We have a Gardenia and had a lanai with acrylic windows and a 4" step down from living space. Although we had A/C routed to the lanai (we are second owners), our south facing lanai was a hotbox during the day. We had concrete poured to raise the lanai floor and removed the 12' sliders between living space and lanai. Our outside acrylic windows were replaced with 20' sliders that have a low coefficient of heat transfer. This created a new interior space (Florida Room) that is very comfortable throughout the day because the sun's rays no longer heat-up the room and the A/C is able to keep up.
It has been a great improvement to our home. Good luck!
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