Someone should write a building code that forbids crawl spaces. Crawl spaces are a classic compromise between a slab-on-grade and a basement that benefits no one, providing generally useless space that collects bugs, rodents, junk and debris—and serving as an infinite source of moisture for a building. When a prospective client calls and describes a horror story of rot and ruin, I calmly await their telling me that the building has a crawl space. Seldom, if ever, do I see a building in New England with a crawl space that is not in a serious state of deterioration. When they're not causing rot, mildew, fungus and corrosion, they're likely to be causing some other major problems. To wit:
