West facing lanai problem?
 

We are considering buying in TV. We have heard that a west facing lanai is so hot that it is unusable in the afternoon. Do some buyers avoid a west facing lanai? Any input is appreciated.

We are on our second one. We are thinking about Cooleroo shades, available from Lowes and Home Depot and they will install them.

Beautiful sunsets.

Check out JoJo's avatar picture.

We allways buy with the back of the house facing East for that very reason. If you can't block the afternoon sun, you will roast with a west facing back.

You are right. Hot in the three hottest months, Lovely in the three coldest months.

I LOVE my front porch. I can switch.

West side will heat up

winter

http://www.solarplots.info/images/ot...er_graphic.png

summer

http://www.solarplots.info/images/ot...er_graphic.png


I would think facing east is cool in the winter afternoons??

West facing
 

We have a west facing lanai. We installed Plantation Shutters from 48hr blinds that helps a lot. Got great service from Rick. Had Lowes install Cooleroo shades on the Lanai. They work well but had a very bad experience with Lowes and Cooleroo. They were suspose to be installed in 3 weeks. It was 6 weeks because Cooleroo sent the wrong color brackets. Lowes & Cooleroo did not care about the delay. They told us "things happen". Lowes use to be my first choice, now I go to Home Depot first. :cus:

I have friends who bought new homes and they have a west facing lanai. Nice to have a view of the sunset but terrible hot when the summer sun is beating in on the lanai.

I would not even look at a home with a west facing lanai. We have an east facing enclosed Florida room and love sitting in there both morning and evening. It is air conditioned and we also have Cooleroo blinds. Just one more advantage of buying a resale home!

Love our west facing lanai
 

We have a West facing lanai and wouldn't trade it. The sun gets around here about mid afternoon and we cannot eat dinner out here, so we ordered Coolaroo sun shades from Lowes. The should be here this week so we will see how it goes! BTW, our house faces a bit South West. As Gracie said, the sun sets are breath taking!

We specifically wanted a West facing lanai and have been in FL for 8 years.
Great sunsets!
We have a pool and would rather have some sun.

West facing lanai
 

ABSOLUTELY!! when my husband and I selected our property that was number one priority!! We knew we wanted a pool in the sun and SHADE on our lanai ALL the time.!! we took the time to find the right property and couldn't be happier. We're always on the Lanai and enjoy the Shade all the time. The back door neighbors are never on theirs because the sun is right on their lanai. But think about When you will want to sit on your lanai. Perhaps in the morning you'll be out doing activities so sun won't bother you. Or will you be out in afternoon so sun wont' matter? If you enjoy sitting outside will it be during dinner hours ? Do you enjoy dining on your lanai. sun is extremely important. I know many people have enclosed their lanai's but to me that takes the joy out of sitting outdoors, enjoying the sound of the birds, fresh air, etc.. Moving down from NY I LOVE sitting outside and not having to deal with the mosquitoes. It's fabulous. But you are right on when thinking about this. Sun Direction is extremely important. Don't let any sales person tell you otherwise.

Bring a compass when looking at homes or lots.

My #1 priority was a east to east-southeast lanai.

In summer the lanai-sunroom is much cooler with only the early morning sun and in winter the sun moves farther south and warms the back of the house early in the day. Check your house or lot for trees or houses that may block the sun. Fading of fabrics is also a problem.

Shades are great (was in the business myself) but if opaque will spoil your view. Try outdoor movable solar screen as an alternative.

I gladly trade half an hour of sunset for avoiding 4 or 5 hours of roasting summer sun.

When we were house hunting it seemed most of the houses had west rear exposures. Just a limited observation.

:wave:

YES the western sunsets are beautiful.....but dont kid yourself.....a western facing lanai is HOT and in most cases unbearable for 4-6 months a year. Highly suggest you experience this first hand to determine your tolerance to heat , humidity and sun glare BEFORE you buy your lot. If you are a snowbird, this issue is much less of a problem but if you plan to be a year round resident, lot location as well as lanai direction should be a major consideration. If you will be facing directly west, the problem can be more than just the lanai for the sun at a certain point in the sky will also come through the large sliding glass doors. In addition to the dirt and rain on the open lanai, I would guess the #1 reason to enclose a lanai with low e windows and AC would be to provide additional AND useable Square footage to you home......otherwise a western facing lanai is unuseable for a good part of the year.

I drove our Realtor crazy! I did look at some west and north rear exposure houses (willing to compromise if there was some awesome feature, like backing up to a 4-board fence/horse farm, etc.), but my mantra was "southern exposure"!!! Love it. We get a little of everything except cold....perfect!

We love our west facing lanai, and the east facing front of the house. The houses behind us block the sun during the day, and we have some high-grade shades installed, (*NOT* the Coolaroo shades). We keep the shades about 12 inches down all the time, and seldom have to lower them any more than that in the afternoon. One thing that I would say, is to definitely get some shades.

I originally had planned for a southern exposure as I am one of those people who crave light in my home. I actually ended up with a lot where my lanai exposure will be ESE, not exactly what I was anticipating having for my home. However, the lot backs up to a golf course which was equally important to me. Not so much the course itself, but some sort of view... Now that I have checked out my plat of survey a gazillion times, I see how this can actually be beneficial! With my kitchen/nook window facing south and my lanai and nook sliders facing ESE, I will get plenty of daylight coming in, but not so much as to heat up the house. I plan to have a birdcage in the back which should still get plenty of light. And the lanai should stay a bit cooler, so I am sure this will work!
I might suggest that you visit a west facing lot during the afternoon to see if you like it. I truly think I could do anything except north. But keep in mind the amount of light that may come in and how it may affect your lifestyle! Good hunting and I am sure you will find the perfect place for your new home!

Jimbo, which way will your lanai be facing?

The exact orientation is 160 deg mag., true solar south in that area is 175 deg, so I looked for a lot turned 15 deg east to get away from the western setting sun a bit, but great for morning warmth & lite.

I'm sure that is the ideal place to be.

Additionally I'm using solar hot water so as an added benefit it works for that great as well.

THere are other landscaping benefits to take advantage of if you're aware of the suns heat. Example certain palms planted on the cooler north side of your hause may not be happy, but in direct sun on the south they can thrive, but that's another whole issue.

You are so right!
 

Agree with Hulababy!!

I've been in Florida since 1957. I would only buy a house that faces north or south. That's my 2 cents.

Ours is West facing and it is perfect. Yes the summer months are hotter. The pool stays warmer, we have a Sunsetter awning that provides shade when needed and if it's to hot, we jump it the pool. West facing with an awning allows you 12 months use, East facing is very cool in the winter months. So my first choice would be West. Because we knew we wanted a pool, we actually looked for West facing.

In reality west facing by more than 30 deg off due south is not giving you the all the solar gain to heat the pool.

In other words if the mag reading is greater than 205 deg you lose some gain especially in the winter months.

You can always kick up the heater:icon_wink:

Ours is facing west love looking at the sunset. Living in Mira Mesa we have a large tree in the backyard that keeps it shaded. :coolsmiley:

North
 

GG, if you have read all the replies, you'll see a lot love the West lanai exposure, but it is a personal choice you'll have to make. There is always the good and bad with many things, (i.e. gas cart vs electric cart).

Our last stay was in a villa with the lanai facing West. Hot! The house we are closing on in July has the lanai facing North. Has a nice oak tree in front yard so the front of the house is shaded during most of the hot hours of the day.

There are so many nice park areas to view the sunsets, if that is your "thing", and even a scenic viewing area overlooking Lake Sumter, where many make it a truly enjoyable experience, to include wine and snacks. Very romantic. (Yes, we plan to do it often after we move down.)

If you want West because sunsets are a priority, keep in mind many West facing lanai are blocked by the homes directly behind, so you couldn't actually see the sun set beyond the horizon. Yes, the pictures God paints across the sky each dawn and sunset are breath taking, but with all the things we all buy or will be buying when we move down, buying shades for the lanai just adds more expense. With a pool we will be out most of the afternoon. Don't think I could bear it if the lanai faced West!

My suggestion would be get a North facing lanai. Most of the homes and villas we have rented (8) have had the lanai face either South or North; the two with a West were really hot from about 1PM until just before sunset.

Think of your lifestyle and what priorities you want. For us it was a small pool and anywhere along the Morse Blvd corridor (because my favorite championship courses are on or just off Morse Blvd). Also I wanted ease of access to Morse, and be reasonably close to the town squares. We got it in Rio Grande. We are a block off Morse, and will be 5 minutes to Spanish Springs and 5 minutes to Lake Sumter. Are we excited? :a040::a040::a040::a040::pepper2::pepper2: :MOJE_whot: You can go to the bank on it!!! Can't wait to call TV. . . HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck with your choice!

I would guess that about one quarter of the homes have west facing lanai's or southwest or north west etc.etc.etc.

It is just like all of the villages here. If it is YOUR lanai or YOUR village, it is the one you like the best. We loved both houses, and we loved both lots and we loved both villages, and all of our neighbors and we have enjoyed both west facing lanai's.

So wherever you live, or whatever you face, it is the most fun place to be for YOU, you can just count on that.

I just love this place.

My lanai faces west & yes it is pretty warm in the summer mid to late afternoon. That being said, I wouldn't want any other way. We planted trees that gives a canopy effect which creates enough shade & we use the ceiling fan often. MOST afternoons we are still able to enjoy the screened lanai and.... since the sun is at the back of the house my kitchen which is in the front has had a chance to cool down. If I had to choose all over again my preference would still be a lanai facing west.

After owning 9 homes I learned to never buy a house with a west facing lanai or east facing master bedroom. Word!

we love the west facing with the sunsets and ability to use the sun to warm us in the winter. We got all westward windows tinted and the sun does not heat the house in the summer. East facing is lonely unless you get up early to watch the sunrise.....cold in many months

Professor, Splain to me how west facing is too hot, except when heating a pool. You need to put the sextant away and think a little more logically. You must be an engineer. :beer3:

A west-facing lanai may not be for everyone but we purposefully chose ours. It is ideal for pools. The sunsets are spectacular. It is warm in the winter and comfortable in the shoulder season. We eat dinner outside on all but a very few hot days. The ceiling fans help in the summer and we also get good breezes. I read out there in the afternoons in the summer under the ceiling fan.

Ours faces west and I personally like it that way. The main thing about the lanai facing west is that the garage faces east and that cuts down on the heat in the garage in the afternoon and evening. Those doors still get hot in the mornings while the sun is hitting them, but hopefully, I'll get them insulated soon.

our Realtor
 

Our TV Realtor, Jack Skelly, the one that has been in TV the longest, does not like to sell a west facing Lanai. He will if people truly understand the heat issue. He says these people are his neighbors and he does not want to run into them and have them be angry. Again it is a personal preference.

North, East, South, West side exposure.
They all beat the "down" side.

Our backyard as we sit under our birdcage faces south directly with the sunsets in evening as our side full view to the west Seems perfect to me. I imagine the sun will come in the west side windows of the house during the day but we have shades if it gets to be too much. The sunsets are so magnificent and if you like Happy Hour with a pastel sky, there should be a way to accomplish both if you pick the right spot!

Damn straight.:pepper2:

Engineer>>>>far from one. I just have been into the subject for many years and a good friend is an engineer type that owns a solar design firm here on LI.

I do really like reference to the sextant tho.

All year the west is hotter due to temps reaching their peaks at the time of day (1PM -4PM) when the sun is in west.

I see your east facing lanai and I raise you one front porch. ;)

You're a real card Gracie.

I have no problem with my west facing lanai. Most of the year we have lovely breakfasts on that lanai when the day is cooler and the sun is not beating down on us, and the awesome sunsets we see due to our oversized lot without a home behind us.

For a couple of hours, in the late afternoon, we have the sun low in the sky shining in on the lanai. Roll shades are very helpful during this time if we're out on the lanai.

I'll keep my great breakfasts and lovely sunsets and my west facing lanai.

What this thread confirms is the ability of people to adapt to the circumstances in which they find themselves. Those with west facing lanais find a way to make that a positive -- same with south, north, east and all in-between. I would prefer an eastern exposure for a lanai in TV, but that will not be the determining factor in a purchase.