Facing East of Facing West?

[ripwho]

All - I'm hoping to come down to TV in August or Sept (and potentially buy!). What is the general opinion as to what direction the house should be facing with respect to the sun? Is it better to have the lanai get the rising morning sun or the evening sun set? Thanks in advance.... :dontknow:

[redwitch]

If it has to get direct sun, definitely the morning sun. Afternoon sun would make the lanai pretty unbearable without fans and air. Mine faces south and is pretty usable 24/7 and I'm pretty much out there most of the day when I'm home (no air or fan in mine).

[borjo]

My house faces the south, one exposed window. The lanai is on the north, love it. We have roll-ups on the west side so there's shade almost all day and no sun comes into the house anytime.

[blueeagle65]

We chose to have our house face west. We get more use out of our lanai in the evenings than the mornings and even the mornings aren't unbearable because the temp hasn't yet risen.

[ripwho]

Thanks !!! sounds like south and/or west facing is the best!!!

[downeaster]

My house faces east. My neighbor across the street faces west and his lanai is just as hot as mine in the PM
I have a retractable awning on my Florida room windows and inexpensive roll up/down blinds on my lanai. I also have privacy in back and I spend most of my time on my lanai. (My wife likes to keep the house too cold).

DC

[villages07]

for you wannabees out there, in The Villages when we speak of a home facing east or west, we generally talk about which way the lanai faces. For all but the patio villas, the lanai is in the back of the house. It isn't always clear when reading the prior posts whether the author means the front faces east/west or the lanai does.

As several have stated, west facing lanais can get pretty warm in the summertime.

[downeaster]

"in The Villages when we speak of a home facing east or west, we generally talk about which way the lanai faces"

I have lived here nearly seven years and I didn't know that!! In fact I have never lived where the front of the house is called the back of the house. I have always thought the front of the house is where the front door is located.
Just so my prior post does not confuse, my lanai is on the west side of the house and my front porch is on the east side of the house.

DC

[Russ_Boston]

Good clarification V7 - More importantly when us wannabes read the house descriptions on the Villages or other real estate web sites they usually state: 'East facing' or 'North facing' and they mean which way the lanai faces.

After my research and looking at actual homes in the morning and then later in the day, I would want to face (lanai) somewhere between Southeast and north.

[blueeagle65]

Ditto with downeaster - when talking about which way our house 'faces' we refer to the front of the house as well.

[Russ_Boston]

Well you'll just have to get used to the TV way. Unless, of course, you prefer to face the sun on your lanai :joke:

[beady]

I think it's a toss up. Our lanai faces WSW and is pretty toasty these days, cools off enough to sit outside after sundown, with the window open, as long as the fan is on. It is enclosed with acrylic, not under air.
In the cooler months it is great, we use it all the time ,eat breakfast ,lunch and dinner, nap on the couch, nice and toasty even when it get int the 50's. :) :)

[renielarson]

Our lanai faces southeast. It's so beautiful being able to watch the sun come up while sitting there drinking my coffee....on the mornings I arise that early! However, I do find wearing sunglasses a little more comfortable than having direct sun in my face.

We have a ceiling fan and even on the hottest days, with the fan going, it's pleasant spending time out there. I have not found a time when it's too hot to be sitting outside on the lanai.

[trichard]

Our Lanai faces south. No direct sun during the summer months; in December when the sun is at its lowest point in the southern sky is will only hit the lanai and not directly into the house.

[chuckinca]

Our Lanai faces North and has no direct view of the sun - which is nice

[Lil Dancer]

We had friends who had a west facing lanai, and believe me, you just wouldn't be able to use it if the temperature was over 75 degrees. You'd fry. I personally think east, or south is the way to go.

[downeaster]

Lil Dancer, my lanai faces west and I am out there when it is 90+ degrees and I haven't been fried yet. It is "under roof". If it were a bird cage it would probably be too hot.
If a buyer limits his/her home selection to a certain direction it faces, they are eliminating a lot of good homes.
BTW, I have lived in Florida 29 years and have owned four homes here each facing a different direction.

DC

[Ooper]

Another thing that I didn't see mentioned in the above is that if you have a television on the lanai, as many of us do, it is very difficult to see in the evening if your lanai faces the west.

[JohnN]

I prefer shady and cool, mine faces north but is angled where the afternoon sun gets mostly blocked by the house, so it's shady nearly all day.

Some folks have pools or love the sun and the heat. They'd prefer something different.
And yes, you have to double check on the type of home, and how one is referencing the orientation, it is important to suit your needs if you use the lanai a lot (as many do).

[efrahin]

I dont care where the Lanai is facing to, as long that my brf headboard is to the NORTH, there is something with the magnetic pole, besides the good luck.

[Lil Dancer]

I guess it would be personal preference if you like shady and cool, or sunny and warm. There is no disputing that if your lanai faces the west it will get the hot afternoon sun which makes the lanai at least 10 degrees warmer. You can put in shade trees which block it or pull down shades which will help some. Our neighbors had a $300K plus home with a west facing lanai. They admitted they couldn't use it in the warm afternoons because it was too hot for them. Our lanai faces east, and on the hot 90 degree afternoons, the lanai is in the shade , and with the fans going its very comfortable. I personally would not want to sit in the sun in 90 degree heat, but to each his/her own.