[dsnrbec]

We’ve had 2 homes with west facing lanais. The first had great shade from strategically placed trees/shrubs and the second one has solar shades. We have loved both and would never let it stop us from purchasing a home that had everything else going for it. The sunsets here are spectacular!

[rustyp]

People who own west facing lanai's will swear to not making a mistake until after the house is sold. So many people love the summer heat and humidity. But then again don't they keep telling me how it is like staying inside for the winter in the north ? If you have money to burn - no problem. You will get it enclosed and air conditioned. Perhaps others who have gone this route can tell you how much this cost.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by rustyp

People who own west facing lanai's will swear to not making a mistake until after the house is sold. So many people love the summer heat and humidity. But then again don't they keep telling me how it is like staying inside for the winter in the north ? If you have money to burn - no problem. You will get it enclosed and air conditioned. Perhaps others who have gone this route can tell you how much this cost.

This is our second west facing lanai in The Villages. The first was in Hadley.

[Sgroemm]

I asked this question of lanais when I was buying also.....so many different pieces of advice. I ended up with a south facing lanai....no complaints. I get indirect sunlight all morning and early afternoon. Then in the late day after 4, I get a little sun coming in the right side which happens to be where the door is.....never caused me a problem. Temperature is always comfortable. Ask your realtor if you can visit the house you are interested in early and then again late in the day...see where the sun shines and note the heat you feel. You probably won't sit out there in July and August in the 10-2 hours of the day, no matter what direction it faces. Its too hot here in those months to leave the A/C or the pool!

[rustyp]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

This is our second west facing lanai in The Villages. The first was in Hadley.

I tried to delete my post in missing lanai and move it here but you beat me to it. Unless I missed something your lanai has a pool. Not to many indoor polls around here. But again thanks for the dinner offer but I live in paradise for the summer and consider TV my second best purchase I ever made.

[tomwed]

Originally Posted by rustyp

but I live in paradise for the summer and consider TV my second best purchase I ever made.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by rustyp

I tried to delete my post in missing lanai and move it here but you beat me to it. Unless I missed something your lanai has a pool. Not to many indoor polls around here. But again thanks for the dinner offer but I live in paradise for the summer and consider TV my second best purchase I ever made.

Not indoor pool. I consider "lanai" to mean a "screened in porch" in Florida. Do you think of it as a closed in room? I thought that was called a "Florida room".

[rjm1cc]

I went East side for the same reason.
One problem is the angle of the sun. It might shine directly into your eyes for a little while as it sets.
If you find a home with one facing west sit there for a few hours and see how you like it. But remember the angle of the sun changes each day so this night not help.

[patfla06]

We have an East facing lanai and love it.
Gets very hot in the Summer so we enclosed and put heat & air in it.

I think every house can have something you need to compromise on. We only wanted a 4 bedroom house with a view and that’s what we bought. Had to compromise on a couple of things we didn’t get.

Our neighbors across the lake are West facing but they got a great view.

No house is perfect so just decide what you can and can’t
compromise on.

Good luck!

[rustyp]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Not indoor pool. I consider "lanai" to mean a "screened in porch" in Florida. Do you think of it as a closed in room? I thought that was called a "Florida room".

I'm referring to your house. Do you have a seperate lanai away from your pool that faces west or is the pool part of the lanai ? I understand why people would want a west facing lanai if it has a pool as previously discussed here. My lanai faces north and it is now a florida room because I can't handle heat. I then built an outdoor covered patio attached to enclosed lanai (florida room). Even facing north there are many times it is too hot for me to sit out there even with ceiling fans. I am trying to answer the original question pointing out that human nature is such that many people find it hard to admit to making a mistake when they make a major purchase. To convert that west facing lanai to a climate controlled florida room takes a bundle of cash. Make sure you love heat.

[Jdmiata]

Consider this.......
The front of my home faces west. In the summertime the door handle gets so hot you can’t touch it.That’s hot hot it gets.
You’ll need some shading if you want to use the lanai in the afternoon.

[VApeople]

We have a Laurel Oak with a large lanai (52 by 16) that faces directly west and we love it.

As to be expected, we gets shade all morning long as we sit in our lanai and enjoy our coffee. If the sun is too harsh in the afternoon, we pull down the shades which block the sun very effectively. In the evening, my wife and I have a contest to see who can be the first one to spot Venus. We also enjoy watching the sunsets.

We have been in our house for 1.5 years. I can't imagine us ever wanting to enclose our beautiful lanai.

[tomwed]

Maybe this is only my idea of what the difference is between a lanai and screened in porch.

If you sitting and looking straight ahead and see a screen, then look up and see a screen it's a lanai.

If there is a ceiling, it's screened in porch.

[8notes]

Originally Posted by patfla06

We have an East facing lanai and love it.
Gets very hot in the Summer so we enclosed and put heat & air in it.

I think every house can have something you need to compromise on. We only wanted a 4 bedroom house with a view and that’s what we bought. Had to compromise on a couple of things we didn’t get.

Our neighbors across the lake are West facing but they got a great view.

No house is perfect so just decide what you can and can’t
compromise on.

Good luck!

The thing with the view, is if you are facing the west, it is so unbearably hot in the summer you will need to pull shades down or somehow protect yourself from the direct sun. Consequently you won't see the view. And one more point - the concrete decking in the lanai will heat up tremendously and act like a heat sink during the day if the sun is shining on it. Even if you pull down the shades at 4:00 pm say, so you can sit outside, it will still be hotter than the east facing lanai that was in the shade all afternoon. Lastly, if you look at ads for pre-owned homes, the ads will feature "east facing lanai" if one is available, because it is an obvious selling point.

[rustyp]

Originally Posted by tomwed

Maybe this is only my idea of what the difference is between a lanai and screened in porch.

If you sitting and looking straight ahead and see a screen, then look up and see a screen it's a lanai.

If there is a ceiling, it's screened in porch.

If you sitting and looking straight ahead and see a screen, then look up and see a screen you are probably a parrot.