Cause of dark wood in attic?

[Tessa Sverduk]

This is an old house built in 1869. some of the wood in the attic is very dark. I’m concerned it was treated with creosote. There was some moisture in the past, but has been resolved. Does the dark wood look like it could have been treated? There seems to be an “old house smell” that is very noticeable when it is hot. I’ve been trying to figure out what is causing this unique smell. If it was treated with creosote, is that something that we should be concerned about in an attic? Thanks!

[Jerry Peck]

Some of the photos, to me, look like charred wood.

If that is what it is, I would spell that this way ... F-I-R-E!

[Gunnar Alquist]

This is an old house built in 1869. some of the wood in the attic is very dark. I’m concerned it was treated with creosote. There was some moisture in the past, but has been resolved. Does the dark wood look like it could have been treated? There seems to be an “old house smell” that is very noticeable when it is hot. I’ve been trying to figure out what is causing this unique smell. Thanks!

I'm with Jerry, First and second pics look like scorched wood. Don't know about the third and fourth.

[John Kogel]

The smell of creosote is quite distinct. Go to a railway trestle or a jetty where there are obvious creosote timbers to get the smell.
It is not likely anyone in the 1800's would creosote roof framing materials. The wood usually came straight from the mill with a bit of air drying. Creosote timbers were sometime recycled, so not unheard of, but not likely in strapping and rafters.

Besides fire, there is an algae or mold which grows on attic wood in the presence of moisture. When that dies, it stains the wood black.
Old house smell can be coming from many sources, but old carpet is a prime suspect. Even a 10 year old carpet will stink if the underlay is dirty and near impossible to clean.

[Matthew Howard]

Looking at the pictures it can only be some dampness/moisture in the area or it may be due to charring, I found something similar when I was conducting Standard Home Inspection Services Volo (http://www.perfecthomeinspection.us/service/standard-home-inspection), at that time it was due to excessive heat.

[Jerry Peck]

Looking at the pictures it can only be some dampness/moisture in the area or it may be due to charring, I found something similar when I was conducting ( (http://www.perfecthomeinspection.us/service/standard-home-inspection)link removed so as to not duplicate it), at that time it was due to excessive heat.

Weird putting in a link in that, makes one wonder if the only reason for the post was to put the link in there

[Gunnar Alquist]

Weird putting in a link in that, makes one wonder if the only reason for the post was to put the link in there

I recall that Google uses bots to search through websites and look for links back to other websites. The story that I heard is that the more links back to your website, the better your Google search rankings are. This guy might just be trying to use that post to boost his rankings. I didn't follow his link. Of course, I do the same thing with my "signature" on this page.

[Dom D'Agostino]

Weird putting in a link in that, makes one wonder if the only reason for the post was to put the link in there

It's called "link dropping" (like name dropping) and it's very annoying. Just a form of spam.

[Chris Weekly]

I'm with JP and Gunnar on this - scorched wood indicating a history of fire at that attic. I've seen a number of these, but most get painted when they have determined that the wood is still sound. But sometimes you just see the evidence of scorched wood. Your example looks just like one I found recently. The skipped sheathing was scorched black and new plywood sheathing added on top, along with some new framing lumber (1x6 sistered with original 2x4 - yeah that oughta work). Makes for a artistic look to your attic, but I recommended in this case an engineer to determine soundness, or structural integrity. 34069

[Jim Robinson]

I think the OP is gone.

Photo 3 looks just like the roof deck on my house when we pulled off the roof on the second floor and added a third floor. It also looks just like the 1x sheathing when we pull off the siding. Both had 30# or 15# asphalt under the exterior., and were stained black in that type of pattern. Photo 1 and 2 look like there was a fire. Photo 4 I can't really see what the issue is.