Somebody is feeding you a line of bull. We absolutely, positively refused to buy a number of houses with west facing lanais. I was ready to fire my Villages sales rep. He kept showing us homes he wanted to sell, not homes that met our requirements, one of which was an east facing lanai. Several times I refused to get out of the car. Finally I told him we're done, lets go back to the office so we can get our car. That sales rep. no longer works for The Villages. He left that job less than a month after this incident. I don't know the reasons for his departure but good riddance.
We had owned a home with a west facing deck and patio and even in NY it was way too hot in the summer. We decided a long time ago that we'd never again buy a house with that orientation.

Our neighbors across the street had bought a west facing lanai and lamented to us they wish they hadn't. Even with pull down shades they found the heat to be "brutal" in their words. And with the shades down you lose any view you might have. But everyone is different. I don't play golf in the afternoons when it is 95 degrees in the shade, but I see others out there, so obviously the heat doesn't bother some people as much.

west facing
 

I did not want a west facing lanai, but it was the only lot available in our price range that would fit a Lantana. After 6 months, I like our lot and Lanai.
I do not think I could live with a "kissing lanai", but then I never lived in one.
No matter what lot you chose, you will not have to worry about it snowing on the lanai. Welcome to Florida! :a040:

[quote=2 Oldcrabs;509017]I did not want a west facing lanai, but it was the only lot available in our price range that would fit a Lantana. After 6 months, I like our lot and Lanai.
I do not think I could live with a "kissing lanai", but then I never lived in one.
No matter what lot you chose, you will not have to worry about it snowing on the lanai. Welcome to Florida! :a040:




[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v3d_lJ6UKk[/ame]


If I had it to do over, I would have a north facing lanai so the sun comes in from one direction or the other all day.;) There are ups and downs to everything. But remember this, we are still here dancin' and sweatin' in the sun. Beats the heck outa bein' down, facin' up, don'tcha know;).

Life is short
 

Any day on the "GREEN SIDE" of the grass is a good day!:a040:

Funny that you would say that no one has ever avoided a home with a West facing lanai. When we met with our Villages sales agent last year and talked about our "must haves" and "don't wants" for our new house, the first "don't want" on our list was a West facing lanai. We have beautiful deck on our NY house, but it faces due West, and it is unusable in July and August. Even under the patio umbrella, it is so warm and bright that even reading out there is a chore on a sunny day. I can't imagine that Florida sun beating down on an enclosed lanai all afternoon. I can understand why people like it, especially in late afternoons, but it's just not for us.

west lanai
 

Bought a courtyard villa with a west exposure lanai. Lived there five weeks before buying a similar unit on the other side of the street.

If the lanai is facing south at first you may think it will be hot but in the summer the sun is at much higher angle and the roof will shade most of it, in the afternoon the sun will get under the west side a bit, but you just need to move over to east side in more shade.

In the winter the sun at a lower angle will get under the roof more warming the area.

We lucked out with the resale we bought.

We have a north-facing lanai with nothing behind us but a four-rail fence and wide open spaces.

We can eat breakfast on the lanai, but the summer sun intrudes by 9am. At lunchtime the sun is overhead but we can eat lunch out there if there is a breeze. By 4pm the sun is in the lanai again and it is hot out there. But by evening we've made our cocktails and taken our seats to watch the unobstructed sunset. I never realized Florida had such magnificent sunsets.

Our south-facing front porch is in the shade monring and evening so there is always a place to sit out of the sun, if you can take the heat and humidity.

Myself, mid-day I like my easy chair in the den looking out into the 'hood with the A/C and ceiling fan on.

And we get up at 6am, while it is still relatively cool, to go for a walk before breakfast.

Life is good, isn't it?

We got a home with a north facing lanai....and you can see the sunrise out of the east side and the sunset out of the west side. I do not get the hot sun beating on the lanai and require no shades. But in the end it is what you like and enjoy. We are also lucky in that we do not having kissing lanais or anyone behind us. If you are aware of having kissing lanais you can most of the times get your house reversed on the lot...you can not do this if you have a drain in front of your house.

Well Rob I have to strongly disagree with this. In fact, I had my agent use the compass in her car to check out the direction of the lanai BEFORE I would even get out of her vehicle to look at the house!

If you think about it, MANY home in TV have WEST facing lanaies. The sales staff would never cry sour grapes. :wine: All the homes with west facing lanai's have to be sold too. :rant-rave: Just my humble opinion.

Betty

I can understand that now or summer

But doesn't that change in the winter?

I have a west facing lanai. I have a pool and love it for that reason along with views of beautiful sunsets. Of course, it's warmer on the hotter days. I turn on the ceiling fans for a breeze. I have a large enough lanai roof that I can sit in the covered part and don't have direct sunlight beating on me until late afternoon/early evening during the summer. It's a personal preference...

Better Shades?
 

You mention high-grade shades. We are enclosing our lanai with glass windows (low e) and were told to get coolaroo shades. What type of high-grade shades do you suggest and where do I get them? Sounds like you feel that coolaroo don't perform well on a Hot Lanai.