West facing rear of house

[starflyte1]

We have found the perfect home for us, except the rear with pool faces West.

The home has a covered area with a 12 foot overhang. Then is the pool with the pool cage. Then a very pretty water view.

Does anyone have a home with the back facing directly West? If so, how do you handle the sun?

What if we covered the pool cage with a tent like top?

I have always avoided this type of home, but wonder if the problem can be worked out. Would really like to find a solution. The home is almost perfect but for this one problem, a BIG one at that.

[Ruthtomnorma3]

A thought ..have you driven around the neighborhood to observe how other folks have solved their West sun view? Good way to meet potential new friends too...
Welcome to THE VILLAGES..:)

[perrjojo]

We lived in Texas most of our life and know that you NEVER want a west back yard. We now live in TV and found the perfect house. Guess what? We have a west back yard. We love being on our lanai in the morning reading the paper and having coffee. It's a trade off but we have learned to love the west back yard, especially in the winter.

[buggyone]

My sunroom faces East and it is great to have the sunrise view over the golf course.

West facing would be a deal breaker for me. That afternoon sun can be brutal.

Do not rush into a decision that you may regret down the road.

[RErmer]

We have a west facing house, hole 3 on Fox Run/Glenview course. Having lived in FL for 30 years before moving to TV, we were very apprehensive. LOVE the amazing sunsets and don't find the house itself was getting overheated. We did just add a Mitsubishi mini-split to the lanai to cool it in summer/heat it in winter, however, that's because we put some exercise equipment and a spa in the lanai. If it's the right house for you, I would go for it.

[philnpat]

We lived in Texas most of our life and know that you NEVER want a west back yard. We now live in TV and found the perfect house. Guess what? We have a west back yard. We love being on our lanai in the morning reading the paper and having coffee. It's a trade off but we have learned to love the west back yard, especially in the winter.

And the evening sunsets are amazing!

[birdawg]

We lived in Texas most of our life and know that you NEVER want a west back yard. We now live in TV and found the perfect house. Guess what? We have a west back yard. We love being on our lanai in the morning reading the paper and having coffee. It's a trade off but we have learned to love the west back yard, especially in the winter.

Agree with perrjojo. Beautiful sunset's, warmer in the winter most of the day the sun is on the south side of the home you have about a hour of real hot sun later in he day and it's not that bad especially if you have a pool

[graciegirl]

We enjoy our west facing lanai. We don't have a pool but installed black cooleroo shades that really cut the heat. We sit out there in the evening with a ceiling fan on and a floor fan too when it is really hot. Lovely in the cold months.

Any kind of canvas roof thingy would be very susceptible to the short but very damaging winds we can get here when a front is moving in. We have to put up our shades when a storm is pending because they literally could be ripped.

This is the second house we have had in The Villages with a west facing lanai.

When you are ready to buy, you are limited to what and where it is for sale if you want new.

[tommy steam]

West lanai, you will be amazed at the beautiful sunsets. My lanai faces west. I went out to Home Depot and bought four coolaroo blinds and installed them, if you can't they will install them for a fee. I might use them in the afternoon for an hr or so . They do a wonderful job of blocking the sun but letting air in.

[fb32162]

The lanai at our first home in TV faced East. Our current home faces West. I much prefer West as the sunsets are amazing. The overhang of the lanai shades the home and we haven't found a west facing lanai any warmer than the east facing lanai.

[new peeps]

The back of our home has a south west view with a water view and I agree with the other posters that the sun sets are incredible. The mornings on the lanai is great. There is a couple of hours in the summer that is not as desirable, but It is hot everywhere in Florida including the shade that time of day. LOL I would ask to see the house around 5:00 P.M. and around 8:30 P.M. Then you will get to see the worst if it is sunny and then the best view of a sun set that you might enjoy every night from your west veiw new home.

[tedquick]

My wife and I currently live in Omaha, NE. and the rear of our house faces SW. While it is hot in the summer it provides a wonderful place for that early morning ice tea and paper. We purchased a home a year ago in TV that faces exactly the same way. Both homes were/are on a golf courses and while it may be hot occasionally the good of facing that direction far out ways the bad. The sunsets are incomparable! It actually gets hotter in Omaha in the summer and MUCH MUCH colder here in the winter than it does in TV. Looking forward to the SW heat warming our lanai and Florida Room in the upcoming winters.

We can't wait to get there and start living the good life. Our move-in date is October 1st. We have been on this website for many months now and are looking forward to becoming actively involved herein. But even more importantly we expect to be heavily engaged in our new wildly-anticipated active lifestyle. Those of you with positive attitudes be careful as once we've moved and gotten ourselves settled I'll be looking you up.

We are leaving a church here that we love and are involved with many different groups of people. We will be attending New Covenant Methodist Church and hope to create similar relationships there as it is relationships that add additional layers of living to life itself.

Whoops! Sorry about that. I meant to merely extol the virtues of a home with a southwest-facing rear and got carried away. Life is great!

To the original writer, if you love every other part of the home, don't lose is because of a west-facing rear.

See you all soon!!

[Cool Breeze Roll screens]

We have found the perfect home for us, except the rear with pool faces West.

The home has a covered area with a 12 foot overhang. Then is the pool with the pool cage. Then a very pretty water view.

Does anyone have a home with the back facing directly West? If so, how do you handle the sun?

What if we covered the pool cage with a tent like top?

I have always avoided this type of home, but wonder if the problem can be worked out. Would really like to find a solution. The home is almost perfect but for this one problem, a BIG one at that.

We can help you with your home facing the west with motorized sunshades or rain protection. We offer free estimates.

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[l2ridehd]

We actually looked for a West facing lanai because of the pool. It allows us to use the pool year around with just solar panel and some gas heat. We installed a Sunsetter remote controlled awning for those hot summer days. There is about an hour window when it is an issue, but the awning solved that. Very much worth it for the extension of the pool usage in winter.

Be happy to show you the awning and how it solves the issue. Just PM me.

[jojo]

We also looked for a west-facing lanai. We eat almost all of our meals outside - only 3 or 4 days a month in the summer is it too hot because we eat early. With the overhang I am comfortable reading under the ceiling fans any time of day. I have a collage of pics from the incredible sunsets. I believe it is the best orientation for a pool.

[eremite06]

I installed the Cooleroos in the patio and had the windows tinted. Btw, those Cooleroos don't get dirty. I guess the rain keeps the dirt off them since they're porous.

[George Bieniaszek]

I would think that a west facing lanai and back of the house would be the ideal setting if you have a pool or intend to install a pool. Shades, window tints are great solutions to make the very sunny times of the day more enjoyable.

[greenhillsgirl]

We also have a west facing back. The sun is not too hot for me, but we put in a 25' long pool and the water is spectacular. The cage that we put in also keeps it a bit cooler and it prevents the terrible burn that you would get stepping outside. There are no regrets here. Also, the morning is spectacular as we'll and that is my husband's favorite time in the pool.

[starflyte1]

Thank you, everyone!

We just looked at another home that has the same floor plan, pool and view, but the rear faces North. After reading all of your replies, I am feeling that the West rear would be the best. A good thing, because it is by far the prettiest home.
Funny how the same floor plan can look so entirely different than another of the same plan.

Haven't made the offer yet, but certainly getting closer.

[eremite06]

Make sure your front yard plants can handle full sun for most of the day. I think east/west exposure is best for landscape.

[NYGUY]

We had coolaroos installed this week and love them. We get the afternoon west sun and the coolaroos eliminate the extreme glare and provide some privacy as well as making it a little cooler. Along with the fan on medium, we are able to eat dinners on the lanai again.

[Madelaine Amee]

We have a big sun room which is all glass. We have all three exposures. East in the morning - which is great all year. North in the back - which is really cold in the winter, I have lost plants due to the cold. West during the late afternoon - and it is hot. I have had readings of 110 degrees on the patio. We have interior blinds and an exterior canvas blind on the West side which works extremely well. We find it is definitely too hot to cook outside on the West side. Several years ago we planted a White Natchez Crape Myrtle on the West side and it is now big enough to give us some good shade over the west side of the house.

I don't have a pool, but I would think that a pool on the north side of the home would be useless for several months of the year. But, whatever home you purchase you will find a way to live in comfort and you will absolutely love it here!

[Shimpy]

Years ago I had a pool home in Deerfield Beach, Fl. with the pool facing west. The afternoon sun kept the pool water temp. warm and most parties or get-togethers were in the afternoon when people looked forward to the sun. It was screened in which blocks I'm told 40% of the sun so it was nice to have the sun all afternoon to heat the pool which didn't have a heater. Otherwise we would have to wait a month or more to use the pool in the spring. I had an area of my pool deck under aluminum roof with a roll down blind to block the late afternoon sun if wanted. I wouldn't make a west facing pool a deal breaker.

[DebiR]

We love our west facing lanai! Morning coffee all year round...we do have blinds for hot days... and are considering the shades Gracie has mentioned... so we can enjoy the lanai the warmer evenings... we have friends with east facing... and she prefers ours!

[Dreamer61]

Regarding the cooleroo's. I googled them and noticed they are priced from the 60-250 dollar range! What's the difference, if you know? And do they make the room dark? Can you see through them from the inside? Thanks!!

[batman911]

A few well placed trees could provide shade to allow use of the patio in the hotter months. It will be almost impossible to sit outside in the direct sun in the late afternoon without some sort of sun blocker.

[Uptown Girl]

Another thought….. Most lanai screening provides 20% shade- but there is replacement screening that will provide more, say 50%. We are going to do that overhead on our birdcage, perhaps one wall of your birdcage would benefit from that. I don't believe it will hurt the view of the sunsets.
I love the Coolaroo-type sun sail shades!
Triangles, rectangles, they are suspend overhead at the corners by cables, like a hammock would be.
I have seen some gorgeous applications, functional and highly decorative at the same time.

P.S. Wait until you are in the pool at sunset- and the water around you is the color of the sky- it will take your breath away.
Are you packed yet????? HA!