Facing west
 

We bought a lot in Sanibel which has the lanai facing west. Those of you that have a lanai facing west, would you do that again or would you do something different? Thanks for your help.

Our lanai faces east.

:sing:"We get the sun in the morning and the moon at night!":sing:

(Sorry...couldn't resist...and we really don't get the moon at night)

Anyway, the east-facing lanai played a big part in our decision on which home to buy.

Hi Rodie,

Welcome! We also sought and bought an east facing lanai. However, west facing is not without it's advantages. You can watch Florida's spectacular sunsets from your lanai and might find that you enjoy the afternoon sun quite a bit in the winter.

We have a west facing lanai and would probably not do it again as it get s very warm in the afternoon.

I rented a house for a month waiting for the closing on my house. The rental had a west-facing lanai and it was horrible with the sun glaring all afternoon. And this was November, I can't imagine what it's like in the summer. I'm so glad that my own lanai faces south, it was the right choice.

we are snowbirds with a west facing lanai - we enjoy the afternoon sun very much during the winter months...but...we did install roll-up blinds on the west windows in order to reduce the sun glare. the overhead fan does much to keep it cooled down on the early spring afternoons.

if we lived there year-round i think we would change the orientation - or would open it up to the house and put it under heat/air.

Ooper was being "polite"..a West facing lanai will get "very warm"....LET THERE BE NO ARGUMENT HERE...a west facing lanai will be HOT 6-7 months a year (April - October) and maybe more depending upon how directly west you face. Now this problem can be overcome for many people who own these properties will end up enclosing the lanai with low E glass and then add AC to the room. Doing this solves more than simply a hot lanai that faces west...open lanais do get dirty and wet ...problem solved....need a little more room ...problem solved......so it really depends upon the type of person you are and what you want out of the lanai .

We love our west facing lanai. The sunsets are so beautiful and the heat does not bother us - that is the reason we moved here- the heat!!!

I also have a west facing lanai and it's not a bother. I love my breakfast in the morning out there in the shade with my cats. It's in the shade almost all day. For a while in the late afternoon when the sun gets low it can be a bit of a glare, but then the gorgeous sunsets make up for that. I have an extended lanai of over 12 feet deep, so the sun is not much of a problem.

Our lanai faces West and because we have a pool it's perfect. We installed a Sunsetter motorized awning for summer afternoons which works really well. But the winter months the West is the best. We use it all the time year around.

You people are tougher than we are. We have an east facing lanai, in the shade all afternoon, but we find it very unpleasant to sit outside in the summer when its 95 degrees, so we did not use it all summer. Now that the temps are starting to drop, we have started using the lanai again late in the day, with the fans running. If that lanai was west facing into the sun, it would only be useable about 4 months a year for us, unless there was a shade tree in front to block the sun.

I am one of those rare people (in more ways than one!) who told my sales rep that I WANTED my lanai to face west. I LOVE to watch the sunset....and it just doesn't get any better if you see the sunset over water......which I am fortunate to have up north and also in TV.

Even when I was there earlier in the month and it was very HOT, it was lovely in the lanai watching that beautiful sunset.

I'm not sure what the future may bring...maybe enclose the lanai?

I need to get a bowl to make tuna in, a salt and pepper shaker and a million other little odds 'n ends before I think about that one! :)

Thanks for the info. This is what we are planning on doing, having a deep lanai and then a pool area. We figured with the deep lanai, that that would provide us with shade most of the time and then also get the sunsets. Then in the late fall, winter and early spring that we would want the warmth from the sun as much as we can get. Love to hear any more comments out there from your experiences.

We love our west facing lanai- its in the shade most of the day until its time to watch our beautiful sunsets. Most lanais facing east or west are too warm to enjoy in the summer heat anyway. I also find that you can enjoy the daylight a little bit longer too. We do have a pull down blind when there is too much of a glare to be able to have dinner out there. The sun is why we moved here, our friends and family from the north all agree.

One of the requirements I had was an East facing lanai. Instead, I have a wonderful East facing fully enclosed Florida room. Great sunrises while reading the paper and having coffee.

West does offer the sunsets but TERRIBLE HOT.

re: lanai facing west
 

You might want to consider planting trees in the area of your lanai which might help provide some shade when they mature. That is, if the trees could be worked into your landscaping plans.

Also, would you be able to have a second ceiling fan added to your lanai?

We moved in 5 weeks ago and we did exactly what you are planning on doing. We extended our lanai and also added a pool. The sun is over the pool all day and the views that we have of the sunsets are amazing as a matter of fact I need to stop taking pictures nightly, but I can't help myself. I think with putting a pool in your choice is perfect.

We have a west facing lanai, with a large birdcage and pool. I would do it again. While the birdcage and pool gets sun most of the day, the extended lanai "roof" keeps out the direct sun during the summer.

We are thinking about adding film to our lanai doors to lessen the heat penetration, but July wasn't all that bad.

The early day sun shining against the garage doors and heating up the garage is more annoying than the afternoon sun out back......

We have an extended birdcage with a pool and the west orientation is perfect. We eat almost every meal outside - there are only a few hot summer nights that we eat inside. The sunsets are spectacular and they change by the second. And it is warmer in the winter.

Second home here to have west facing lanai.

East facing front porch this time. I am so crazy about my front porch.

We think we will get shades (bamboo type) and anchor them so the wind doesn't flip them around and beat the screen. I hope shades give us both privacy and shade. They will not go to the floor so the breeze can still enter our space.

I am glad for the sunsets, but my dear friends Swimdawg and JoJo have spectacular sunsets and my friend Shrandell captures them so beautifully on her camera.

If I ever get unpacked, I will paint a few of those sunsets, one from JoJo's lanai and one from Swimdawgs and one from Shrandells photograph.

What a happy thought to start my day!

Thanks for info. How deep did you go with your lanai and was that the most you could do? Is yours a designer home?