Can any locals help with current information?

[kimanjome]

1 hour ago, Bisbee Gal said:

We've owned 2 homes here; one was too warm in the hot months, the other too cold in the winter months.  I think this is common in the villages where homes are either oriented East-West or North-South on a fairly strict grid.  Luckily our hot and cold periods here are fairly short.  

BisBee Gal said it perfectly--either too hot or too cold, depending upon location of house and the orientation to the sun and prevailing winds.

When I bought our home 2+ years ago it had big plate glass floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding doors on the entire length of the South and West sides, with no protection from the sun.  It also had glass skylights--sheets of sheer glass about 2 x 2 feet--cemented right into the roof.  The house was a furnace, with room temperatures well above 100 in the daytime, summer months.  (When I bought the house it was January, so I had no idea what the house would be like in the hot season).

I had all the plate glass removed and windows, which open and close, installed.  Yes, the windows have bars on them, which is why the previous owner wanted plate glass instead, no disruption of the view, but for me the cross ventilation is more important.  If you are not intending to be here  during April, May, and June, then I think some plate glass might be okay, if it faces north.  

I had a covered terrazza constructed which now runs pretty much the entire length of the house.   The overhang is about 9' out, and this gives shade to all the windows and doors.  Plus it provides protection from the direct sun and rain, and it is usable space  to enjoy.

I had glass in the roof taken out and little clerestory cupolas installed.

My last project and a very cheap one is to have the tejabas installed over the windows that are not under the terazza canopy, to reduce incoming sunlight.  Remember, too, if it is winter, when you want the heat, the sun will be at a lower angle and thus, still be able to enter a southern exposure window or door. 

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