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Original poster

Some houses make me feel sick

60 replies

WokeEwok · 11/07/2020 17:53

Anyone get this? We are house hunting atm. Saw 3 today. One gave me morning sickness esque nausea pretty much from the moment we walked in, with no obvious reason (eg stinky paint or wobbly floors - it was a pretty nice house, just not to my taste). I’ve had this 3 times before. Once at an Air BNB and once at a friend’s house.

I’m just wondering if it’s a vibe or a spidey sense or is it just because I’m that shallow that places not to my taste give me the quease

OP posts:

FortunesFave · 12/07/2020 03:26

I remember walking into my mate's house once and there was this GOD awful STINK. I was immediately nauseous and had to ask "What the hell is that smell?"

She's a good friend so wasn't offended but was perturbed as she couldn't smell a thing.

We eventually pinpointed it to her plug in air freshener.

The thing absolutely REEKED of burning chemicals to me...but to her, it smelled nice.

I sent her some articles about how bad for your health they are and she doesn't use them now.

Billyjoearmstrong · 12/07/2020 08:46

I didn’t follow my gut once. Never again.

I went to view a house and honestly had to force myself through the door. It was like something was stopping me going in, it felt so wrong. Like an intense feeling of dread, it felt like walking to the gallows.

I bought it.

I went in to have the worst 6 years of my life there including a mental breakdown, divorce, bankruptcy and ending up in poverty when I left.

It was honestly cursed.

Billyjoearmstrong · 12/07/2020 08:48

It was like something in me could sense all that coming if I Moved there (it was 300 miles from where I was living and all
Of what happened was a direct consequence of living there and the people in the village).

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 12/07/2020 09:04

Dh and I once viewed a house that on paper was perfect, by far the best we’d seen.
Inside was another matter. I couldn’t wait to get out - I didn’t feel sick but something was giving me the creeps.

By contrast, the houses dds eventually bought, both with terribly dated decor - one even worse than the other - both had a lovely warm feel the moment you stepped inside. They felt as if they’d been very happy family homes.

I’d always go on gut feelings in such things.

DinosApple · 12/07/2020 09:04

We've viewed a lot of houses recently. I just don't think I'm sensitive to these things. Some are very old, some new, they all have their positives and negatives. Unsurprisingly, the one that has felt most homely has been the one most 'done'. The vendor showed us round and was lovely too.

I've never had a choice - or as wide a choice - of places to live before and basically walk round thinking yeah this is nice and could work to each. It's not making the decision any easier!

AfterSchoolWorry · 12/07/2020 09:07

@KenDodd

I viewed a house once that had been a location for black masses in the 1950s/60s and had a clergyman buried upside down in the garden. We didn't buy it.

I find the upside down priest buried in the garden hard to believe.

Sewrainbow · 12/07/2020 09:10

I get the feeling of a warm happy home to when we move into places. Always chose a house in what feels right.

I also vaguely remember a story in something like women's weekly my nan had about a ghost in a house who made atmospheres bad when she didnt like the look of the people looking round. When the "right" family came, she made it all warm and lively so the chose it

overthinkingmyoverthinking · 12/07/2020 09:11

When I was little I remember going to visit a friend and for some reason when we left we exited via their garage and it smelled absolutely awful and I hurled everywhere at the first whiff. My parents and their friends were perplexed. That memory has really stuck in my mind. I can still vaguely recall the smell but I couldn’t really describe or identify it now.

labazsisgoingmad · 12/07/2020 10:00

when my mum and dad moved into their council house if they were still alive it would be 54 years ago, mum always said it was an unlucky house. she never felt settled there but dad would not move sadly. there were a lot of bad family things happened to us maybe coincidence but i think the house had lots to do with it.

KenDodd · 12/07/2020 10:13

I find the upside down priest buried in the garden hard to believe.

It's true. The details of the house included news articles from the time about the house and the defrocked priest and his followers who lived there. I never asked what was meant by 'upside down' and it didn't say in the old news reports. I don't know if it meant face down or head first in a sort of head stand. I've been looking on the internet to see if I can find it but without luck. I can't remember the name of the house or the priest as it was on the market about 20 years ago. The house is in Somerset if anyone else knows it.

MerryWitch · 12/07/2020 10:15

I had a very good feeling about our house unfortunately lots of bad things happened here. I can't wait to move. Our lives deteriorated in so many ways here.

Longtalljosie · 12/07/2020 10:22

Here’s a story which you’ll either get or think I’m mad.

Our house has a lovely atmosphere. It was built in the 1920s and had a front and back room. The front room was barely if ever used and we decided to knock through. I worked late shifts when the work was done and DH got the kids home after work and rang me and said it was done and looked a bit scary. It did initially! But it made so much sense and was the best thing we ever did.

The house did not think so. Every time I was alone with it I felt a massive sense of disapproval - a bit like being with my MIL! - and hurt.

Eventually I was on my own in the house and conquered my own sense of ridiculousness and said out loud “look - I’m really sorry you don’t like it. But things change and you have to admit we never went in the front room. It was a complete waste of valuable space for us. You know we love this house and it was the right thing for us. I hope you get used to it”. Immediately the atmosphere lifted. I know how this sounds!

LadyFlumpalot · 12/07/2020 10:30

Yes. My dad and stepmum took me along to view a house they wanted to buy back when I was about 13 years old. I walked in and was promptly hit with the first migraine of my life. I felt sick, sweaty, cold, my head felt like it was going to split.

Dad sent me back to the car and when they came out and we drove away the headache diminished the further away we got.

They went ahead with the purchase and it was a very unhappy house. Lots of family issues, arguments and sadness.

More recently - when DH and I were looking for our first house I was admamant I did not want an identikit new build. I wanted character, beams, inglenooks...

We looked at a couple that fit the description perfectly but left me feeling cold and uneasy. Then the estate agent suggested I just try a nearly new build and as soon as I walked in I knew it was my house. DH felt the same and we have been very very happy here.

reefedsail · 12/07/2020 10:38

There is such a 'thing' as 'sick building syndrome'.

In primary school one year my class was in a newly built classroom and I kept being sent home because I felt sick (loved school so that wasn't the issue). I'd been fine before and was again afterwards in the older classrooms. My mother decided it was sick building syndrome.

lazylinguist · 12/07/2020 10:41

Nope! I don't sense anything in houses beyond the normal physical senses. Neither has anything remotely woo ever happened to me in my entire life. I must be immune and lacking in sensitivity.

BubblegumFactory · 12/07/2020 10:50

In general, no I don’t get this feeling.
However, we once visited the cube houses in Rotterdam. It took about 3 hours for the nausea to subside. Literally had to find a bench to lie down on. I’d post a pic but I just googled it and felt ill again looking at the images!

LadyFlumpalot · 12/07/2020 10:52

Although - with reference to my previous post...

I later turned out to be sensitive to certain floral type smells, things like incense and air fresheners and cheap hand creams (and one particular Lynx spray) give me sicky headaches. It's entirely possible the house had been cleaned for the viewing and the smells made me feel poorly.

My mum, stepdad, dad and stepmum were in the middle of all sorts of custody things, fertility issues and all sorts so it would have been an unhappy time anywhere we lived.

inthelounge · 12/07/2020 10:53

Never had this myself, but plenty of disappointments when viewing.

GuiltyBark · 12/07/2020 10:54

I can tell if someone's died in a house or is very poorly, there's a 'whiff of death' I pick up. Also overhead lights make me feel queasy, the sort of half dim lampshade hanging from the centre of the ceiling. Makes a room look really depressing! I prefer uplights or table lamps. Flourescent shop lighting used to trigger my morning sickness in pregnancy.

Sulusu · 12/07/2020 12:33

Its also to do with lighting in places. I get this in some shops, its because the lights are flickering, often you don't notice it consciously but it can affect you if you are a bit photosensitive.

I am and can't shop in my local Asda, the flickering lights in there give me a migraine and I feel very nauseous. I have had it from lighting in houses before too. Its so subtle you wouldn't be really aware of it.

bluetongue · 12/07/2020 13:37

There was one rental I only stayed 3 weeks before negotiating to break the lease. Nothing woo though. The weather was fairly warm and dry when I viewed it before renting. By the time I moved in it was the beginning of winter and the house had a shocking case of damp. I could not stop coughing it was so bad.

FindMeInTheSunshine · 12/07/2020 14:12

I stayed at a friend's house years ago and the guest bedroom just felt 'wrong' and I was really uncomfortable in the room. In some way I'm sure it was because the windows weren't in the right place. I know that sounds ridiculous but there was something very odd that meant I never wanted to stay in there again.

Similar to others on this thread, as soon as I looked around the house we now live in I knew it was the right one and felt it was a happy home, and it's proved to be one, we love it.

Nearlyalmost50 · 12/07/2020 15:23

I also get migraines in Morrisons due to the weird lighting and my husband had an epileptic fit in there! So, lighting definitely can make you sick.

Otherwise, I'm not that sensitive to atmospheres and things like that.

GuiltyBark · 12/07/2020 15:33

Reasurring that supermarket lights affect others too. It felt so silly trying to describe how lights made me feel nauseous, not something they tell you in the pregnancy books but they really did, seems like I'm not alone!

reefedsail · 12/07/2020 16:53

There is a big Boots local to us where I will only go under major duress because the strip lighting feels like strobe lighting to me. Makes me feel sea-sick.

Clearly most people are fine with it or nobody would work there or even go there.

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