Unexpected Challenges in Renovating a Century-Old Home

When Gia inherited her grandmother’s home in New York, she expected renovation challenges. However, she did not anticipate being haunted by a peculiar smell.

Two years ago, Gia’s grandmother passed away, leaving the house to Gia and her sister. Gia described the home as beautiful, but noted it was 100 years old and required significant renovations. “It’s a beautiful home, and we’re extremely lucky to own property in 2026,” she shared with Newsweek.

Renovating old homes can be stressful. According to Block Renovation’s 2025 How America Renovates report, over 85 percent of 1,000 surveyed homeowners experienced stress during renovations. Additionally, 57 percent reported “renovation fatigue,” a form of burnout from delays and decisions.

Gia acknowledged these challenges, saying, “We knew it needed work, but after opening up the walls, we found a lot more than expected.” She shared her experiences of discovering various issues, including problems with the gas supply and electrical system, which often left her outside on the porch.

It was during these moments that Gia began to notice an unusual smell. Initially, she believed the odor from a past mouse infestation in the basement was lingering. “At first, I thought the basement smell had just seeped into my nostrils,” Gia explained. However, as the weather warmed, the smell intensified, resembling “rotten meat soaked in spoiled milk.”

Through deduction, Gia focused on a crawl space below a deck her grandfather extended decades ago. The area, which had housed construction materials, became a refuge for neighborhood cats. During renovations, Gia discovered two crawl spaces; one was a “concrete box with a small window entry.”

On a particularly hot day, Gia decided to investigate this second crawl space, despite her dislike of confined areas. “I do not like small spaces,” she admitted. Approaching closer, Gia observed what initially seemed like a dog’s remains. “I saw it and hoped I was wrong,” she recounted.

Gia, who had experience in the veterinary field, discovered the source of the smell was a mummified raccoon. Despite her familiarity with deceased animals, she was unnerved by the find. “I didn’t sleep that night,” she revealed. Her subsequent exploration unearthed more remains, including an opossum skull, a bird, chicken bones, and a mummified cat.

Gia guessed the cat may have been trapped or exposed to chemicals like antifreeze and muriatic acid stored there. Extracting and bagging these discoveries took several hours, but the odor eventually vanished. “The smell is now gone,” Gia confirmed, though renovations are ongoing.

Gia has already hired junk removal teams twice and anticipates needing services again as she continues to clean the garage and basement. Despite ongoing challenges, Gia remains optimistic. “We continue to find more issues every day,” she admitted, but expressed hope for the future.

“Hopefully, if we do the work ourselves, we can afford to keep the house in the family,” she said, grateful that her boyfriend and father, both professionals in trades, can assist. “There’s a long road ahead for us,” Gia mused.