I looked at three houses in the last week where the homeowners did not run air conditioning. I sure hope its not related to the economy, but there were comments about how much it cost to run an AC. One of the homeowners even recently moved here from Minnesota. In any case, those houses sure were humid, and warm inside. They were all running about 80 degrees F and 60% RH inside, which is about what you would expect for our current outdoor dew points and temperatures.
This really makes me wonder about our current environmental requirements for wood flooring. Air conditioning (and humidity control) has really only been common since about the 1960s or 1970s. My parents in New York still don't have air conditioning, nor does a friend in North Carolina. Habitat for Humanity believes air conditioning is an extra and not a necessity. Which means that humidity levels have historically been higher than commonly found in houses today, and that a lack of air conditioning (and humidity control) is still common. So why the environmental requirement for wood flooring when houses can't or don't do it? This country has millions of older homes with hardwood floors that work fine. Wood flooring in new homes should work better, not worse.
Next week I am flying off to a job about two hours away. Actually I am driving, but the homeowner offered to pay for my flight, rental car and hotel. This contact started several months ago, and has lots of red flags. So it should be an interesting one.
