A summer house spends the winter unheated and untouched — and that is exactly what produces a damp smell, mould in the corners and dried-out traps.
In a summer house the trouble is caused not by use but by the opposite — several months with no people, no heating and no air exchange. When the door is opened in spring the air is heavy and stale, and there are usually several causes at once.
| Sign after winter | Most likely cause |
|---|---|
| Sewage smell at a basin or shower | A dried-out trap — running water is enough |
| Stale, cellar-like air throughout the house | Standing air and damp in textiles |
| Dark patches in an external-wall corner | Condensation in an unheated building |
| A smell from the bed or the sofa | Moisture in the mattress and furniture filling |
| Damp floor edges at the foundations | Moisture from the ground, or a leak |
| Mould behind a wardrobe against the wall | The air behind the furniture does not move |
Before planning any treatment it is worth separating these causes from one another. If the smell comes only from the bathroom and disappears once water has been run, you do not need any service at all.
Many summer houses are lightweight timber buildings with no proper vapour barrier and often with a cellar or a crawl space under the floor. In a building like that, moisture travels more freely than in masonry: from the ground through the crawl space into the floor, from the floor into the walls, from the walls into the attic.
So mould patches appear not in one place but in several at once — which makes the cause harder to pin down if you look only at the most obvious stain.
The second typical feature is that nobody visits the building in winter. If there has been a small water leak over the winter — a frozen pipe, say, or roof damage after a storm — nobody notices it for months.
By the time the house is opened the water has dried, but the materials were wet for a long time, and that is where the mould has gone deepest. In a case like that a surface treatment can look adequate but the smell returns after a few weeks. We assess this at the inspection with moisture readings rather than by eye.
Honestly: in a fair share of summer houses no treatment at all is needed after the winter. Do this first, and only then judge whether a problem remains.
Another question people often ask: does mould in the attic affect the living space? In practice the effect is indirect and depends on how well the floor structure seals. If the attic hatch does not seal, or there are unsealed service penetrations through the floor, air from the attic gets down — and that is how the characteristic smell shows up, noticeably stronger upstairs than below. So on attic work we always look at the hatch and the penetrations too, not just the roof structure.
We look at every room, including the cellar, utility areas and cupboards. We take moisture readings in several places.
We establish whether it is the traps, condensation, a leak or the textiles — the method depends on it.
We pull furniture away from the walls, open cupboards and move out food and plants.
We treat the places where there is mould or moisture damage.
If the smell is in textiles and soft furnishings, we treat the space as a whole.
We air the building and tell you from when it can be used normally.
In practice we often combine two things in a summer house: surface treatment where there is mould, and ozone treatment for the whole building, because that acts on precisely what is in the textiles and soft furnishings — the places a cloth cannot reach. More on the causes of smells: odour removal.
Plan the timing for before the season. In April or May the building is empty, it can be left closed for the contact time needed and aired without rushing. In July, with the house full of people and belongings, the same job takes more coordination and is less complete. Practically, that also means you lose nothing by doing it in spring: you are not using the building yet anyway, and the treatment plus airing time inconveniences nobody.
In April or May the building is empty — the treatment and airing time inconvenience nobody, and you lose nothing.
One more thing worth agreeing in advance is access and water. In many summer houses the water is turned off over winter, and the electricity may be off at the main. We normally need both, so before coming out we ask whether they are available. If not, the work can be planned differently, but it is better known beforehand than discovered on site.
If the damp comes back every spring, treatment alone will not solve it — the cause is in the ventilation or the structure. We say so openly at the inspection, even when it means less work for us. For buildings in regular use where damp is chronic, scheduled treatment sometimes makes more sense — once a year before the season, for instance.
For small premises and modest summer houses — from €55. Larger buildings are priced by area: up to 100 m² — €1.20/m², 100–300 m² — €0.90/m², 300–1000 m² — €0.70/m². Ozone treatment €1.20/m², minimum €60. Travel within Riga is included; outside Riga a surcharge applies. Other property types: all property types.
Often yes. Run water through every drain, air the house for several days and warm it through. If after that there is no smell and no mould anywhere, treatment is not needed — and we will say so on the phone too.
Yes. They are usually the source of a persistent smell, and they cannot be washed. In cases like that we use ozone treatment, which acts on the filling as well.
Before the season — in spring, while the building is still empty. It can then be left closed for the contact time and aired without rushing.
Describe the situation — we will tell you whether treatment is needed at all, and which one.
Fill in the form — we will call you on the number you provide, ask a few clarifying questions and propose a solution.
Thank you! We will contact you on the phone number you provided shortly.
