help me locate/understand. I'll provide a load of background to help (forgive the no. of words!)

I moved into a house last August(19) which has a brilliant EcoSpace studio in the garden. The studio was put up in 2012, but hadn't been used at all - evident by the pristine condition and the "new wood smell" inside. The studio has cedar cladding outside, and full Birch Plywood interior panelling on the ceiling and walls - one side is a big sliding glass door. There is a rubber type basic floor covering and underfloor heating.

The issue i'm having is that the "new wood smell" hasn't gone away. Since August, I've been in here most week days (home based worker). Everyday the windows have been open and during the past few months of heat, the big sliding doors have been wide open. Still, the smell persists. During the cold months, the smell is unbearable, windows open and heating does not make me happy.

I have assumed the smell is Formaldehyde - being surrounded by birch ply. But reading up, it should have off-gassed by now. Its a kind of acidic, almost silicone type smell. After hours in here, you can taste it at the back of your mouth. It doesn't make me cough or give me any irritation however. Others notice the smell too - but no one coughs or gets irritated by it physically.

I purchased a £150 air quality monitor from Amazon to check for Formaldehyde - I'm not sure it works well to be honest - most of the time, it suggests Formaldehyde is low and VOCs low. Some readings are high, but not consistently. I also got a cheap Formaldehyde test kit, that registered low too. I borrowed a VOC monitor from a university pal, again, no to low VOC's detected. This monitor doesn't check for Formaldehyde which requires some expensive equipment for precision.

Can anyone help? Is the smell just part of having Birch ply everywhere? was 8 years of not being used and sealed an issue for off-gassing? Can I test anything? All and any advice most welcome.

Cheers

 

[JohnD]

I don't share your assumption.

I doubt it's the ply.

Does the timber frame sit on the ground? Is it damp? Was it treated with wood preserver?

Have you sniffed the rubber floor?

 

[big-all]

more likely to be damp or decay off some sort after 8 years its old to very old wood if its not been maintained it can be near the end off its life
is there any sign off damp anywhere??
is there daylight under the floor for airflow

 

[DW10]

I don't share your assumption.

I doubt it's the ply.

Does the timber frame sit on the ground? Is it damp? Was it treated with wood preserver?

Have you sniffed the rubber floor?

It's sitting on concrete pads, can see underneath, nothing is touching the ground and no dampness in sight. I assume it was all treated yeah, but having just moved in I'm unsure.

Floor smells like a floor to be honest.. haha

 

[JohnD]

Some photos might give clues

Especially underneath and near the ground, and the gutters, downpipe, drain and roof covering.

 

[foxhole]

Vents fitted?

 

[Notch7]

Is the smell just part of having Birch ply everywhere?

Ive never noticed any smell working with birch ply and Ive built many things from it over the years.

usually any smells come from the surface coating rather than the phenolic resin.

how is the plywood finished?

 

[DW10]

thanks for all the replies so far - here are some pictures that i hope will help. The roof is a 'green roof' - no leaks inside and the guttering works well. I'll work on getting some underneath access to check and get photos etc over the weekend

@Notch7 - Can you tell from the photo how to plywood is finished?

@foxhole - the toilet room has a fan fitted when light is on, three windows have big trickle vents that have been open since moving in.

 

[foxhole]

Needs a permanent vent , trickle vents don’t provide enough ventilation on a small scale .