What makes for a Santa Fe-style home? While the details depend on the architect and home buyer, traditionally a Santa Fe-style home located in the Tucson, Arizona, area contains the following features:
Stucco Exterior Walls
At one time, the stucco (which is a light concrete product applied by hand or sprayed on) was not stucco but earth mixed up into bricks or blocks and built up to make the walls. There are still some of these adobe homes in Tucson, but most of the Southwest homes today are built with wood frame and stucco walls.
Vigas
Vigas are the rough saw wood posts and beams used to hold up the ceiling, frame rooms and windows. Vigas also protrude out from the exterior of the home to complete the look most people associate with a true Santa Fe-style home. In today's world unless the home is very old, exterior vigas are only for decoration and simply screw on to the exterior of the home. The interior vigas are also typically decorative, although many posts you see do carry weight.
Canales
Santa Fe-style homes for sale in Tucson also have drains that shoot out from the roof line and drain the water away from the home. These drains are known as "canales" and are another exterior aesthetic feature. These perform a real function, as you want water to flow away from your home during a monsoon.
Kiva Fireplace
This is the large, rounded fireplace that is usually found in the living room but also can be seen outside the home or in other areas like master bedrooms. These Kiva fireplaces are great showpieces and also usually have large benches build into them. The Kiva fireplace is one of the hallmarks of the Santa Fe-style home.
Parapets
These are low walls that extend above the roof to make for a more finished and larger home. It also prevents water from draining directly off the home, diverting the water to the canales. Older Southwest-style homes without parapets can have issues due to water running over the exterior walls and into the home.
If you are looking to buy or sell a southwest/Santa Fe-style home in the Tucson area and would like assistance, contact the Michael Oliver team today. We understand the distinctive differences that this type of home has in the marketplace. We can provide a wealth of knowledge for both buyers and sellers regarding this type of home transaction.
