Verandahs every time if you live in a hot climate. They reduce the heat loading on the walls and protect the house against stormy weather.

Now that are kids are not at home to enjoy the outdoor verandah with their friends in all temperatures, would prefer to have the space enclosed by a big window!!

Verandahs aren't necessarily a huge advantage for protection from the weather. My one bed apartment in Queensland has a balcony verandah on the living room and next to it the bedroom has a large window with a large awning which does as good a job shading and keeping out rain as the verandah. If you are designing a house for a small lot which is common in the city and working within the limitations of footprint size and boundary setback then big windows have it all over balconies because eaves and window awnings are often excluded from these restrictions. Beside that, I see many people are spending large amounts of money these days on pull down screens to protect their verandahs from sun, weather, insects and for privacy to make it a more liveable space.

Yes and the screens still let in the draughts, are only fully usable for entertaining in some weathers, you cant plan ahead on being able to use them. We have decided to make our deck into a room with a "deck feel" large windows and ranchsliders which can give the outdoor feel when opened if the weather is right.

Agree marg249. Add to that the maintenance costs , mozzies in summer and too cold in winter, mine is now never used. Visitors peek out the glass doors, say " oh isn't that a lovely entertainment area you have " and go back inside. I don't blame them.

when I lived on the tropical coast, I had a large 3m verandah in the canopy...lovely, but now I'm in a cooler climate, am thinking of opting for windows and a bit of protection from the cold winter mornings ...but with a covered courtyard of course for summer

As others have said, climate largely dictates your preference. I hate gloomy houses so my preference is for both!!

I have both, cant have one without the other.

Verandah.

Veranda - verandah, is a magnificent word for a magnificent space. Webster tells me it is a Hindu word, even nicer. Much nicer that portico, agreed? Gallery is a nice word as well.

From the above offerings, I guess it has value only if the view has value. Otherwise, pull the drapes and stay inside. V-E-R-A-N-D-A-H !!!

just thinking about the big windows and how I'm going to keep them clean.........tho its my preference to enclose the space with big windows and make it more usable year round , they wont look nice with fly spots ( and fingerprints) so could be making a lot of work for myself. Any suggestions here?

A couple of reasons why I don't like big windows.

• I think a view should 'catch your eye' not be 'In your face'
• Large windows are a major source of heat loss in winter, and heat gain in summer

Fingerprints on the window means that someone was really enjoying the view, and is now probably outside enjoying nature and fresh air (while you scrub).

As others have said, it depends on your environment and view. If the house is located in a particularly hostile environment (e.g. west coast Tasmania, central Australian desert) or experiences wild swings between the seasons (e.g. Snowy Mountains) then windows are your friend. In temperate / sub tropical areas like Brisbane then verandahs are the way to go. Windows can have great thermal properties IF they're double glazed which has better insulation properties than say walls in a QLDer house with a timber stud frame sandwiched between weatherboards and VJs. It also depends on the orientation of the house.

Both! A
glass verandah provides an outdoor experience, without heading too far from the
comforts of home. By using reinforced glass, and adding retractable awnings or sunscreens, which are easy to use and put away when done, you’ll be protected
from various elements.