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We must all have encountered some form of discomfort over this past winter due to the longer periods of rainfall we had. It was very difficult to keep our living spaces dry with no signs of fungal growths (moffa), on our interior surfaces. This can be a very annoying condition, not to mention the effects these growths have on our health due to allergies as well as the stuffy odors and damage to wood furniture, unprotected metal structures, stored items of clothing and food. Fungal growths are extremely persistent and difficult to eradicate especially because fungal spores spread easily and survive very adverse conditions without getting damaged.

It is for this reason that our buildings should be constructed, from foundation stage, to cater for keeping out humidity and controlling temperature changes between the interior and exterior environments we live in. One of the major disadvantages we have on our islands is that our humidity levels are extremely high for most times of the year. This is why we feel colder here, than in foreign countries with colder temperatures. Unfortunately, our building stone which is quarried globigerina limestone, is an extremely absorbent, porous material, which if unprotected will absorb moisture and rainwater like a sponge from the outside to our interiors. We must therefore be sure that our buildings are protected from the foundation by damp free courses which block off water being absorbed from water traveling across our underlying rocks and soils. Damp proof membranes should be applied all round the perimeter of our buildings just above ground level which will isolate all the building blocks being in contact with water from below ground level. This isolating technique will apply to every stone that is acting as a building block and must not come in contact with water by any bridging factor which will defeat the scope of all the precautions one would have taken. Even the accidental bridging of one building block below the membrane to the next building block above the membrane will result in severe effects. So, it is of utmost importance that when constructing and finishing the shell of your residence or premises, you ensure your building surfaces have been finished to high standards and superior quality.

On the other hand, our facades are where most water falls on. If the building block used is our traditional limestone, it is a must that if not coated with any other water resistant material, it is sealed with a spirit mixture which will seal the pores of limestone once and for all. However, one must ensure that before doing this, the stone is dry as once it is sealed from the outside, the captured humidity in the stone will move towards the internal surfaces. This is when we start seeing the black and green mold spots all over our internal walls. At this stage it is very difficult to remove and kill the fungus with very unlikely success. Although nowadays we find various chemical agents and treatments to kill fungal growths, we have to be very careful, as usually, in the application process we tend to spread the invisible spores to other areas within our interiors, sometimes only aggravating matters. It is therefore advisable to let the stone dry and count on our hot summers to dry everything out, and in the process killing the fungus. At this point it will flake off and die away which is when the problem starts to get solved. Strictly speaking our external facades should be double walls with a cavity between the two layers of built stone which result in an insulating cavity wall. In this way, the external wall encounters the adverse conditions, while the airspace in between acts as an insulator to temperature and humidity exchange, keeping the inner wall dry and in good condition.

Our roofs are another passageway for water to seep into our interiors. Ideally, the roof surfaces are treated with membrane and protective materials and structures before the building starts being used. Even the tiniest crack can result in enough humid conditions to enhance fungal growths. Sealing the outside from the inside should be our primary aim before coming to the actual designing and layouts of our interiors. Many times we are very excited with our new homes or commercial buildings and we tend to oversee the future problems related to our adverse environment and make the big mistake of skipping these precaution steps.

Of course internal heating and dehumidifying setups will help keep our interiors dry but only on a small scale. One must try to keep the internal open spaces as small as possible by closing doors and isolating large areas into smaller compartments and in turn try to keep these spaces dry. This will be more effective, efficient and environment friendly rather than trying to keep an open plan large space dry and warm. This will only waste our electricity uselessly and ineffectively adding on to our frustrations.

Last of all one cannot omit our apertures which are another way of water penetrating into our interiors. Sealing the aperture properly around the perimeter to the basic structure of our buildings will help enhance the dryness we want to keep inside. No channels or cracks should be left unattended as these may result in penetration of water to the internal surface. All doors and windows should act as barriers and not bridges to water. Moisture that accumulates on the interiors of our window panes is all humidity captured inside. Proper ventilation and extraction methods should help get rid of this moisture which accumulates from our cooking and even simply from breathing or from plants that we keep inside to decorate our interiors and help us keep our air healthy and clean.

Of course temperature can be controlled efficiently if we install double or even triple glazed windows as well as UV protective glass that reflects UV rays back out into the environment. With these primary considerations, one will have long term results, both in our long hot summers as well as our humid autumn and winter seasons. When buying property, your first concern should be on how this is built, where it is facing, whether it is a fully detached, partially detached or completely surrounded by other buildings and the way the sun rises and sets, as these factors will reflect in the general health of your property in the future. The more exposed surfaces and the less sun the building has, the more likely that the interiors will be cold and humid. Therefore, all the mentioned precautions must be taken very meticulously. It is after these considerations that we can then start to proceed to the actual interior design and decoration of our property.