From what I recall from either a video or article somewhere, was that people also used to build their houses in ways to keep them cooler as well. The houses weren't as air tight as today and allowed more airflow. They also built two story houses with lots of windows on opposite sides of the house to catch the wind. They would then open the lower floor windows on the side of the house facing the wind, and the upper floor windows on the opposite side, to draw the heat out and replace it with the cool evening breeze. Don't remember what else there was, or where I saw it. If it turns out to be an older video if yours, I'll only be slightly embarrassed, lol.
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Yep. I lived in one of those houses. It was built in the early 1900's. and must have been gorgeous when it was built. Horse hair plaster walls (which now are crumbling a bit) and lots of details you wouldn't expect like the door hinges have intricate designs on them. The downstairs has 9 foot ceilings which meant the rooms stayed cool for most of the summer and upstairs bedrooms had 7 foot ceilings which kept them warmish in the winter months. The biggest drawback to living in that house were the cold winters. Not much insulation, lots of cracks for fresh air to get in, and since it was a big old house it was expensive to heat. When we were awake and home, I had it set at 68 degrees and at night at 65 degrees F. (I tried 70 degrees one month after we moved in, and that $400 heating bill wasn't something a divorced mother of two could afford.)
Oh, and it had 3 porches. Since we lived in an old neighborhood, it was nice to sit out on our front porch and sometimes chat with folks that walked past. Definitely the way it should be.