What are you facing out to the west? Our many west facing windows face a corn field, no trees, and in the summer, we have to close the curtains as soon as the sun even begins to come in. So a patio would be an improvement, even if the house was dark. Trees or close neighbors might change that. As is, your patio is pretty large, so maybe more than ideal? But I would be happy to have it at my house. But might I ask if there's anyway at all you can increase southern exposure and reduce western in your home? I can't tell you how much I wish ours was different. It's now one of the major things I look at in homes.

Thanks for the comments and questions! Unfortunately our lot is long and narrow and the width of our house barely sits within the required setbacks. If we turn the house (toward the N to get south sun in the back), we lose the nice long backyard. From what you shared it Sonny’s like the porch is needed, and we may even get enough light given the direct exposure from the west side. I’m going to look for skylight options to close / cover them when needed; maybe shades or blinds. That could help when we’re on the patio in the hot summer.

I don't think that skylights in the patio will help much with the darkness issue you're worried about, so if that's all you'll consider, I wouldn't do it. But I personally would never have a full-length covered patio like that -- and I've lived in Phoenix -- for the reason you state: it's hard to avoid making your house dark all the time. There are many solutions other than skylights, including only covering a narrower portion of the patio outside the great room while keeping the full-depth covered portion over the outdoor kitchen, strategic landscaping with mature trees, a pergola, telescoping heavy-duty umbrellas for an uncovered portion of the patio, etc. You have what looks like about 1,000 square feet of covered patio - unless you regularly entertain for 25+ people in the middle of the day, you realistically do not really require that much covered space. I'd think seriously about exactly how you will use this space (will you really be gathered around a fire on hot summer days?) and balance that against having a dark house, which I couldn't deal with.

I didn't necessarily mean turn the house, but change the design of the house. How far along are you? A living room on the southwest corner of the house can have lots of south facing windows with a French door to a covered patio to the west and access to the backyard. The best of a less than ideal situation.

GW - I see; that’s not an option for us either. HU- thanks for that insight. Definitely something to think about. We entertain / host large gatherings of 20+ people at least once a month (large family with lots of kids) and will have a pool in the backyard, so that space will be heavily used. We will be getting rid of the fireplace on the back porch, it’s not necessary. I do like the idea of only covering a portion and maybe having something like phantom shades when needed. I’ll talk to the designer and builder about that and get their thoughts. The west facing sun is brutal in that backyard (my friends live on a similar property in the neighborhood and have a major heat / extensive sun issue most times of the day, but they don’t have a covered patio), so we need something to combat that. We just need to find the right balance.

K Laurence - that is helpful, thank you. Can you share dimensions of your patio? To confirm, you’re saying the skylights DO help bring light into the interior rooms, correct? And yes I can imagine your Palm Springs home is hot, so I’m glad to hear the patio helps. Did you add the solar shades in addition to the covered patio? Thanks for the added details.

HU-553822754 …. It’s what called a ”California Room” , approximately 24’ x 14’ + , not sure since I‘m not there right now. Try searching online for “exterior solar shades ”. They’re very common in the PS area. You might want to have the patio built without skylights & have them added later if you feel the need . a bit of a hassle though.

HU-553822754 .Also, check out the site for Screens2U.com for exterior solar shades ideas , they’ve installed many in our area.

Skylights in the living room / kitchen?

Skylights in the living areas can bring in a lot of heat. Solotubes might be a better option.

As someone who frequently visits SE Washington in the summer, I think OP wants to cover most of that patio. And if you put skylights in the patio (or the living area), have a solar shade you can pull over them.

Course 411- good question. With the roofline, there are no options to place interior skylights (LR or kitchen) that are not west facing; so it would be too hot if we add those inside. Mccarrol16: thanks for the input. We do have a 16 ft ceiling entry way with a double window dormer that leads to the living room. Im hopeful that will bring in some light from the East. We will have to be strategic in our interior lighting. Worst case scenario we can add solar tubes down the road (though that won’t be very cost efficient or easy, so we’ll see). K Lawrence - thanks for the links! I will check out those options!