There is something unique about an Arizona home
We gathered a panel of experts from our list of Rosie on the House Certified Partners to identify the various idiosyncrasies of Arizona’s homes. Many Arizonans come from other parts of our country, if not the world. Our panel is no different. Some are natives. Most of us are transplants, albeit long-term residents. Our discussion uncovered some of the unique features we find in our state’s homes.
Basements
Basements, or the lack thereof, we should say. We are not talking about the walk-out lower floor on homes constructed on a hillside where one wall is below grade, two walls are partially below grade, and another is completely above grade. We are talking about fully submerged lower floors below grade on all sides.
People from back East, or even the Midwest, are familiar with basements. What are those like?
- Foundation depth. In Arizona, the depth to the bottom of a footing is generally 18 inches below grade. That depth is driven by what is known as the frost level and is likely to experience freezing soil. In the lower deserts, even 18 inches is unlikely. However, the building codes have established minimum depths depending on which climatic zone the home is located in. In colder climates, the depth may be as much as 60 inches. When excavating that deep, constructing a lower room makes good economic sense. In Arizona, 18 inches deep doesn’t really make much sense. An argument can be made when creating a subterranean room, which is a different discussion.
- Rock. Specifically, in the Valley, Southern Arizona, and elsewhere in the state, caliche is found. Caliche is caused by soil particles being cemented together by calcium carbonate. It is not as hard as concrete, but it is difficult to dig through and costly to excavate. Construction old timers called this soil “God’s concrete.” Because of this cost, home builders avoid constructing a basement where caliche occurs.
Electric Panels
Another unique feature of Arizona homes is placing the electric panels outside. According to the National Electric Code, the main disconnect switch must be outside, so a firefighter can shut off power to a home in an emergency. That makes sense. Then we go a step further and co-locate the subpanels, with all the circuit breakers outside, as well. It is inconvenient when a breaker shuts off, and you need to go outside to turn it back on, especially in bad weather. This was really an issue when GFCI circuits were first introduced, and the circuit breaker was the thing that tripped. Today, the GFCI trips at the outlet, which is a much easier fix.
The cost of co-locating the main panel and the sub-panel is another reason for this phenomenon.
Another thing we don’t like about this arrangement is anyone with access to the outdoor panel can shut off your electricity. Some folks put locks on their panels, but most of us do not. We recommend that you do.
Millwork
“Millwork” is a word some native Arizonans might not know the meaning of.
We are referring to moldings or trim work. More specifically, the lack thereof.
- Since roughly the 1960s, our window surrounds, meaning the head, jambs, and sills, tend to be wrapped with drywall. Older Victorian-style homes had copious amounts of window molding. This included three and four pieces of trim work for each window head and sill. Jambs typically had two or three pieces of trim. Elsewhere in the world, even new homes have some trim around the windows.
- The same could be said for doors. The trim work here has been reduced to a simple piece of trim, either clamshell, which is smooth, or a colonial profile that attempts to add depth to a single piece of trim. Most homes elsewhere have more adornment.
- Ceilings and floors. Crown molding and baseboards are a rarity in Arizona homes. Celebrating the intersection of a wall and ceiling or the floor is like finding the right hat and pair of shoes for any room.
We don’t do much trim work in Arizona homes.
Prep for Weather
Weather? What is that? Rain? Y’all know it doesn’t rain in Arizona, right? Preparation for rain control doesn’t seem to be a high priority for homes built during the 1960s, 1970s, and some of the 1980s. We are not talking about just leaving off gutters. We have flat roofs without a pitch and parapets. Water just falls to the ground. Until the advent of large subdivisions, Arizona builders often treated rain as an afterthought.
Building homes resistant to the desert heat didn’t make the cut either. How many of us live in or have seen slump-block homes without insulation? The block formed both the exterior and interior wall surfaces. We cranked up the air conditioning as we needed. The cost of electricity wasn’t as much a deterrent then as it is now.
Our list of unique Arizona home features doesn’t end here!
There is plenty more to uncover, which our panel of experts will cover in the studio. Tune-in live or listen to the podcast below!
Here are just a few more quirks of Arizona homes to think about until then:
- Drywall texture vs. smooth
- Backyard walls
- No door to the primary bathroom.
- Carpet vs. wood
- Landscaping (think flood irrigation)
- Lack of front porches
- Foam roofs
- The famous “Arizona Room.”
- Carports
- Screened in porches
Just a few things we could think of. We would love to hear from you about some unique qualities you see in Arizona homes. Perhaps they are in your house. Drop us a note at info@rosieonthehouse.com.
###
PODCAST
We all know there is something unique about an Arizona home. We chat with some of our Rosie on the House Certified Remodeling Experts (Regal Bath & Kitchens, BC Renovations, and Rosie Right design.build.remodel) about what makes our homes so unique.
Podcast Archive With Expanded Content and Resources
PHOTO CREDIT
- Shutterstock
