Got keys a week ago

[Sassybynature]

it is a probate, originally owned by an elderly lady. Alas, it has remained empty for a quite a while and dare I say it doesn't smell too good. We are doing our best by painting the main rooms white and cleaning down all the kitchen and woodwork. We intend to refurb the entire house within the next 6 months, so don't want to make any unnecessary expenditures.
We are debating if we should remove the carpets, leaving us with floorboards to walk on, it will be cold but at least the smell will go. Since throwing down bicarbonate of soda it's a little better but it's still there. What else could we do, any ideas? If w buy new carpet it will cost us at least £500, which I begrudge.

Pull them up and get some pretty rugs 👍🏻 It’s not that bad once you get used to it. I lived with just floorboard for months after a flood and I barely noticed lol

I'd pull the carpets up and buy slippers. And yes get some cheap rugs from Ikea. Much better that than a smell.

Are you in the West Midlands? If it's the old lady's house that I know I would really air that place and get some professional cleaners in!! It's needs a proper clean! Maybe get the carpets cleaned too!

Not the West Midlands but London.

I can live with the shower at shoulder height, grim floor tiles and dated decor, just not the odour😒 Sweet lady, beautiful house just needs it brought back to the 21st century. Feel overwhelmed with all the work that is needed, small steps.
Any tips on finding a architect in the North East London Essex borders?

Hire a carpet cleaner over a weekend and give cleaning the carpets a go. Soft furnishings hold smells - if you can live with the colours/patterns, it's got to be worth it. I'd rather have clean carpet I wasn't clean on than none at all.

Hire a carpet cleaner and clean the carpets or get a guy into do it, it doesn't cost much.

Carpet cleaner (HSS way cheaper than rug doctor) and carpet cleaning solution from Screwfix (again enormous bottle at a fraction of the cost and doesn't have an overpowering smell). We did each carpet in our house twice over a weekend - first time the water was coffee coloured and it made a massive difference. I know that lifting the carpets woukd probably be better but it will make the place cold unless you are replacing them.

(I got quotes for professional carpet cleaning and it was £80 a room if every room was completely empty - we did it ourselves for less than the price of one room and it wasn't difficult - although professional guys have almost boiling water produced by their vans)

Ime the HSS machines are much harder work than a Rug Doctor. If you hire a RD use Persil Small & Mighty as the detergent - get the bio one. Will save you a fortune on their detergent.

I'd pull up the smelly carpet and check you've not got smelly floorboards! (Sorry) My first property had been owned by someone elderly with a dog, lots of patches of smell, not just in the carpet.

If the floorboards are okay that's great - people pay to have wood floors put in! Check out how to fill the gaps and revamp them. Get some rugs and you're good to go.