How do you keep your home cool in a non-air conditioned house in the summer?

I recently bought a nice home on Lake Michigan. Seeing as my house has no air conditioning (yet!) and faces the east ( getting the morning sunight) my house gets absolutely stifling.

I am very sensitive to heat, especially at night and would like some tips to keep the beds in my home a little cooler and my room in general.

Fans generally are okay but the little ones do NOTHING for me.

Help Would Be Greatly Appreciated.

You could plant trees now if you know you're gonna be there in 10 years to benefit from them. Or you could just get a one room air conditioning unit for the bedroom. It seems like keeping the windows open would be the best. But unless you have a good draft it's hard to keep the heat out.

Fans in the windows are the way to go.

Get a one room air conditioner for the bedroom.Actually you can do that for the kitchen and living rooms also.Walmart around a $100 each for 5,000 btu which does a fine job of cooling.Then use a box fan to circulate air in the other rooms keep doors closed for rooms not in use.If you use box fans in the windows open on the side in shade and pull out on the hot side.Either way will give you some releif.

You can install an attic fan which has a thermostat that you can set at what ever temperature you want usually around 90 degs. F ..

That will evacuate the hot air from the attic and keep the house very comfortable. It will seem like you have air conditioning.Told my son about that and he installed one in his home and it stays about 15 to 20 degs. cooler than ambient. We live in Nevada and it can be warm here. (lol)

An attic fan will cost about $50.00 at home depot or Lowe's.

Well the poor man's air conditioner is to freeze a pan of water. then place in front of fan. the fan will blow over the ice pan and cool off. of course this is a temporary solution (and takes some work). your other options are to get a portable room air conditioner(not fan) (can move it from room to room can sometimes find on hsn.com or qvc.com or search portable room air conditioner). or buy a window air conditioner. (portables can be not too bad at $300).

other things to try is to film your windows with 3m film (reflects off light). buy heavy drapes. put shades on windows (inside/outside).

hope this helps some.

Best is to keep the sun out. Whatever kind of sun shades on the outside are the best option. Alu foil taped to the glass also helps, but then you're in the dark all day.

I had the same problem in my house so i put in an Attic fan. one of those big round ones that turn by themselves. You often see them on barns and garages. I never had a problem with the heat after that.

Get one big box fan.

Open two windows... on opposite sides of the house.

Put the box fan in one window blowing OUT...

it will draw cooler air in and thru the house.

worked for me