I'm not at all sure you could get all the changes you want for the budget you have, with or without the smoke issue. I'd want to be sure about that before going any further.

Your budget sounds way too low for what you’ve described. Particularly cabinet paint, new floors, and wall removal. Find a different house with a layout you like already.

It sounds like you’re trying to be convinced to overlook some big issues and told you should go ahead and buy the house. Between the layers of nicotine and smoke that’s surely embedded in the walls and the ducts in the concrete, it doesn’t sound like that great of a deal. I’d move on and find a different house.

You need to find another house for ALL the reasons others have stated above.

And your realtor didn’t tell you it was not a smoke free home?

In addition to passing on this house, pass on the realtor, too.

You are forgetting the small thing that without replacing all of the ducts and insulation there is no way to remove all of the built in grime. There are parts of a house that you simply cannot paint to remove or cover up the smell and ease your allergies. Think of all of the pipes and wiring that have small particles attached. Your mother means well but apparently does not know the scope of what is required and what can not be done to remove the odor. Step away from this one.

Move on to a different house. You want too much for too little. Most houses built 25 - 30 years ago or older were probably smoked in at one time. Either by the owner or guests. You probably need to build a new house if your allergies are so severe.

Did your "terrible allergies" react to having been in the house?

Doesn't sound like you have the budget to do all the work you want to do on this house.

jrb451- No they didn't act up while there. I had a severe reaction when I was a child due to my father smoking around me. I had severe allergies and ear aches that cleared up when he stopped smoking around me. I have a few autoimmune issues now that affect my skin and hair and I try and limit allergies and irritations. I think long term living in a home that was covered in residue would cause issues. That's why it is a concern over if I could actually get it clean enough.

We live in an area where new homes cost 800k plus. So the only option is to buy an older home. And yes, we could be buying something where it is better covered up, which is a concern.

As far as the budget...our rough estimate is

15k for floors and paint (which is what it cost to do our current home which is a similar size)

10 for AC unit and ducts (I still have to confirm if this is a feasible estimate)

5-7 for wall removal and beam (small walls to open up, move of an issue of support)

5k for other things like new lights, knobs, etc (things we could all install)

We can do a lot of the work ourselves, like painting the cabinets in the bathrooms and kitchen. We did it in our current home and kept it under our budget. We have a lot of equity on our current home, we just don't want to spend a lot on this house. We would rather do a lot of the work on our own. This house is about the same price as our current townhome. The margin to keep it within a budget would be important so we don't go over what it would actually be worth.

Keep looking. There are other houses where the owners may have given up smoking years before and the smell is gone. You can do a search here as I know this problem has come up before.

Aren't you concerned about your allergies acting up while you are doing all this remedial work? The smell of smoke lingered in my mother's furniture and keepsakes for years no matter what we did to clean them. About the time you thought it was gone, it rained and you could catch a whiff of smoke smell.

We bought a house from a family that smoker outside for 20year and inside for 2. We took the house down to the STUDS and there are still portions of the house that we are not yet finished with that occasionally smell like smoke. We were hoping to redo the house a few rooms at a time, but that changed once we realized removing all the floor and HVAC didn't mitigate the smell. Unless you are completely gutting the house it sounds like you need to pass on this one.

PS. That is all after washing the walls with a degreaser, followed by vinegar, followed by water, twice before priming with:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Zinsser-5-gal-Odor-Killing-Interior-Primer-307649/207139552?MERCH=REC--PIPHorizontal2_rr--207003640--207139552--N

It helped but does not completely remove the smell. Any surface that is porous will have the odor and keep it around including cabinets, doors, insulation and trim. If we hadn't already planned on gutting the place I would of regretted the purchase.

JudyG why should the realtor disclose before viewing a house that it is a smokers house? Most of the time they don't know that info. The buyers agent often is not the listing agent. They most likely never been in the house themselves before showing their clients the house.

Should every allergen and odor in the house be listed in the listing? Smoking, wood and/or coal burnt, fragrance candles, dogs, cats, birds, perfume used, incense, pesticides from bug control, peanuts, gluten, latex, etc. The list could go on and on and on. And when do you cut it off. A month, a year, 5 years, the life of the house?

I bought a 2nd home once where the two owners each smoked 3 packs a day. I cleaned every surface, replaced carpeting, and painted. The smell goes away. I think you are over worrying.

Your Mom is right, if you are going to do all that, the smell will be gone, however its sounds like you want an open concept house and houses built 40 years ago were not built like that. Any house that is that old will have to have some walls taken out. On the plus side houses built that long ago have personality that houses now just can't match, they just need a little love.

To be honest, I'm less concerned about the smoke issue than the costings for everything else the OP plans. Taking out walls is not a cheap enterprise - it may require new support beams; it will probably need moving electrical and plumbing, and possibly HVAC, which opens up a whole can of worms, permit-wise; it will require new flooring, of course; potentially a new kitchen design with new cabinetry where the walls have disappeared; etc etc. I just find it hard to imagine all of that, plus everything else the OP wants to do, being accomplished on that budget. And that's not even getting into the nicotine-mitigation aspect.

Have you talked to a company like Serve Pro? One that comes in after a fire. We had a house fire and smoke damage thru the whole house. They really cleaned it up nicely, no smoke smell after. Remember you need to toss all the curtain rods too, smoke inside them, plus anything plastic holds the smell.

I moved into a house that was heavily smoked in for about 10years. That was 1975. We painted and scrubbed everything. The smell went away and my dad is still in the house today.

Had a home fire... Windex and ozone/ ions are your friend. The ionic air cleaners really do work but take a month or more.

If you love the location and can make the layout work for you, you can push through the odors in a matter of months. Good luck!

The OP stated she had severe reaction as a child to cigarette smoke. So she had to have respiratory or cardiac distress or failure that was life threatening requiring immediate emergency treatment for it to be severe. Then she should not be able to be in any house until it is completely cleaned and remodeled.

I have experience in homes which were formerly owned by heavy smokers.

Between a combination of the efforts detailed upthread (heavy, intensive cleaning, replacing, and/or repainting) and to some degree the passage of time (and as much open air as possible), the smell issue can be overcome.

However I'm not sure the budget is realistic. I always get nervous when people say that want to do X and it can't exceed Y. What happens if it's Y PLUS $10,000? Or even more? Construction has a really funny way of always costing more than you think it will. Unexpected problems, materials, weird things in the walls....whatever.

If you know your budget can handle cost over-runs and you'll still love the house even if it costs more, then go for it. But if your love of this house is contingent upon your stated budget, I'm concerned.

^ Also if your love for the house is based much less on what it is than what you hope to make it with that budget. Can you like and live with the layout as it is?

I can sympathize, as I am allergic to tobacco also. I will get a nasty, peeling rash with consistent exposure, such as living with a smoker even if he never smokes in my presence, as well as migraines from actual tobacco smoke.

As someone pointed out, surely there had been smoking in any older home, but perhaps not for so long and so consistently as what you will be dealing with.

If you really don't think you can find a better house in your market, then give it a shot, but economize as much as is reasonable on finishes/fixtures (maybe forego the open concept for now) and plan on selling if you have any problems after all the cleaning and painting. Don't forget to clean all the nooks and crannies in the window frames, replace the switches and outlets and covers, scrub the heating duct covers and light fixtures, scrub and paint the interiors of all cabinets, closets and shelving.

Serv-Pro sounds like a good idea; I wonder what they would charge?

It isn't so much the tobacco, but the chemical(s) in the tobacco that will cause the allergic reaction. That chemical can be transferred from a smoker by touch even if they arn't currently smoking. The chemical could be in any absorbant service of the home. Since the OP had such a severe reaction she probably was tested for what chemical(s) was causing her reaction. She needs to find out how long the chemical is active before it breaks down and is no longer a danger to her before doing any sort of cleaning or construction.

Two fold process. There are cleaning companies, my carpet cleaner has a device/system that can clean walls, ceilings and floors with a treatment to kill the cigarette smell and residual tar deposit. And, a complete paint job with a KILLS type primer. They use KILLS when you have a fire in a home.

For the HVAC system I would recommend installation of a device by Global Plasma Solutions (GPS). It's an ionizer type device that is added to your HVAC system. It will zap anything that moves through the duct work. Much better than the replacement of the duct work. Your HVAC guy can install it. I've put this in two homes so far. One had mold issues that were repaired, but we didn't want to replace the duct work. It did the trick. It does need to run a few weeks to do it's job.

Understand that the cost to do this type of work must be taken off the sales price of the home. This person wanted to smoke. The cost isn't just their health and a pack of cigarettes. It's also a cost reduction in the value of their home.

The other solution is to continue to look for another property that is not smoke soaked. It's probably the simplest solution.

Yes, I bought a house from a smoker...

Our current house was owned by a smoker. Everything in it was the same as when it was built in 1968. We knew we would be ripping everything out, so the smoking wasn't a huge issue. We primed and painted every wall and ceiling.

The big surprise didn't come until a few years down the road. We replaced our furnace and duct work, and when I looked in the ducts I almost died. They were so coated in nicotine that all the dust and dog hair clung to the sides.

The dust clumps were sticky and there was no way any kind of duct cleaner would have been able to remove them.

Unbelievably, it didn't smell when the furnace ran, you'd think it would've.

Ugg...suedonim75, I am very surprised you didn't smell it when the furnace ran....thank goodness you got rid of the ductwork now.

People forget that the tars that are in all kinds of smoke are sticky and can coat any surface. They might dry but they can also remain sticky for years in the right conditions such as ductwork. Ductwork for the most part is not 100% smooth as where there are connections or bends the tars can build up which is why I mentioned that the ducts would need to be removed. Thank you sue for posting the duct picture because while yours trapped things all along it which probably absorbed some of the odor the trapped areas could be just in a small portion but they are there.

Thanks everyone for their comments and advice. It was helpful to get the advice from people that actually bought homes from heavy smokers. I cannot believe some of the pics shared.

We are still torn about the home. We have called contractors and the AC company. It would take a minimum of 40k to get the house livable to our standards. I think in the long run, we could easily spend 60-70k.

In our current market it is almost impossible to find a home. We plan to either low ball this owner or just stay where we are a few more years until the market tops off. I think we are close to that happening now by watching real estate. Either the great houses go fast and way over asking, or they sit there for months because everything is priced so high.

We discussed it and cannot spend what she wants and do the work or we won't get our money back. I tend to want to move every 5 years or so, so we know this won't be a long term move.

We replaced the ducting and furnace because I was having horrible sinus problems. I'd feel fine all day at work, but when I'd get home I'd get a headache. Clearly the ducts were trapping all kinds of gross stuff, but also the furnace was in a damp crawlspace, so it was a 2 part problem. We moved the furnace up into the house and installed KingSpan Koolduct.

I have a super sensitive sense of smell, so I'm completely shocked that I couldn't smell anything coming through the ducts.

Suedomin, my husband and I are both super sensitive as well. We did go ahead and price the air duct replacement and they would change out the entire HVAC system as well. He also mentioned the ability to install an air filter that filters our mold particles as well. We have an aerus system now, so I assume it would similar tech just built into the HVAC system. We would definitely do this. All of this would be around an extra 12k which would not necessarily have to be done without a smoker. It really does devalue the home.

It's really funny, under normal circumstances we would never even think to buy a home that so obviously had a smoker. However after reading, you realize that in any older home probably someone at some point did smoke in it. We now have a bathroom downstairs that stinks when it rains. Our neighbor smokes heavily in her garage, and we assumed it comes over somehow (we're in a townhome). Now we are thinking that maybe someone happened to have smoked in this bathroom before and that's why we have this issue. We also now consider that anything from a flipper could be a potential coverup. You just never know unless you built a new home!

Suedomin and others that wonder why they can not smell something. While there can be a medical problem the most common reason is that your nose transmits to your brain that it is a normal smell.

@ function…your response to my opinion given to the OP sounds a bit annoyed.

Should every allergen and odor in the house be listed in the listing? Smoking, wood and/or coal burnt, fragrance candles, dogs, cats, birds, perfume used, incense, pesticides from bug control, peanuts, gluten, latex, etc. The list could go on and on and on.

A realtor representing you should have all the facts at hand in order to inform you of any issues that could cause you harm or distress if discovered later.

You listed things you find unnecessary to reveal…pesticides, nuts, gluten, latex all are just some which DO require acknowledgment…whether it be in a doctor’s office for a band aid, a bakery for nuts in food, gluten free food (it doesn’t just mean in the food itself, but also how food is prepared in the kitchen ), pets for sure, was the neighborhood built on raw land or on a long forgotten land-fill?

It is the realtor’s responsibility to find out everything about a property he is listing or showing. Besides legal ramifications, it addresses his code of ethics.

In most cases, the realtor represents the seller, not the buyer. Ethically, its his job to get the seller the best price he can. There are some disclosures of significant, known defects he's required to make but I'm not sure that drawing attention to every flaw, real or potential, is in his client's interest.

JudyG, I don't know about were you live, but our sellers agents only list the stats of a home. Area, positive discripton, rooms and size, heating /cooling, etc. Possible allergens are not listed. There is nothing unethical or illegal about a agent not disclosing that a home has pets, smoke or whatever. None of the alergens I listed is illegal to consume or own in a home.

People got to use the good brain god gave you and take responsibility for their own health. Agents don't have ESP and don't know clients health history. If a client informs a agent that they have a severe allergy to a substance I am pretty sure they will inquire if the substance is in the home. Apparently the OP did not inform her agent that she was severely allergic to smoke or the agent probably would have not showed her the house.

Agents list the facts, but sellers (everywhere I've bought homes) have to fill out disclosure forms with regard to other things (pets, etc). Not the agent's job to speak for the seller beyond what the seller says himself.

In PA disclosure form has no questions concerning pets. It is all about the structure and land.

Hm, I've only had one house in PA. When selling, I do recall pages and pages of disclosure, including domestic and wild animals on the property, animals in the house, nuisances in the neighborhood, all sorts of things. But my agent was required to give a buyer that form, and let it speak for itself.

I just pulled it up online, maybe it wasn't the complete form. I will have to look in my files at mine. It's been 5 years, but I don't remember answering any questions like that. They could of done an update since then though.

Sushipup1, I just brought up the form from the PA association of realtors and there is nothing about animals, neighbors, etc.

Function': It may be a State form; ours is... required by law.

We bought our house from a flipper. We have the ducts cleaned before we moved in, and the guy asked if we knew if the previous owners were smokers. The 2 vents downstairs by the kitchen /family room were yellowish and sticky. He said either they smoked or cooked a lot of greasy food. We didn't know, and we didn't smell it. Even friends/ relatives couldn't smell it when they stay over. Later on, I noticed asome yellow streaks on the wall and door on the guest bathroom downstairs which is rarely used for shower.. It was like the walls were shedding tears. Not much , but you could see it if you look closely. I primed it with Zinsser BIN and painted the walls and door. No more nicotine streaks.

rich69b we had a bathroom that did the same thing!!! I didn't know it was potentially from nicotine, there wasn't an odor. I think I washed and washed the walls, and eventually we repainted/upgraded ventilation and the problem vanished.

OP -- with older homes it's inevitable that someone smoked in them. The house we're in now had been smoked in during the past, but we were told it had been at least a decade since that time. Who knows, but it doesn't reek of smoke (it does smell like old house). We had ceilings and flooring re-done, carpet removed. I would like to get the ducts cleaned. I would NOT have bought the house if it at any detectable smoker smell, the thought of remediation was overwhelming. Passed on at least one nice place due to the smoker/nicotine presence. You have to decide whether or not you want to take this risk given your severe allergies.