Houses in the US haven't been built to be livable without AC (in areas that have highs over 85F or so more than a month a year) in decades. Nor have apartment b

Houses in the US haven't been built to be livable without AC (in areas that have highs over 85F or so more than a month a year) in decades. Nor have apartment buildings. You need special attention to floor plan, facing, and to make choices that go the opposite direction of what you do if you have AC and want it to work efficiently, like having really big windows that open, several big doors, and high ceilings. These tend to make your heating less efficient, so there's that problem too. You also need more expensive materials and different/better craftsmanship than has been commonly available to keep the house's interior finishes from deteriorating quickly when subjected to wide seasonal temperature swings. And more maintenance regardless.