@arapaho415 lovely succulents!
My wanting south facing windows applies wherever I'd build in the northern hemisphere - passive solar design is what I'm after. It would make MUCH more difference here, but it would be good anywhere. I lived in CA for 20 years, first 10 blocks from the beach in SF, then in the mountains west of Lake Tahoe. Spent 6 months in Sacramento when I was "between houses" & house hunting in PA. Down in Ventura, I know you get the wind off the ocean to your west, so that makes sense that the way your patio faces keeps it cooler. But I can't IMAGINE not having turned on the air at all!!!! I hate the heat. I call summer here "sauna season" because it's hot and VERY humid - like the South. Yuk.
