[784caroline]

Are you raising the floor of the lanai to meet the family room.....this is always a good idea especially if you are taking the sliders out. (we took sliders out and arched the opening) . If you dont raise the lanai floor its easy to fall off that 4 inch lip....and we are all getting older. Our house is pretty much all tile except for the bedrooms so we just added similar tile in the lanai addition and the extra hobby room we added off the lanai that also connects to the master bedroom (knocked out master bedroom window to make entry way). What we did with the other master bedroom window was cover it up on the bedroom side but on the lanai side made it into a glass lighted shelf area...this turned out to be a great idea.

People I know who just added wood flooring on top of tile were not always pleased with the look or outcome primarily because of the clearance problems earlier posters mentioned. Study this one carefully.

AC/heat is you current system adequate to accomodate the enclosed lanai...if not are you getting a new larger one or a mini split to handle the extra space. You most likely will need a heat/AC survey conducted to satisfy the county inspector to answer this question. Dont forget to insulate above the lanai !

Windows...all varieties exist but again this is an area not to go cheap on. We went to the ROMAC in Ocala and they have a showroom and window/glass expert to help in your selection. We chose a company from Atlanta "YKK" and used their sliders and transom windows both with LOW E glass and the transom windows were tempered glass. We also had the large sliders "factory welded" to the top of the lower transom window for better structural integrity. WE like the fact on a day like today we can open the from door and the back slider windows and have a nice breeze come through the house

Good luck