Glass In the Lanai?

[SilverRose]

I recently signed a contract on a house in The Villages. My husband and I are considering glassing in the lanai. I am interested in hearing opinions from both those who glassed in their lanai and those who didn’t.

If you did glass in your lanai was it worth it? If you didn’t, why not?

I can’t wait to become a Villager! It really is like living in a combination of Disneyworld and a resort.

[GrumpyOldMan]

And not only was it worth it, but do you actually USE the Lanai often, and for what kind of activities.

(I assume it is too low for Trapeze or high wire acts!)

[valuemkt]

100 % glass in and put in a mitsubishi split. Use it often ? Absolutely. Wife and i have some similar, but many different viewing interests.

Think about the upcoming season .. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL ?? I am .. no contention for the TV .. Also great for reading.. bright, sunny, temperature conditioned sitting space.

Without glass and temperature control it's mostly a hot house that gets wet everyday.

[Chatbrat]

We enclosed our lanai with CVS vinyl stacked windows, not that hot--our cat is the only resident who really uses the lanai--if you don't enclose your lanai--get a good wet/dri shop vac

[karostay]

Glassed our in with sliding glass windows length of Lanai 4 more outlets insulated over Lanai 2 Ft knee wall only regret didn't know it at the time would have raised Lanai floor same height as the home
also have found no need for any additional ac or heat we leave slider a jar turn on fan.Plus we have coolaroo shades work great

[billethkid]

We enclosed ours with stackable, single pane glass sliders.
The only mistake we made was not doing many years ago.
We chose not to air condition as the shade and ventilation as well as 4 ceiling fans keeps it comfortable even during higher temperatures.

The enclosing has allowed us to enjoy our lanai throughout the winter. We have an electric fireplace with thermostat controlled heat....perfect!

We spend more hours per day/week/year on/in our lanai than any other room in the house.

[coffeebean]

I seem to be an oddity here but I much prefer to have outdoor space available to me. I have plenty of indoor climate controlled space and really don't need any more. Our lanai was enlarged by the original owner our home and it is screened in. I have our BBQ on the lanai, under the original lanai roof and it is directly outside of the slider from our breakfast room. I have a very short walk from the kitchen to the BBQ to our outside table and chairs. Of course we don't use this space in the hot months but absolutely love our open lanai during the cooler months. Actually, I do cook on the BBQ 12 months of the year and in the rain too because it is covered by the roof. (I BBQ a lot). So far the lanai ceiling is as clean as the day it was painted (12 years) so I don't anticipate it ever getting charred by the smoke from the grill.

[JSR22]

Ours is enclosed with heat and air. I keep the house at 74 the fans and open sliders could not make it cool enough for me. We use it every day and if we eat dinner at home we eat on the lanai. We have a bird cage off the lanai so we do have outdoor space.

[bobthegolfer]

We have been here 17 years. For 15 years we had Vinyl 4 track floor to ceiling windows. They were fine, but we finally decided two years ago to replace them with Double Pane Picture windows. We love them! In our case, we found we didn't open the Lanai a lot due Allergy, Pollen covering everything in the Spring, too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. Now we use it year around and love it. I guess it depends on your view and what your plans are for using the Lanai. Ours now is carpeted and has comfortable indoor furniture. We have a Glass table with wicker chairs for eating out there is we want to. We love the double pane windows. Really cuts down on noise, retains the heat in winter and keeps the room cool in the summer! We used D&D construction and highly recommend them!

[JudyLife]

Our CYV had glass when we bought which we are happy about. It also has great shades to help with the hotter months. We can’t wait to use it more in autumn & winter. Have used it a few times in the summer with the fan on & slider open particularly on a cloudy day.

[graciegirl]

Our glassing in of lanai was just completed and we enjoy eating dinner out there and I have a place for my painting and drawing and it is a nice view of the pool. Most of all it keeps all the furniture clean. It needed to be wiped off every few days and little spiders and some gecko's would sneak in. I am sorry we didn't do it before now. We chose heavy glass and do not need an additional cooling unit. Here are some pictures;

[GrumpyOldMan]

Our glassing in of lanai was just completed and we enjoy eating dinner out there and I have a place for my painting and drawing and it is a nice view of the pool. Most of all it keeps all the furniture clean. It needed to be wiped off every few days and little spiders and some gecko's would sneak in. I am sorry we didn't do it before now. We chose heavy glass and do not need an additional cooling unit. Here are some pictures;

Very nice!

[SilverRose]

Our glassing in of lanai was just completed ... Here are some pictures;

Just beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

[SilverRose]

Thank you all for sharing your opinions!
:bigbow:

[OCsun]

Silver Rose, If you enjoy the feeling of being outside but don't enjoy the 90 degree days, you will love having your lanai enclosed. I had a small air/heat system installed and now I can use it year round in any weather. The floor to ceiling stackable sliders can be used to open up the space for fresh air during those few months when the weather is just beautiful.

I also agree with Gracie - no more bugs or dirt to clean up.

[Chi-Town]

I like the open totally open view from the lanai out to the caged pool and beyond. The lanai is shaded most of the day, so a couple of ceiling fans keep it nice. Electric shades for the cool nights keep the wind out. A space heater does the rest.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[vintageogauge]

After two years we, like Gracie, were tired of cleaning off the furniture and moving it every time it rained, it was totally disgusting in the spring when all of the yellow and green pollen would blow in and get all over everything. We chose full height double pane argon filled sliders with sliding screens, most choose to have permanent screening all the way around but we would rather be able to wash the glass inside and out any time we want without having to remove them from their tracks, the double pane units are very heavy. Having the sliding screens also gives us multiple entry/exit areas for the lanai. We have only had it for 6 weeks or so but use it a lot. We like having the doors open when not too hot so chose to use it more like a outdoor room. When too hot we cool it with a free standing air conditioner which is very inexpensive and keeps it about 8 degrees below the outside temperature, takes out the humidity, and makes it very comfortable most of the time. Would not go back to a screened lanai and the double pane glass panels keeps out much more heat and noise than single pane. our lanai is more quiet than our house.

[Nonni252]

One of the most important features of the home we buy will be outdoor living space and I have not seen anything on the market right now that comes close to how stunning these photos are! Even the cat coordinates perfectly with the birds on the pillows ; ) I will definitely keep in mind what has been posted about the upkeep of the outdoor space. I don't think I would like to be wiping down the furniture too often.

[charmed59]

When looking at homes I found many of those that had glassed in lanais were dark in the center of the house. Now the lanai room was lovely, but the living room was less useful. We picked a home big enough for all our activities so the lanai is used for outdoor dining and reading during rainstorms. We don’t have issues with the covered lanai getting dirty except during the pollen season, so we do have to clean it once a year.

[raynan]

We put in full length stackable sliding glass doors from Custom Windows in Leesburg. When it's nice we just slide and stack the doors and we have over 66% open air. You won't regret glassing in especially in rainy season. Trying to keep the furniture dry by moving it around gets to be a hassle. We waited 2 years before we did it and wish we did it sooner.

[Packer Fan]

After two years we, like Gracie, were tired of cleaning off the furniture and moving it every time it rained, it was totally disgusting in the spring when all of the yellow and green pollen would blow in and get all over everything. We chose full height double pane argon filled sliders with sliding screens, most choose to have permanent screening all the way around but we would rather be able to wash the glass inside and out any time we want without having to remove them from their tracks, the double pane units are very heavy. Having the sliding screens also gives us multiple entry/exit areas for the lanai. We have only had it for 6 weeks or so but use it a lot. We like having the doors open when not too hot so chose to use it more like a outdoor room. When too hot we cool it with a free standing air conditioner which is very inexpensive and keeps it about 8 degrees below the outside temperature, takes out the humidity, and makes it very comfortable most of the time. Would not go back to a screened lanai and the double pane glass panels keeps out much more heat and noise than single pane. our lanai is more quiet than our house.

Could you post some pictures of this? Would love to see them.

[Joeint]

I seem to be an oddity here but I much prefer to have outdoor space available to me. I have plenty of indoor climate controlled space and really don't need any more. Our lanai was enlarged by the original owner our home and it is screened in. I have our BBQ on the lanai, under the original lanai roof and it is directly outside of the slider from our breakfast room. I have a very short walk from the kitchen to the BBQ to our outside table and chairs. Of course we don't use this space in the hot months but absolutely love our open lanai during the cooler months. Actually, I do cook on the BBQ 12 months of the year and in the rain too because it is covered by the roof. (I BBQ a lot). So far the lanai ceiling is as clean as the day it was painted (12 years) so I don't anticipate it ever getting charred by the smoke from the grill.

Have you had any problems with your BBQ on the Lanai, grease on the floor, bugs or anything else?

[coffeebean]

Have you had any problems with your BBQ on the Lanai, grease on the floor, bugs or anything else?

We have a Weber Grill and have never had a problem with grease on the floor. As for bugs, the grill is in the screen enclosed lanai, so no bugs.

[valuemkt]

I prefer to keep the grill outside on the uncovered concrete pad .. Lanai is used for relaxing etc not for cooking or food prep. If I did that I would have an outdoor kitchen with a vented hood. Then I would need plumbing for a sink etc.

[MrExcite721]

This is a great discussion with a lot of useful info and pictures, can I be "THAT GUY" and ask about price?

[Garywt]

We have not, yet. We have 2 quotes within $200 of each other. It is just a matter of money at this point. After the house, furniture and 2 golf carts we have not been able to get the lanai done yet.

[vintageogauge]

Could you post some pictures of this? Would love to see them.

Here they are. Each of the 3 sections allow for exit from the lanai, we only use the one in the 3rd section at this point but they are there if we choose to use them. To clean the exterior of the sliders we simply slide the screens to one side. These screens also allow 50% of the window area to be used for fresh air when choosing to do so. I made the vertical panel for the air conditioner exhaust to be portable, although it is weather proof I can remove it in just a few seconds. The glass is not tinted so it did not darken the room, we wanted to keep it light in there although it looks a little dark in the photos but it is not.

[SilverRose]

Here they are. ...

Your lanai is lovely and your view is gorgeous! Thank you for posting the pictures. What is your floor covering?

[vintageogauge]

Your lanai is lovely and your view is gorgeous! Thank you for posting the pictures. What is your floor covering?

The floor is textured porcelain tile.

[SilverRose]

The floor is textured porcelain tile.

Thank you for the info. Your lanai is so well done!

[VApeople]

My husband and I are considering glassing in the lanai. I am interested in hearing opinions from both those who glassed in their lanai and those who didn’t.


I suggest you move in and see if you enjoy having a screened lanai. If not, then consider enclosing it.

Some people like us love having a screened lanai, and others seem very pleased to have theirs enclosed.

[GrumpyOldMan]

I suggest you move in and see if you enjoy having a screened lanai. If not, then consider enclosing it.

Some people like us love having a screened lanai, and others seem very pleased to have theirs enclosed.

I think that is excellent advice. Thank you.

[CandB]

This is a great discussion with a lot of useful info and pictures, can I be "THAT GUY" and ask about price?
I'm "That Guy" too anyone able to offer info on cost? Or if not wanting to share that some companies used for installations that are resonabley priced. Would save me time contacting several places if had a short list of a few used by those that have put in windows.

[vintageogauge]

I'll tell you what ours was. 15 x 30 Lanai 2 walls only as third wall is bedroom extention. 12 Double pane argon filled glass panel sliding full height doors with 6 sliding screens, ceiling insulation, solar entry light, all stainless steel screws and rollers, handles on all the doors. CVS quoted $19,000, Custom windows never showed up to give me a price, one other who's name I forgot was hitting me high at $21,000, final contract with All Season Rooms $15,900 and they were the only ones offering a transferrable lifetime warranty on the windows and a lifetime warranty on leaking. The quotes I received were pretty much apples to apples with a few minor exceptions.

We like it a lot, very quiet, easy to wash the windows, easy to cool down when hot with just a room air conditioner, the room stays as clean as the interior of our home, and we can use it as a screen lanai by simply opening 6 of the sliding panels . We chose not to use tinted glass as we did not want to darken the room and at this point don't feel we need shades either.

[graciegirl]

I'll tell you what ours was. 15 x 30 Lanai 2 walls only as third wall is bedroom extention. 12 Double pane argon filled glass panel sliding full height doors with 6 sliding screens, ceiling insulation, solar entry light, all stainless steel screws and rollers, handles on all the doors. CVS quoted $19,000, Custom windows never showed up to give me a price, one other who's name I forgot was hitting me high at $21,000, final contract with All Season Rooms $15,900 and they were the only ones offering a transferrable lifetime warranty on the windows and a lifetime warranty on leaking. The quotes I received were pretty much apples to apples with a few minor exceptions.

We like it a lot, very quiet, easy to wash the windows, easy to cool down when hot with just a room air conditioner, the room stays as clean as the interior of our home, and we can use it as a screen lanai by simply opening 6 of the sliding panels . We chose not to use tinted glass as we did not want to darken the room and at this point don't feel we need shades either.

Ours was $30K. Has glass that can withstand high wind and really, really, keeps out most of the heat. I didn't believe it would. We priced several and compared several and I HATE to spend money, especially that much, but we are so enjoying that room that faces West. They reinstalled the blinds and they fit perfectly too. They also added insulation to the ceiling and repainted walls. I feel a little better about reusing the blinds. We didn't need to add any air conditioner. We just open the sliders to the house.

The kitties love that room and I am painting up a storm.

[njbchbum]

While considering enclosed vs screened, give consideration as to whether you really enjoy filtered/cycled air day/nite/year-round without benefit of enjoying any fresh air without having to leave your house. That's why we left ours screened with a 4' kneewall and slider windows and a full size fan and shades for the west facing window.

The idea of opening all of the windows in the house for fresh air on a temperate day and then having to race around to close them in a pop-up storm or closing them all before we left to go out or being out and realizing that the pop-up storm is gonna soak everything in range of those open windows did not appeal to us! There is nothing on the lanai that cannot tolerate a pop-up storm!

[vintageogauge]

I don't understand. It only takes a matter of a few seconds to open the sliding glass doors on the Lanai to let in fresh air, in our case 50% of the glass area would be opened with screens. When it's raining you only open the ones that are not getting wet. The air conditioning is for those days that it is too hot and humid to open the sliders so you would not be breathing only re-circulated air but can enjoy fresh air any time you wish.

[MrExcite721]

Thank you for sharing your price info !!