Quote:
Originally Posted by mrrmauu
Hello,
Does anyone have any experience with having their lanai enclosed? I’m mostly interested in what it costs and was installing an A/C unit a challenge? Did you do anything with the floor? Just curious what others have done to “upgrade” the basic lanai. I was thinking of putting up a wall in the middle and have half lanai and half enclosed / air conditioned.
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Recently enclosed our Lanai and I could easily give you our price but there are many considerations affecting costs, which you can easily resolve by getting several free quotes from responsible suppliers.
Here are some thoughts:
1/ Is your enclosure such that you can simply add windows or do you need carpentry?
2/ Do you have a knee wall or will windows be floor to ceiling?
3/ Window quality options vary greatly. Thermopane, warranty, tinting? Custom size or Standard i.e. Anderson?
4/ Do you need ceiling insulation?
5/ Are you changing inside wall finish?
6/ Is room remaining separate or do you plan to incorporate into existing house?
7/ Are you in need of outside wall electrical outlets?
8/ Window style - sliders, picture windows or some of both?
9/ Outside doors?
10/ New ceiling fans?
11/ Raising floor to house level or resurfacing?
12/ Size of room (area) and linear feet of windows required?
13/ Air conditioning part of existing house unit or separate unit?
14/ Furnishing? TV,
15/ Window coverings, Privacy, sun protection, comfort?
16/ Reason for enclosure, year-round use?
17/ Do it yourself?
Given the above, my room is 29 by 13 = 380 sq ft with 47 linear feet of windows and two outside doors. Our windows include 6 custom picture windows ~45"w by 60 "high and 2 sliders ~ the same size with two doors. Windows installed on existing Knee-wall. We had to insulate ceiling and added electrical outlets on exterior walls. Kept walls (Hardiboard), did not raise floor but retiled. Floor was $2200 for tile and install ~$6/sq ft. Went with best quality windows/thermopane and doors with warranty that even covers breakage. Cost for above except floors was about $400 per linear foot. We had another quote for lower cost windows at about $300/linear foot
Separate Mitsubishi AC Minisplit installed at about $5000. Note that we did not have to use the heating part at all this winter. Perfectly comfortable with the radiant heat coming in. Have yet to need the AC as the fan circulation is comfortable.
We can see a need for shades coming up, but have yet to pursue.
This room has become our room of choice and we are glad that we went with the higher quality.