West Facing Lanai - no-no or overblown?
 

We are looking at new homes in Fenney area. Some that we really like have west facing lanai's. However, they also have extended lanai's and even have room to extend a bird cage out for additional outdoor space. We've had a few people tell us to stay away from western facing lanai's, but we went and checked it out in the late day sun yesterday and the extended lanai really seems to help a lot before the sun finally gets to an angle where it is shining directly in. Thoughts?

West
 

West facing lanais are extremely hot May through September. Multiple friends who have them enclosed the lanai and put in air conditioning.

Just my own observation ~ the sun's angle changes more dramatically through the seasons than I observed up North. What the angle is today may be very different in two months.

I would not purchase a west-facing lanai without budgeting for quality awnings or shades. You may decide you don't need them, but I would plan for the expense.

There are so many homes for sale here in The Villages I recommend you stay away from the west-facing lanais. The previous response is accurate. The heat is intense.

Our extended lanai faces directly west. We love all the light we get all day long. It is glassed, and the windows are low-e double pane. They were added after we moved in. We keep the ceiling fans on all the time. The heat difference in the lanai is not usually noticeable. If we are using the room when the sun is setting, we lower the blinds. Problem solved.

If a pool is planned, a west facing lanai would help keep the pool warm. A home with the front facing north is ideal IMHO.

We have a glass-enclosed, west-facing, lanai and love it NOW. It was very hot during the summer months so we made a few additions that make it very comfortable. First, was the solar screen shades that still allow viewing from inside. Second, we added a Sunsetter awning that is not only attractive, but makes the patio area much nicer also. That awning is very effective in reducing the heat. It even retracts itself if the wind exceeds 35 MPH, preventing damage to the fabric if you're not home. It is easily controlled with a "remote" and lights up the patio nicely with built in LED lights that are also controllable. I would not rule out a nice place just because of the west-facing lanai.

This kind of points to a few posts above. In order to enjoy a west-facing lanai in the constant 97* summer heat (103* heat index), you most likely would have to enclose it and install blinds.

Even with our east-facing lanai, there are summer days when, having not been raised in the tropics, it was too hot for us.

But this topic has been discussed before. Maybe you can do a search for it. People will swear by the whatever-facing one they have. Do you mind heat? If not, maybe you would be fine with west-facing. But I found even our east-facing to be too hot in the dog days of summer. I'm from the north, though.

Buy the house you want.
All other issues can be remedied in one way or another. West facing lanai/bird cage? Too many options to mitigate the sun (IF needed at all).
Don't pass up the house you want because of it.

A west facing lanai would be a plus if there were extended sunset views. Not too many of those here though.

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Our birdcage and pool face west and we love it. Great free solar heat for the pool, we can lounge in the sun by the pool, and the sunsets over the preserve behind our house are spectacular. Obviously a birdcage is different than a lanai and I suspect it would get very hot in an enclosed space during the summer.

We have a west facing lanai with birdcage and pool. The sun warms our pool and the sunsets are lovely. We did keep the entire birdcage with screens open to ground level to take advantage of air movement. For about two hours a day we get direct sunlight on the roofed part of the lanai and we have sun screens that roll down and fans.

We love it. Buy the house you love and if you have questions give us a call, we would love to show you our lanai in the evening hours.

We have a west facing lanai. It is enclosed with windows. We have awnings over the windows that keeps out the direct sunlight. I will admit, it will get hot in the summer. However, if we are entertaining we can close the windows and open the sliders from the house to keep it cool. However, most of the time keeping the windows open and the ceiling fan going keeps the lanai comfortable.

My picture is our west facing lanai.

Ours is facing North of West and our model has a bedroom wall at one end so we get half shade and had sun late in the day, enjoyed it most of the hot season last summer with no real problems. The worst part is it's hard to wash a car in the front of our home in the morning as there is no shade on the was side until after 12:00 and then it gets hot. I wanted an east facing lanai but when we found the house we wanted, also in Fenney, it didn't really matter.

I agree, we have a west facing lanai and do not consider it a problem.