My house was an older home that was gutted and rebuilt last year. The only original part is the basement. This week we notices a "garbage-type" odor coming from a downstairs open area that connects the kitchen, living room, entrance to basement (no odor or water leaks in basement), and entrance to bathroom (no odor or water leaks here). We have cleared/cleaned the entire area and seem to think it is coming from the ceiling. The only thing above this location is a staircase and linen closet. Neither have an odor or leaks. There is no rotten food, stagnant water or plants and we don't have a dog. The rug in the livingroom is brand new and I checked this for odor- no dice. Any ideas?

Thanks!

A tough question. Was the exterior also renovated? I am thinking a rodent may have managed to get into the space between the ceiling and the floor above. It may have dragged a food supply in, or died. I guess maybe even a colony of insects. I would closely examine the outside of the house just above the ceiling. Look for even relatively small holes.

Was the plumbing changed? Something may have followed where a pipe was, down from the attic. Water can leak and travel creating a problem far from the leak.

The original house was knocked to it's foundation and rebuilt.The siding appears to be intact. I investigated further today and I'm pretty certain the smell is coming from the top steps of the basement (also under a year old). The area is not damp and I can see underneath it from the basement. There's nothing of concern there. The stairs are attached to the field-stone (I think that is what it's called) foundation. There is/was no upstairs plumbing in this area. If there was a dead animal/insects in the wall, wouldn't the entire area smell? It is very bizarre- smells just like garbage. I suppose I need to hire a pest contol person to check it out. I wish there were a better (cheaper!) way. Thanks for the help.