Where do I start and when will it end? Need advice!

[KGB pilot125]

Dear FOG,

I am afraid I might have begun to bite off more than I can chew!  I was getting caught up on some small house projects like move the deadbolt and door strike plate down around a 1/2 inch so the door would lock on a more regular basis then patch in some wood use some filler and make it look nice, fix some dents in the trim from the dead bolts being exposed and the door slammed, chop up the back of an antique Chinese cabinet so I could hide my DVR and PS3, and then I thought "I am on a roll and you know this corner drywall looks terrible I will fix it next."  Thats where the mistake started, I started sanding the drywall down so I could re-apply the mud and make it look nice and I was hit with the overwhelming smell of urine.  The paint/drywall dust started looking yellow and I kind of panicked.  I grabbed my little M12 multi tool (great tool by the way)  and cut the paint and mud off and got down to the rounds on the corner and yep they were rusty and it smells like a urinal...

Guys I am not sure where to start here, I cut back the trim 6 inches on both sides of the wall and pried them off, pulled the carpet back a little and the carpet is smells terrible, the tack strips are rusty, the nails are rusty, and now that I have uncapped the stench my house smells terrible.

My GF (50% owner in the condo with me) is now freaking out, wants the carpet removed, wood floors installed, all new trim and thinks that all drywall below the knee needs to come out and be replaced.

Worst part is we have been here 53 weeks, and just started noticing a weird animal smell, we had a huge great dane who passed away a few weeks ago and I think she was masking the urine smell with her "large dog" aroma. 

I am not sure what to do, I am thinking hiring a G.C. to come out and pay him to help me come up with a plan, do most of the work I can myself and then pay him to do the hard stuff. 

Looking for advice, consoling, someone to say "yep been there, here is what we did..." 

Thanks in advance guys, I will be home later tonight and can provide more pictures 

 

[peter halle]

A few years ago I had some really elderly dogs that would go into hidden places and use the bathroom.  When I pulled up the area rugs and carpet I got a rude awakening.

Your dog was a female, so "damaged drywall" should be at a minimum.  Carpet stains could be large.  I have used a product called Simple Solution for dog issues.  The key to it is to use it generously and do not dry it up.  Saturate and leave it.  That way it will get into the pad and the backing of the carpet.  It will work to kill the odor.  If you pull stuff up and the subfloor is stained and smells, bleach will bubble and turn white on urine spots.  Will kill the smell, but first you have to deal with the bleach smell.

Regarding rusty corner bead, tear it out and replace.  You might want to try simple solution in a spray bottle for the wall areas.

Just my thoughts based on my doggie experiences.

Peter

 

[KGB pilot125]

Sorry for the confusion, the problem issues were not from my dog.  They are from previous owners of the condo, definitely from a male dog, the pillar has stains that go up 4 to 8 inches (going from memory) in the drywall.  My fear is every outside corner in the place is going to be like this to an extent, maybe not this bad as this one is by the front door and sticks out so maybe it was his favorite.

My old girl was very well potty trained and as far as I can remember she never had an accident in the house involving pee.  She did have 14 puppies once...  Whole other type of mess to clean up!  [eek]

I will try some of that pets stuff and see how it does on the carpet and the drywall.

 

[SittingElf]

If you bought that condo and it was inspected prior to purchase as part of your mortgage requirements, you may have a claim against the inspector and/or the previous owner for failure to disclose the problem. An inspector should have found that problem considering that your dog was not yet living in the condo when the obvious problems occurred.

Personally, I'd be all over the inspector and be threatening lawsuit for failure to perform. [mad]

Just saying....

Frank

 

[RKA]

I wouldn't jump off the deep end yet.  Are you willing to do some of the work yourself?  If so, are both of you willing to live in a construction site for a month or so?  If so, start by tearing out the carpet and padding.  From there you should be able to identify subfloor and baseboard that you may want to replace.  If you find baseboard like that, chase the problem up the wall exactly like you did and cut it out.  Replace the sections of Sheetrock and subfloor as needed.  Then decide if all the baseboard should get replaced or not.  It might not need to be, but maybe you want something different.  Rip it out if you want it changed.  Get your hardwood floors installed, then patch the sections of base you removed or install new base if you decided to go that way.  Prime the walls and paint, then watch your SO raid the bank accounts to buy new area rugs, window treatments and furniture to complete that fresh new look! 

It can be fixed, don't worry.  Just take a day to talk yourself down from the tree and formulate your game plan.  Setting reasonable expectations with your SO and making sure she is onboard is key.

 

[KGB pilot125]

We are going to pay off a few big debts (about 10k) then get started on this with just cash and maybe some special financing options (like zero% on a CC) and hopefully get it all done before christmas.  I know that sounds like a long ways away but I essentially lose from the 18th of this month till the 26th of Oct due to working out of town.

I did re-cover the exposed drywall with spray on Kilz to mask the smell but it still looks terrible with now trim in that one spot.

Thanks for the advice RKA it was good having her read it too.

 

[Loren Woirhaye]

If it's any consolation, replacing lower sections of drywall is pretty quick and routine once you get past the initial reluctance to tear your walls apart and actually replace a couple of sections.  Drywall is cheap too. 

Women have a more acute sense of smell than men on average  so you might put any moulding you're not sure about in the garage  laid out on sawhorses and let her decide which pieces go in the trash.  Of course you can replace it all for aesthetic reasons if you want to go to the expense.

 

[Sparktrician]

Nature's Miracle Urine Destroyer does a great job of mitigating the on-going odor issue.  Won't help with the rust, though.  Most pet supply houses sell blacklight urine finders.  Recommend getting one of these and a gallon of Urine Destroyer with a spray bottle and use both liberally.  If you don't want to do the hardwood right now, you'll likely need to replace the carpet padding at a minimum. 

 

[rizzoa13]

No need to stress my friend! Remove and replace anything with a smell as you get the time. Plan to take apart a manageable section and put it back together before moving on.

It will take you longer this way but will really help you with your stress level (and will keep your girlfriend off your ass, which also helps your stress!). Good luck I've been there and it's not as big of a deal as you may think.