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Originally Posted by EviesGP
Ok, you sages out there(and I know of a few of you)...I've tried to find this myself here on the forums and Google, but not quite getting my answer(s)? I know we don't have porches here, but lanais.
Just what makes a Lanai a Florida Room? Is it glass, or HVAC unit?
And I know there are Arbors, but when I look up Pergolas, I see anything from what looks like an arbor, to what looks like a birdcage? What makes those different? Sorry if this is a repeat(that I can't find), and thanks in advance!
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Here’s what Wikipedia says:
“A pergola is an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained.[1] The origin of the word is the Late Latin pergula, referring to a projecting eave. As a type of gazebo, it may also be an extension of a building or serve as protection for an open terrace or a link between pavilions. They are different from green tunnels, with a green tunnel being a type of road under a canopy of trees.
“Pergolas are sometimes confused with arbours (arbors in American English), and the terms are often used interchangeably. An arbour is generally regarded as a wooden bench seat with a roof, usually enclosed by lattice panels forming a framework for climbing plants. A pergola, on the other hand, is a much larger and more open structure and does not normally include integral seating.”
As far as I’m concerned, an arbor MUST have a tree involved, or at least vines, because the word “arbor” or something like it indicates “tree” in several Romance languages. I often see grape arbors made of pipes with the grape vines growing on wires. I also see Wistaria and Bouganvillia arbors. Pergolas often have no vines. Sometimes they have a solid roof. Sometimes they just have beams that suggest a roof. Sometimes they have slats of, say, 1x8” pine that are slanted to let in morning light but block afternoon sun. Sometimes they have pillars, or screens to keep out sun. Arbors don’t have these screens, usually.
A lanai is a Hawaiian name for a roofed porch. If you have one in, say, Massachusetts, it’s not called a lanai. Not even in California. Just Florida and Hawaii, so far as I know. Some have screens to keep out bugs and some don’t. (Mine is essentially a corner room missing one wall, and it Isn’t screened because it is attached to a big birdcage.
As for a Florida Room: “ Aside from its geographic namesake, a Florida room is also known by many aliases, including a sun room, solarium, a garden room, patio room, sun porch, winter garden and conservatory. It was originally Florida’s solution to the heat of the day before air conditioning became a household staple and provided a living space outside when it simply became too hot to be inside.” They have roofs, like a lanai. They can be screened in or have windows. They can be heated and cooled, and if they are, they can be counted as total square feet for a house.
One thing to consider is rain. For safety in high wind situations, the ideal roof (as often seen on Bermuda) has no eaves at all for the wind to catch. By contrast, if your eaves are three or four feet deep, rain is not likely to blow in the windows and onto the lanai floor unless there is a lot of wind. Most houses in The Villages don’t have very wide eaves. Most Florida rooms I’ve seen in The Villages have low roof lines along the eaves. This offers more shelter for windows. Some have peaked roofs above the Florida room, and that is terrible for keeping out rain.
Whether you have screens or glass, consider what you will do about rain. Knee walls a couple feet high can help keep out rain, sometimes, but if you are putting in expensive windows, get a contractor who knows how to flash windows properly to keep out rain. If you have screens and a concrete floor, a bit of rain will dry out. If you have tile, drywall, carpet, indoor furniture, you need to be more careful.
I tend to think the patios that usually come with patio houses In The Villages are pathetic and depressing. They remind me of the little houses in the suburbs in the fifties, like Levittown. I recommend that you spend the extra money it costs to bring in someone who is a skilled porch and patio designer who can design for you something beautiful. You may need to expand your patio. Ideally, it should include SHADE of some sort and at least hint at walls. That makes the place much more inviting. A bare little concrete slab in the hot sun is not at all inviting unless you are a lizard.