The time-tested method for staying cool in a stone house — plus our honest take on whether you actually need A/C in Southwest France
We’re deep into a heatwave in Southwest France, and it’s not messing around. Temperatures are climbing into the upper 90s — genuinely rare for our region, especially in late May. This time last year, the water was still too cold to swim in.
So what do you actually do when it hits 100°F and your house has no air conditioning?
Many homes in Southwest France still don’t have climatisation — what the French call A/C. For most of the year, this is completely fine. Really. But for those few days that are truly brutal, here’s the drill.
The French method: work with the house, not against it
1 Get yourself to the ground floor
Stone houses are natural climate control. Thick walls keep the heat out, and warm air rises — so the bottom floor stays surprisingly cool even on the hottest days. The same walls you curse for being cold in winter become your best friend in summer.
2 Open everything at dawn
Even as the sun comes up, it’s usually still in the 60s. That’s your window — literally. Throw open every door and window and let the cool night air flush through the house while the stored heat escapes.
3 Lock it all down by mid-morning
Once the sun starts to warm up, close the windows and angle the shutters into a loose V-shape. Light still filters in through the gap, but the shutters deflect the direct heat. Then: fans on, oven off, and no ambitious workout plans. Wait it out — or better yet, head to a lake, pool, or beach.
Our heatwave hack: a portable A/C unit
When the heat drags on for several days in a row, we bring out our portable unit. It vents through a window or, in our case, the fireplace. During the day we cool the living room; at night we roll it into the bedroom so we can actually sleep — especially during those “tropical nights” when the temperature never drops below 70°F. Ours cost around $300 from a local hardware store and has been absolutely worth it.
If you’re already reconsidering the whole France-without-A/C thing — here’s some perspective: even in the hottest summers, we get about 10 to 14 truly sweltering days. Then the forecast drops right back into the 80s for highs and 60s for lows. Texas, this is not. Once summer heat arrives there (in early May!), you’re in it until Halloween. A week or two? That I can handle.
Our renovation plan — and why we’re skipping central A/C
As we renovate the house, we plan to add A/C units to a couple of upstairs bedrooms, mainly for sleeping comfort and for guests who are used to air conditioning. But the rest of the house? We’re leaving it as-is. It’s a significant investment for a handful of uncomfortable days per year — and the portable unit handles everything else just fine.
Learning to live with the seasons
The longer we live here, the more I’ve come to appreciate the rhythm of the seasons — even the sticky afternoons. There’s something quietly wonderful about letting summer actually be summer. The whole atmosphere shifts in the French countryside in July and August in a way that’s hard to describe until you’ve been in it. I never thought I’d say this, but I wouldn’t trade it.
Baguettes and butter 4eva — Raina ❤️
