Arizona’s earliest settlers, the Hohokam, Sinagua and Anasazi Indians, built their homes from the earth.
The Hohokam Indians lived in pit houses, built by digging several feet down into the earth, and then building a wood frame and covering it with brush and mud.
That concept translates into the modern basement, which few new homes in Arizona have, mostly because adding a basement can increase the cost of a house by a third.
But that basement could add a lot of value to you as a homeowner. Because it’s encased in earth, a basement stays super-cool during the summer, making it a great bonus room for your family.
The Sinagua Indians built their homes like caves into the face of cliffs. You can get an idea of this style of building by visiting Montezuma Castle in Camp Verde.
These resourceful early Arizonians faced their homes to the south so in the summer, when the sun is high, their buildings were shaded.
Today, south-facing homes are the most comfortable. Still, if you live in a home that faces a different direction, you can add awnings and sunscreens to south-facing windows. Those awnings can reduce solar heat gain in the summer by up to 65 percent. Add awnings to west-facing windows as well to block the afternoon sun, and you’ll reduce solar heat gain in the summer by 65 percent.
The Anasazi Indians built pueblos on high mesas out of thick stone walls that slowly transferred the daytime heat into the house just in time to warm it up for the cool desert nights. As the night air cooled the stone, the home began each day cool and comfortable.
Similarly, today’s concrete block walls, at around eight inches thick, not as hefty as those 18- to 24-inch stone walls of old, let sun slowly radiate through the walls to the inside, where the heat is needed at night, but keep much of it out during the day.
Installers also can insulate blocks to slow down the transfer of heat.
