>
> I'm trying to figure out how to express to the uninitiated that the
> methodology used in HP is not arcane or particularly expensive as much as
good
> and proper maintenance. The minute you say preservation the eyes begin to
> bulge thinking "EXPENSIVE." To do the right thing is often to not do the
wrong
> thing, which may in some cases mean doing nothing at all. Or to do a lot
less
> than is imagined has to be done. In the end not doing the wrong thing
saves
> the building, and doing the right thing can save money.

Back in my GC days one of my hardest problems when advising owners who were
trying to stop or prevent infection by mildew and rot in the timber joists
of damp basements (which, in most of Maine, means all basements) was
getting them to keep their basements ventilated during the spring and fall
rainy seasons.  In our older houses this usually means propping open cellar
windows and leaving bulkheads open a crack. To the owners the solution was
counter-intuitive. Its crazy to leave a window open when its raining, if
the idea is to keep the cellar dry. They were more comfortable with the
idea of running dehumidifiers, installed at some expense, rarely up to the
job, and useless in such environments if not maintained on the same
schedule as the dog gets fed on.

Which leads into another subject, the allure of the technological fix. In
my experience there are two classes of people who always find the highest
tech (which usually translates as the most expensive) approach to deliver
the highest initial comfort level. One is geeks, who extrapolate from their
own wired world to a universe where nothing works if it isn't at the
cutting edge (that in spite of the unreliability of their own technological
environment). The other is people with no manual skills and no real
experience of current technology. They seem to feel inferior in their
ignorance, which makes them very vulnerable to snake-oil salesmen. Of
course, these two categories together represent about 80% of the
population.

By the way, if we ever run out of topics, how about a discussion of the
terms "basement" and "cellar"?

Bruce

Bruce