Nashville experienced a wet spring, so nearly every inspector is finding moisture under most of the homes. Soon, the humidity will descend upon us, and 98-degree air – paired with 90 percent humidity – will be lured into these damp, 60-degree crawl spaces that have ages-old moisture barriers with gaps and holes and varmints in and around them.

Then, the moisture-laden air condenses and forms fungi, and these organisms, although soaking wet, can cause dry rot in the wooden structure that holds the house together. Spores might also spawn mold.

Some houses have experienced these phenomena for years, season after season, and the dampness has become an integral partner of the composition of the homes.

In some cases, homeowners learn of these conditions and take steps to dry the crawl spaces. If complete dryness is achieved, there are extreme cases when the lumber – the skeleton of the home – develops an arthritic-type disease and contorts and twists causing drywall to pull from studs and buckling floors.

Another option is the “enclosed and conditioned” crawl space in which polyurethane is attached to walls, floors and ceilings of the crawl space and all the air within the space is conditioned, as in air-conditioned.

All of that is fine until an opossum, raccoon or squirrel stops by for a visit and rips the plastic, allowing 70-degree air to meet the 96-degree air.

There was a time when all construction required foundation vents. Homeowners were instructed to open the vents in the summer to allow air flow – air capture in some cases – and then to close them in the winter to keep the freezing air away from the belly of the house.

Lately, some say the vents should be eliminated altogether because they can cause fungus and mold to thrive.

With the Middle Tennessee terrain sloping and hilly, crawl spaces were the choice of builders in the suburbs instead of slabs. With the homes relying on coal-fed furnaces in the early development of the urban and Midtown communities, the builder dug rudimentary basements in order to house the heating contraptions. Slab building, while in existence, has not worked its way into most construction.

All fungus is not mold, and all mold is not bad. Some experts estimate that only four molds found in the 20,000 varieties of mold are harmful. Of course, many have allergies that are triggered by the airborne spores.

Now that we have solved the basement/crawlspace dilemma, let’s move onto the roof.

With all the rain lately, the roof, flashing, gutters and downspouts have come under fire as they, too, bring water into the home. Flashing, even when properly installed, can escape its adhesive bond over time and during the many seasons the area’s residents enjoy.

Another aspect of construction that has come into debate is the use of weep holes in construction. Weep holes are the intentional absence of mortar between bricks on the lowest level of the brick veneer as it hits the foundation. It was long accepted that these openings allowed a means of escape to moisture that had found its way onto the walls behind brick.

Now, the argument is along the lines of the crawl space and that being that the mini-crevices invite moist air into a cooler environment thereby causing the opportunities for mold. Some inspectors require that weep holes be added while other require that they be filled.

To vent or not to vent, to weep or not, condition or no conditioning? All the answers to all of your questions, right here in The Ledger.

Sale of the Week

Sylvan Park is a million-dollar neighborhood now with 109 42nd Avenue N. selling for $1,075,000, or $309 per square foot.

Radius Residential’s Ted Pins united both buyer and seller on this 3,476-square-footer, which he described as an “urban oasis.”

Pins’ continues to build on his reputation of listing high-quality, well-designed, intricately appointed homes for top dollar. This home has a “star-worthy heated pool,” he says, along with an entertainment area that features a waterfall and a hot tub on the screened porch.

The owners will realize savings on their energy bills, as the house includes a programable thermostat, dual flush toilets, Energy Star appliances, a tankless water heater and Green certification. With these savings, the house could pay for itself in a matter of 100 years or so and it will still be standing at that time as it is constructed of fiber cement.

When they dig through the rubble a century from now, they will find roaches, fiber cement and Keith Richards playing the opening riff to “Satisfaction,” and perhaps Pins with a billion-dollar listing.

Richard Courtney is a real estate broker with Christianson, Patterson, Courtney, and Associates and can be reached at [email protected].