10 Things to Look for in Creepy Crawl Spaces 

You won’t find basements in Charleston-area homes.  Typical foundations in the area are concrete slabs, and elevated construction, and crawl spaces.  The condition of crawl spaces can range from spiffy to downright frightening.  Consider these tips.

  

Homes on crawl spaces have an air space between the ground and the underside of the home.  Without proper management, moisture can cause increased humidity levels in the crawl space and precipitate rot, mold, or the invasion of pests such as termites.  Often plumbing and ductwork are run in the crawl space, and leaks from these systems can further contribute to moisture build up under the house.  In addition, if the yard is not sloped away from the house, rainwater can flow into the crawl space.  In some areas, groundwater can rise up from underneath the space after heavy rain events.  A crawl space home is not necessarily worse than a slab or elevated home; it simply requires some management and attention.

If you own or are considering the purchase of a home built on a crawl space, there are several things to look for:

1)   Is a vapor barrier in place?  A vapor barrier is essentially a sheet of thick plastic over the soil in the crawl space that minimizes the influx of moist air from the soil.  Even some recently built homes do not have vapor barriers.  Take a peek through the crawl space vent to see if the vapor barrier is present and covers the entire ground surface.

The gap in this vapor barrier allows moisture into the crawl space.

2)   Does the crawl space have vents and are they screened to prevent pests from entering?  Mice, marsh rats, and other creatures often take up residence in crawl spaces.  Screening will keep the critters out.

Screening over the larger vent openings prevents vermin from entering.

3)   Is any ductwork in the crawl space properly sealed and insulated?  A telltale sign that the ductwork needs attention is puddles of water sitting on the vapor barrier.  In the summer, when cold air from the ductwork comes in contact with hot humid air, condensation will occur and drip in the crawl space, often contributing to increased humidity levels under the house.

Hot humid air contacts cool air leaking from duct work causing condensation and puddles.

4)     Are there any plumbing leaks?  They often go unnoticed under a house.

This drain line for the kitchen is disconnected.

5)    Are all penetrations to the first floor sealed?  Conditioned air will leak out of the house through unsealed penetrations such as bathtub and sewer drains, water and gas lines, heat pump condensate lines and even cable/phone, and electrical lines.  When cool dry air meets the warm moist air in the crawl space, condensation will occur on the building.

These penetrations can be easily sealed with spray foam.

6)    Is there any debris or trash in the crawl space?  Anything that could be a “home” or food source for pests should be removed, including paper and items repairmen sometimes leave in the space.

7)  Is the crawl space insulated, and is the insulation secured in the floor joists?  Some older homes may not have insulated crawl spaces.  In many homes with insulated crawl spaces, the insulation is not secured and falls down from the floor joists.  It is easily reinstalled, but if it’s wet, it should be replaced. 

8)   Where does rainwater falling from the roof go?  Do gutters and downspouts direct water away from the home’s foundation?

This rain barrel collects runoff.

9)   Is there a fan running in the crawl space?  This is a telltale sign of a moisture problem.  Current building science information indicates that running a fan in a crawl space simply circulates the air but will not reduce humidity levels.  When the outside summer air is 85 degrees and 80 percent humidity, running a fan won’t help matters.

10) Is there a sump pump in the crawl space?  This is an indicator that the space receives water and a system is in place to collect the water and remove it from the space.

Sealing crawl spaces is a relatively new practice.  The space is closed up with a fiber reinforced plastic barrier essentially bringing the space into the building envelope of the house and blocking intrusion of outside air.  Often this includes the installation of a dehumidifier and system to monitor humidity levels under the house.  For homes in flood zones, insulated break-away vents are installed to allow any flood water to drain from the space.  Advanced Energy, a building science think tank in North Carolina, has done extensive research on sealed crawl spaces and published a useful guide. 

This short video from Advanced Energy summarizes how water enters a crawl space and how sealing and proper maintenance can minimize moisture issues under the home.  They also have several additional short, informative videos discussing moisture and mold management in crawl spaces such as this video on closing your crawl space vents.

If you are considering the purchase of a home with a crawl space, ensure you have a thorough inspection and plan to maintain the space to prolong the life of the home, minimize pest issues and ensure good indoor air quality.

Our Green-ish Home Remodel

Moving back to Charleston, we wanted a house in a neighborhood close to downtown within walking distance to shops, restaurants, groceries, and other basic necessities.  I had been enamored with the classic neighborhood feel, tree-lined streets, and mix of housing styles in the Windermere and Byrnes Downs neighborhoods and was lucky enough to find a house that would suit our needs with what I thought would be a little work (hah!) The house is a solid structure with a new light colored roof and newer energy efficient windows, wonderful natural light, with mature live oaks in the front and back yards with lots of backyard wildlife.

The goal of our remodeling was to make the 1950s house "work" for our needs, to ensure its durability, and to provide a healthy environment for us inside the house (aka clean air) and natural environment outside the house.  We started with a kitchen update, flooring, and painting before we moved in.  We converted an old bedroom to a breakfast room open to the kitchen and backyard.  Some of the "green" aspects of our remodel so far include:

• We requested our flooring company remove the old 1970s carpet and pad and recycle it at Southeast Plastics Recovery in North Charleston.
  
• With the carpet up, we were thrilled that the original hardwood floors were in reasonably good condition.  They are 12' long, red oak boards that had never been sanded before.  We refinished the floors with BONA products. These products are certified by the Greenguard Institute for Indoor Air Quality.  You can search for GREENGUARD-certified products at  http://www.greenguard.org
  
  
• Carpeted the upstairs with carpet made from corn plant fibers (the part that's left after they harvest the corn we eat).  Reviews say it's durable and more stain resistant than some conventional carpets. It's a treat to have carpet after only having tile floors for three years.
  
• Painted with no-VOC paint.  VOCs are volatile organic compounds that aren't good for us or the environment during their production or use.  I painted almost every night after work and wasn't overcome with the usual vapors.
  
• Cabinetry certified by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturer's Association Environmental Stewardship Program - employing environmentally responsible materials and practices.
  
• Quartz countertops - manufactured locally, selected for their durability, and also GREENGUARD Certified for indoor air quality.
  
  
•  Fluorescent lighting in most of the house.  The military won't move light bulbs so we had to replace all of them anyway.  We opted for LED undercabinet lighting and solar walkway lights. We installed insulated can lights in the kitchen, but they require further sealing to prevent air leakage with the attic above.  In retrospect, I would have skipped the cans as the two pendants and undercabinet lights are sufficient.
  
• Waterwise water efficient shower heads in baths (available at your local home store and easily installed). The house came with full force faucets, and our first water bill was pretty high.  I'm looking at dual flush/low flow toilets or adding a water displacement bladder in our existing toilets to decrease their water usage.  (see Dwellsmart: http://www.dwellsmart.com/Products/Bathroom/Toilet-Tummy)  In addition, our clothes washer was kaput after three years in storage.  We replaced it with an Energy Star-rated washer that also minimizes water usage.
  
• I haven't had much time to work on the garden, but we added a rain barrel to capture runoff from the rear roof to water the garden and a composter to make better soil for the garden and yard.  We have very sandy soil that doesn't hold water.  Addition of organics will allow me to grow plants and grass while minimizing runoff from the site.
  
  Lessons Learned:

• Contractors may not be into recycling construction waste.  Our remodeling contractor rented a dumpster that was emptied twice during the kitchen remodel project.  We held out all metal and took it to Bees Ferry for recycling, but the rest went to the construction debris dump.  I learned afterward that Habitat for Humanity has a group that will deconstruct and recycle building materials
  
• Really look at your lighting needs before agreeing to too much.  Our house has ample natural light and we overdid it with the lighting in the kitchen.  We don't need the extra lights, and it was a waste to install them. Don't let contractors upsell you!
  
• It takes time and commitment to research green materials.  There are many options available and there are always tradeoffs.
• This is a lot of work, but very satisfying.  We won't garner an LEED certification when we're done, but we will have a durable, healthy home in a great location to enjoy for years to come.

Next Up:  Improving energy efficiency -- tackling our leaky ductwork attached to oversized heating/cooling systems. The house has enough heating/cooling capacity for about 3000 square feet of living space, about 50% more than we need.   If we insulate and air seal the building envelope and fix the leaking ductwork, we run the risk of causing a mold issue.  We're working with the Sustainability Institute and a certified home energy rater on options.  Energy improvements are less "sexy" than kitchen remodels but managing moisture and humidity in the house will ensure it lasts for years to come.

Charleston Real Estate Market Update

Analysis of data from the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors' Multiple Listing Service shows the real estate market in Charleston continues to stabilize and improve.  The charts below show comparisons of sales of single family homes in Summerville and Mount Pleasant from December 2008 to February 2009 and December 2009 to February 2010.  In general the supply of homes for sale has decreased and the number of homes sold has increased.  Decreasing supply and increasing demand indicate an improvement to the market.  Pricing (average price per square foot) is also stabilizing in many areas. Summerville appears to be lagging behind Mount Pleasant but the number of homes for sale in Summerville has declined steadily for many months, a definite positive trend.

The number of single family homes sold in Summerville declined slightly year over year, while the number of homes for sale was down (partially due to builders limiting construction of standing inventory homes).  The number of days homes stayed on the market remained about the same year over year, while prices adjusted downward from $95 per square foot to $88 per square foot.  The median price of sold homes has also decreased.  Affordability is the best it has been in years for homebuyers in this area. (Click on the chart for full-size viewing.)

In Mount Pleasant, sales were up and inventory was down.  The average days homes that sold sat on the market was up slightly.  The price per square foot of sold homes was down $8 per square foot but stabilized in recent months.  The median price of sold homes increased from 2009 to 2010.  Affordability was up in Mount Pleasant, and many home buyers took advantage of an opportunity to buy in the area while prices were low.  Several Mount Pleasant neighborhoods have less than six months of inventory as sales of homes priced under $400,000 are moving briskly. (Click on the chart for full-size viewing.)

Tiny Houses - How Small is too Small?

As the economy contracted and families tightened their budgets, smaller homes have become more popular.
The National Association of Homebuilders report that the size of homes is decreasing.  The national average is now around 2300 square feet, down 100 square feet or so from recent years. Builders are constructing smaller more energy efficient homes with efficient space planning.

I like this idea of better space planning and energy efficiency.  Less home means less to clean, heat, cool, and maintain.  But how small is too small?  Could you live in 100 square feet of space? Take a look at these "Tiny Houses"  .

Given that they are detached homes, water, sewer, and electrical lines have to be run to them.  Would that be called "tiny sprawl"?  I think a more environmentally sensitive solution is infill development and redevelopment in our cities where utility services already exist rather than starting new neighborhoods of tiny homes.


On the other hand, these tiny houses are cute as a button - like oversized doll houses. My husband thinks the tiny houses look like sheds or outhouses. Indeed, some of them are delivered on trailers.  I love my husband and cat but would need at least one room to get away once in a while. One of the larger "small house" plans might work for us.

I do like the philosophy behind tiny houses, which is to simplify your life.  Get rid of the stuff you don't need and don't accumulate more stuff or become a slave to your stuff.  With a smaller house, you save money and time that you can then put toward living -- spending time with friends and family, going on vacation, or volunteering. When we moved overseas, we purged a lot of our stuff and rented a smaller house, and I have to say I'm enjoying it.  When we return to the states, both boys will be in college and we'll likely downsize further.  I just don't think we're quite ready to go tiny!!

Unintended Consequences -- Turtles, Alligators & Taxes

I "rescued" the turtle from my front yard and carried him back to a pond across the street last summer.  I was concerned a car would run over him as our house was near a busy intersection.  I had a choice of three ponds in which to deposit him and chose the one that historically had the most turtles resting on a concrete drain pipe on sunny days. Fewer turtles had been there in recent weeks, so I reasoned he should go back to that pond.  I carried him at arms length.  Turtles, as a defense mechanism, will urinate or defecate profusely,  and I was trying to avoid that issue. I set him down on the bank and he scuttled into the pond.

Two days later, a neighbor alerted us that an alligator had taken up residence in the pond over a month prior.  At this point, I knew I probably had not helped this turtle.  Perhaps he was aware of the alligator and making his way to one of the other neighborhood ponds. I was trying to help him, but Mother Nature had her own plans and designs. My intervention may have saved him from being run over but probably didn't save him from becoming the alligator's lunch.

Similarly, a few years ago, South Carolina passed legislation changing our property tax system.  Sales tax rates increased to provide funding for schools.  Property taxes shifted to a Point of Sale program where homes were reassessed for their sales value when they sold.  Existing homeowners saw their property tax bills decline as the school funding portion of their bills evaporated with the new legislation.  People purchasing homes saw taxes increase after they bought their new home.  Real estate agents and homeowners were cautious about disclosing the taxes on properties on the market, knowing that the new owner's taxes would be higher, concerned that higher taxes might dissuade a prospective buyer from purchasing the home. 

A few years down the road several unintended consequences have arisen from the Point of Sale tax system:
1)  Some next door neighbors paid very different amounts of property taxes depending on when they purchased their homes.
2) Investors were disinclined to purchase properties as higher property taxes made cash flow impossible on rental properties in some areas.
3) Businesses considering locations in South Carolina also became aware of property tax disparities and some chose to locate elsewhere.
4) Sales tax revenues declined as people spent less due to the economy, resulting in less money for the schools. School funding shortages resulted in teacher layoffs and other issues affecting the quality of education and facilities provided to our children.

Now, with the significant decline in real estate sales prices and the overall economy, home buyers are purchasing homes closer to 2006 values. In some cases, with the decline in property value, the taxes could potentially be less than the previous owner was paying. Significant disparity remains for those who purchased homes in the intervening years before prices fell.

State government, local government, South Carolina Association of Realtors and others are working on tax reform measures but no consensus has been reached.  Some propose changes to encourage businesses to locate in the state.  Others feel business/commercial, investor, and owner-occupied property taxes should be addressed.

With counties, cities, and schools seeing budget shortfalls, it is clear that more tax money is needed to provide continued services for the public good.  Hopefully any resolution will be analyzed from every angle for future unintended consequences, and the tax burden will be fairly and equitably distributed among all sectors.

It's hard to predict how natural systems or the economic/financial systems will react to changes.  Sometimes, even with the best of intentions, we make things worse!!

Good News in Charleston Real Estate -- Inventory of Homes Decreasing

One real estate market indicator we watch is the inventory of homes for sale.  

Data from the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service shows that the inventory of homes for sale in Mount Pleasant is decreasing, a very positive trend for our market.



The inventory of single family homes for sale in Mount Pleasant was 916 as of February 1st, 2010 and has remained below 1000 homes for the past three months. The number of homes on the market in Mt Pleasant had not been under 1000 since June 2006.



Month                    Number on Market
November 2009            997 homes

December 2009            957 homes

January 2010                 916 homes



Peak inventories have also decreased since the July 2007 peak of 1330 homes.



Month/Year         Peak Inventory
October 2006       1147 homes

July 2007               1330 homes

July 2008               1224 homes

May 2009               1174 homes              



Similarly in the Charleston Tri-County Area (Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties), the inventory of available homes for sale has fallen to 6227 single family homes from a peak of 7430 homes in August 2008.  The last time the inventory of single family homes was under 6300 was in March 2007.



As home buyers take advantage of historically low interest rates and home buyer tax credits, we expect inventories to decline further, continuing this positive shift in our market.

Charleston Area Median Prices - Goose Creek & Johns Island Increase in 2009

Here's a nice map showing the change in median price for various areas of Charleston (courtesy Charleston Trident Association of Realtors). Changes varied across the market.

Goose Creek and Johns Island saw year over year increases in their median prices. West Ashley was not far off the target with a lower decrease than many other areas.

Areas with a lot of second homes generally saw larger declines as activity in this market segment dropped off. Fewer people are interested in second homes during a down economy. Home sellers in these areas have significantly lowered their prices, so there are some tremendous values on the barrier islands. See the average price per square foot numbers in the charts for Kiawah Island and Seabrook Island, Sullivans Island and Isle of Palms, below.  The number of sales in these areas have improved as buyers are scooping up great values. Click on the figures below to see them in full size.