Seriously. Every time I open the hall closet, it smells like someone’s been locked in there, chain smoking.
It’s the downstairs neighbor, of course. Their smoke rises through all the holes in the floors and wall of my hall closet. I have unpacked all but three boxes (excluding office/desk stuff–I no longer have a desk, so I just put that all in storage until I get one). Most everything is put away, too, so I emptied out that closet and started going after the seams and cracks with joint compound and, when I couldn’t get a putty knife in–caulk.
One big hole stuck between two pipes was a problem. Everything kept falling through the hole. So I rolled up some newspaper and stuffed it down there. That held the first layer of caulk up. I’ll fill in the rest with joint compound.
We’ll see how it smells tomorrow when I get home.
As my friend Dennis said in the note with his apartment warming gift (a giftcard to Home Depot): "Welcome to homeownership, where the fun never ends."
So (s)he lives in the half basement?
There is some kind of kit I once had, that has nylon mesh patches to fit over large gaps. Then the spackle goes over that. Just for long term strength it might be worth looking for a BIG patch kit.
I am commenting a little late, as I have just found your blog, but…
For the stinky closet thing, you could try that foamy insulation. It comes in a can and you can spray it in the hole. It expands to fill the space and when dry, can be cut and sanded to be level with the floor, wall or where ever. I hope this helps!