I second the brick-as-thermal-mass idea. It's a great way to add cheap/free thermal mass.
If you live in an area with alot of rock in the ground, DIG THOSE BABIES UP! Dig yourself a hole in the backyard, sift the rock from it, and stack them up against the wall (if you like stacked stone look). The hole in your yard that will be left over could also be utilized for other things, like a summer fish pond or a compost ditch.
You can do some nice designs with brick/cement/cinder block/stacked stone that look great and make excellent thermal mass. If you can make reflective frames to put around the windows, they'll pick up more sunlight as well. (Like the open flaps of a solar oven.)
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