[irishwonone]

We moved from Jax FL area to the Villages a couple year’s ago. Our house faces West & the Lanai faces East. We lived on a lake near Jax FL and our property had many huge Oak trees that shaded and limited the hot afternoon sun. Unfortunately, with few exceptions, our trees are more like small bushes in the Villages. Regardless I do hope you find a wonderful home. We love living here!

[cj1040]

We built our house a year ago and I carefully researched the sun exposure issue.
We bought a lot where our lanai would face south and the garage north.
We also put in a pool. We love our exposure - the lanai itself is pleasant and not too sunny at any time so we can enjoy it all day. Neighbors with a west lanai - cannot even enjoy dinner on it as it is just like being in a broiling pan !
C J

[vintageogauge]

Originally Posted by cj1040

We built our house a year ago and I carefully researched the sun exposure issue.
We bought a lot where our lanai would face south and the garage north.
We also put in a pool. We love our exposure - the lanai itself is pleasant and not too sunny at any time so we can enjoy it all day. Neighbors with a west lanai - cannot even enjoy dinner on it as it is just like being in a broiling pan !
C J

And those facing east cannot eat lunch. Unless the lanai is enclosed if it feels like 100 degrees outside it will feel like 100 degrees in the lanai and it doesn't matter which way it faces. Yes sun will definitely make them hotter some in the first half of the day others in the last half. The cure is double pane enclosure, tinted glass or shades along with AC then use it any time of the day no matter which way it faces.

[SusanStCatherine]

My lanai faces west and I had heard that wasn't good. But the lot and the view are awesome. And my covered lanai is deep and at 4pm right now it only has a few feet of sun. The best part is I get to watch the awesome sunsets almost everyday and I had no idea how much joy and peace that would bring me.

[Aacosner]

Originally Posted by Petersweeney

... we like the sun to come out in the daytime….

Agree -- very important.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

I had someone ask me this, and I was not quite certain how to answer. Does anyone have any thoughts as to the preferred sun exposures for their homes? Assuming a lanai is in the rear of the house, which direction is best to keep heat and bright glare out of the house? Home facing north (Giving the lanai a southern exposure)?

Everyone has an opinion so I declare I am opinionated. The front of our home faces east and the back obviously is west. Far more important to us we are in a cul de sac. So we see the sunrise in the morning and the sunset at night. As far as sun, we have blinds. Our windows are roughly 8 foot high and end in an arch. Blinds are straight so the arch is opened. WAS and issue with my computer screen. We don't have a TV in that room but I expect that too would be a a problem. SIMPLE and inexpensive solution is to install one of those grey tinting screens. I did it about 8 years ago and it is still fine. The front of our home faces one of those planting, oasis things. Behind us is developed property owned by the villages. They have high dense hedges that they maintain. They own, maintain water etc roughly 20 feet of our backyard. Far better then looking at a wall or your neighbor in their pajamas etc

[yankygrl]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

I had someone ask me this, and I was not quite certain how to answer. Does anyone have any thoughts as to the preferred sun exposures for their homes? Assuming a lanai is in the rear of the house, which direction is best to keep heat and bright glare out of the house? Home facing north (Giving the lanai a southern exposure)?

I have a west facing fully glass enclosed lanai and need shades drawn 1/2 way especially in the afternoon to block some of the heat producing rays. Sunsets are great. Also have a fan that I turn on high and open sliding doors to house to “cool it off” which doesn’t really work effectively in July and August. Also have a birdcage outside area which I have never sat in because of heat and afternoon sun.

[Flyers999]

Western facing lania here. i talked about it in a similar thread.

Lanai Shades

We installed motorized shades and got the most opaque fabric available so we can't see out when they are down, but it keeps the house cooler. Some companies don't carry that type of fabric because, again, you can't see through it.

On the north side of the lanai, we put up one large shutter for privacy only. It may look kind of funky to you but the screened area on the bottom and top allows for air circulation and yet still gives up the privacy we wanted.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by yankygrl

I have a west facing fully glass enclosed lanai and need shades drawn 1/2 way especially in the afternoon to block some of the heat producing rays. Sunsets are great. Also have a fan that I turn on high and open sliding doors to house to “cool it off” which doesn’t really work effectively in July and August. Also have a birdcage outside area which I have never sat in because of heat and afternoon sun.

Similar situation here, added a sail shade to the bird cage area.

ColourTree 8' x 8' x 8' Beige Triangle Sun Shade Sail Canopy Mesh Fabric UV Block - Commercial Heavy Duty - 190 GSM - 3 Years Warranty ( We Make Custom Size ) https://a.co/d/9ToTmp4

[Flyers999]

Originally Posted by SusanStCatherine

My lanai faces west and I had heard that wasn't good. But the lot and the view are awesome. And my covered lanai is deep and at 4pm right now it only has a few feet of sun. The best part is I get to watch the awesome sunsets almost everyday and I had no idea how much joy and peace that would bring me.

At 4pm the fun is just starting for me and it goes until 8:30pm. You must have some blockage in the back. Trees or a neighbor’s house?

[ElDiabloJoe]

Thanks everyone for your well thought out insights and advice. It seems, by and large, that people prefer a North or East-facing lanai for reduced sun and temperature exposure but prefer a South or West-facing lanai for sunsets (especially if you have a structure, shade system, wall, or massive tree to mitigate the directness of that sunlight as it wanes into the eve.

[dadspet]

Originally Posted by Catalina36

Great Question, I have owned my home in The Villages now since Oct, 2020. That question did not even dawn on me till after I purchased my home. It's difficult enough finding the right house, the location to your neighborhood pool, shopping and town squares, etc.etc. Now you want to throw in the direction of the sun facing your house. Well my house faces North, and my garage stays cooler then the houses across the street which face south. I hear those homeowners with their house facing south complaing that their garages get really hot from the direct sun hitting their garage door. Some of those homeowners keep their garage doors open and they have screens covering the doorway to allow the heat to escape and keep the bugs out. I also noticed some homeowners installl vents in the lower panels of the garage doors for better air circulation. A worth while upgrade which I have is solar powered roof vents. I have 2 the previous owner was smart to have them installed to vent the hot attic. I also have a birdcage in the rear of the house which gets a lot of sun and sitting out there can get pretty hot. Now, if you ever decide to get solar panels on your roof you would most likely want a house with the rear roof facing south. So you dont have to look at those ugly solar panels from the street looking at your house. I hope I helped to answer your question.

The author brings a lot of valid considerations that I agree with there are a lot more important considerations than how your house faces. And there's even more considerations such as do you want to be on a golf course how close do you want to be to the tee boxes how close do you want to be to the green how far away are you from the ball possibly hitting your house or property. Do you want waterview how far away from the water is your view. Believe me by the time you go through these considerations your head will be spinning and your options will become less and less and you'll be looking for years. That being said we have a west facing non glass Lanai (love the air) overlooking very close water with a golf cart path on the other side of the water and the sun sets are absolutely beautiful. We use this almost every morning for breakfast and probably at least half the time for suppers (eating out the rest). wouldn't trade the lot for anything else.

[JohnN]

The sun down here is pretty brutal, that's just how it is.

Our place has the lanai, living area, and master bedroom with windows to the north - the sun doesn't shine in those windows and the area stays cooler.
Our kitchen and other corner of the lanai face east and get morning sun.
We use a blind for the lanai when we want to use it, we also have trees there.

The south and west exposures are the garage and extra bedrooms, which are our lowest priority. We do have an electric garage fan which helps keep the garage and attic ventilated.

If the home you find has an exposure you don' t like, consider shades or some landscaping. Best wishes.

[jrref]

No matter what everyone says, although the sunsets will be nice, you will roast with a west facing lanai in the afternoon unless you enclose and air condition it.

[chet2020]

I prefer west facing house, shade on back lanai in the late afternoon/evening because that's when we're most likely to entertain. We also have a smaller lanai in front which is shaded in the morning. Our house in the north has a west facing porch, we just live with it. Having said all this, probably not in the top 10 factors for buying a particular house.