Lanai enclosure vs property tax

[BETHPAGE BLACK]

Thinking of enclosing the lanai with those really nice sliders that open all the way so you can get a great breeze and to not run any air conditioning..I've heard that if you use acrylic instead of glass for the sliders there is no increase in property tax. Is this true?? Also if there is an increase if using the glass panels ..anyone know if the increase is significant?? Appreciate any input... Laura

[784caroline]

First of all from what I understand Acrylic would cost as much or very close to actual Glass...and not be absolutely leak proof. With Acrylic it would not increase the tax base but when I went to the Sumter Cty Tax Office, If found the increase to be insignificant compared to the benefits...sound insulation, water proof, and having an actual room that you can call a room. Depending upon your size it may be a couple of hundred bucks year not thousands added to your tax base. AS I stated in an earlier posting, most people only focus on the increase of the tax base and not the comfort factor that one enjoys by having a window enclosed room. If you are a snow bird maybe this would not matter but I think in the long run most permanent residents would see the difference.,,,,especially if the room was done right,.

[JohnN]

and I'd guess (but don't know) that if glass and taxed, then it's additional square footage for resale. I wonder if heating/cooling (mostly cooling) is more efficient, I would guess so.

[784caroline]

Its only efficient if its done right...is there insulation above the lanai, if not add some. Did you get tinited windows or do you have a sceen or bird cage with shaded screen where the western sun would hit the lanai. Some people add additonal duct work to the lanai, while others do nothing, while some add an external (almost portable) AC unit to cool the addition. All things like this add to the efficieny of the new addition. HOwever done it would absolutley add to the square footage on resale.

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[captain1202]

I was involved in the sunroom business for a while in New England. Usually, these sunrooms were built on existing decks or patios. The rule of thumb for most assessors was this:

If you remove the patio slider doors and incorporate the room into your home, it was classified as an extra room. Same for adding heat, A/C etc. I'm guessing the situation might be similar here. In other words, "if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, IT'S A DUCK!".

We always pointed out the attendant increase in value to the property to help offset the tax issue. No question it was a plus for us when we were buying. Here in TV another point might be this....

If a potential buyer were looking at two identical properties and one had an upgraded lanai, it might make it a more attractive purchase possibility.

We have the acrylic (tinted) sliders and it seems to be very satisfactory. Haven't had any problems with wind or rain so far. I have noted that there is a tag on the window frame that states the window panels should be removed for winds in excess of 75mph to avoid damage to the sashes or frames. Otherwise, no problem.