Lanai vs Florida room vs Birdcage vs Pergola?

[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!

[Stu from NYC]

We have a lanai but we find we need more living space so we will having converting into Florida room by replacing screens with double pained glass.

Might have to get a split system but hoping our existing system can handle the temps.

[JoMar]

Here is one definition, "A Florida Room is one attached to your home, often at the rear of the house, and designed to let in as much sunlight and fresh air as possible. This stylish home addition gets its name from its popularity in Florida, but is also known by many other names. You may have heard of people calling it a sun room, patio room, sun parlour, or even a garden conservatory depending on what they use it for". We did a full enclosure with large sliding windows, knee wall, raised tile floor to match the inside. We also have a small birdcage on one end and a patio on the other end so have the best of all worlds. When we open the windows lots of cross ventilation and when July and August hit a great place to hibernate. We have shades on the windows which helps keep the heat out and put them up when we use the room, so far no auxiliary AC required.

[graciegirl]

I think of a lanai as a screened roofed room in Florida. A Birdcage is a biggem screened room in Florida. A glassed in sunroom is another thing and many used to be screened in. If they are west facing they can be made better by shades that reduce the sun. We had glass installed that really works doing that too and we didn't need to add an auxiliary air conditioner.

Here are some pictures that I have enjoyed looking at lately because we are having the interior of our glassed in room painted a soft blue-green next week by a masked fellow and we will stay inside the slider doors and we will see that he gets cold drinks and we will keep the fans on and hope he won't be too hot.

Pictures from Bing. I hope this doesn't make anyone upset;




Pictures of a lovely glassed in Florida room. - Bing images (https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Pictures+of+a+lovely+glassed+in+Florida+r oom.&form=HDRSC2&first=1&scenario=ImageBasicHover)


Show us a picture of your indoor/outdoor space.

[John41]

If you add an HVAC I think it increases your taxes.
Lanai = screened in structure
Florida room = glassed in usually with sliding or awning windows
pergola = open framed structure with beams overhead or lattice
just my understanding

[JoMar]

If you add an HVAC I think it increases your taxes.
Lanai = screened in structure
Florida room = glassed in usually with sliding or awning windows
pergola = open framed structure with beams overhead or lattice
just my understanding

It there are questions regarding taxes call of visit the County office, they will tell you what makes it taxable. When we did ours, 5 years ago, if we removed the sliding doors it was considered a part of the house and assessment would change. If we kept the sliding doors it would not trigger a reassessment. All that might have changed but I recommend talking directly to the County. The other thing to consider and to ask is if there is a reassessment, how much a tax increase are you talking about? As I remember, when we asked, in the scheme of costs to live here it was insignificant.

[JSR22]

If you add an HVAC I think it increases your taxes.
Lanai = screened in structure
Florida room = glassed in usually with sliding or awning windows
pergola = open framed structure with beams overhead or lattice
just my understanding

Our taxes did not go up when we had the split added.

[tophcfa]

I could be wrong but my understanding is that a lanai is a enclosed room, usually with windows that slide open to screens, but does not have HVAC. A Florida room is basically a lanai with HVAC. A birdcage speaks for itself, it's a screened in structure that is framed with aluminum beams. Just about all homeowners pools in the Villages are inside a birdcage. I am not sure what a pergola is? If we could only have one, it would be a birdcage with a pool inside it, which is what we have. We blew out the lanai that came with our house to make room for a birdcage/pool that runs the entire length of the back of your house. If we kept the lanai, our pool and birdcage would have been way too small. My avatar picture shows the sunset over the preserve in our back yard and is taken from our birdcage.

[asianthree]

House 4 sale we looked at listed a Florida room. Looked like a lanai, but no sliders, and was under heat and air. Not sure if model is still made but the villages had models that listed a Florida room, fixed windows, but in the same area as where a lanai would be

[Debfrommaine]

Our taxes did not go up when we had the split added.

Same here.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

On several homes I've seen, the back of the house has sliding glass doors that lead out to a patio covered by an extended roof. It's not a separate room, it's more of an outdoor living space. Some of them have a bar and mini-kitchen with fridge, cooktop, grill, and oven. They are 100% open to the back yard, no screens (though some have birdcages that go over them and out behind a pool set into the ground past this open area), no windows.

For me, a porch or patio wouldn't have a roof. It's open-air and you have to "go outside" to get to it.

But these under-roof no-window things have roofs, and you can basically open your sliding glass doors and extend your living room as a result.

Does this have a name?

Something like this: Homefinder - The Villages(R) Homes and Villas for Sale (https://www.thevillages.com/homefinder/S116.91/gallery/4?new&preowned&homesites&lng=-81.97414086741814&lat=28.893178449235702&lvl=4)

But on a bigger scale.

Hah! Found one: Homefinder - The Villages(R) Homes and Villas for Sale (https://www.thevillages.com/homefinder/S94.40/gallery/30?new&preowned&homesites&lng=-81.9650116638514&lat=28.873998338624038&lvl=3)

What is that outdoor space called? Is it a covered patio? An unscreened lanai?

[Stu from NYC]

When I called the Sumter county building commission before going ahead with Florida room they said taxes would not change unless we took out the sliding glass doors that were leading out to lanai/Florida room.

[Pillowtalk]

Decisions, decisions. Best thing you can do is to check everything out. We have a enclosed lanai with double pane glass with central A/C. We love that room because we can use it all year long. We are now having a “screened in” pergola attached to the lanai. We wanted additional outdoor “Open” space to enjoy the views of our backyard. We wanted something that had style and as we do not like the looks of the “bird cages” this was the best choice for us.

[Frogfolly]

My take on this is that a lanai is weatherproof and a birdcage is not.

[crash]

My take on this is that a lanai is weatherproof and a birdcage is not.

More like a lanai has a roof a birdcage does not. Plenty of rain comes in the screens on a lanai unless it is glassed in so not weatherproof.

[CarrieOn]

We have a lanai but we find we need more living space so we will having converting into Florida room by replacing screens with double pained glass.

Might have to get a split system but hoping our existing system can handle the temps.
Who are u having glass it in..let me know how it goes..like to do the same..

[NotGolfer]

We have a cottage series home (Sun Kist) with the screen lanai on the east side. The first year we did use this area but as time went on it was used less and less as it was too hot and eventually found it hard to keep clean due to the humidity. After about 5 yrs we had it made into a room. We had the floor raised and the sliders removed and put on the end where a patio was poured. The other walls have slider windows that can be opened once our weather is more temperate (Spring and Autumn). We now call it our sun room. We had a pergula built over the patio (now to hot to sit on) with fragrant vines growing on two lattice. The room has heat and air. IF we had a designer home I'm not sure how we'd address the lanai. I would guess it would matter what the needs were.

[Juliebythesea]

Gorgeous pictures 😎

[Stu from NYC]

Who are u having glass it in..let me know how it goes..like to do the same..

Custom Windows

[Stu from NYC]

My take on this is that a lanai is weatherproof and a birdcage is not.

Lanai is not at all weatherproof. When it rains and wind coming in the right direction lots of rain into the lanai.

Does drain quickly but it does get wet.

[graciegirl]

Decisions, decisions. Best thing you can do is to check everything out. We have a enclosed lanai with double pane glass with central A/C. We love that room because we can use it all year long. We are now having a “screened in” pergola attached to the lanai. We wanted additional outdoor “Open” space to enjoy the views of our backyard. We wanted something that had style and as we do not like the looks of the “bird cages” this was the best choice for us.

I truly didn't believe that heavy double paned window would keep most of the heat out but it does, and the roller blinds that you can see through helps too.

[MandoMan]

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!

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.

[Kilmacowen]

My concern with "double pane" would be that due to the sun the seal would deteriorate and the windows get fogged, which can't be fixed and would have to be replaced.

[RealJudy]

A lanai is a roofed and screened area.
A birdcage is a screened area such as over a pool.
A Florida room is another room in the home - floor same level as home, roofed, dry walled, glassed, and climate controlled.

[EviesGP]

Thank you all for the replies! I guess I/we must have a Florida Room? We have a small rear (NW facing) glassed-in lanai with a split HVAC unit, which opens from a sliding glass door. Lanai is still shorter to say. And I was told(this was a resale purchase) that taxes become involved when you raise the floor(lanai/FR, etc) to the same height as your house, which mine isn't? I, too, may consider adding a birdcage with a small pool, in the future. But, from what I'm seeing with prices, that might not happen? And that's the smaller ones? Of course, those birdcages up near Palmer, are the size of my house?! I'd have to hire a maid, as I already do my own outside work. I'll never have time to play(or read these TOTV posts)?! :) Cheers!

[doctorknow]

The popular terms for the room at the rear (most often) of the house where the family may sit and relax enjoying more of a natural experience over other rooms of the house have many meanings and terms:
Patio = usually a cement slab without any enclosure
Porch = an enclosed patio most often with screen usually with an aluminum, vinyl, or tin roof, but may have screened roof (but then may be called a birdcage instead),
Lanai = an enclosed patio with a screen and a permanent roof as part of the house.
Florida Room = an enclosed lanai with windows either glass or acrylic (May or may not be air conditioned or heated)
pergola = any structure that provides shade without screens and made of various materials and designs. Usually an overhang off the house but may be freestanding as well.
Birdcage = a slang term which describes a fully enclosed screened in porch with a high ceiling (usually) most often round or oval. Term came to describe screened in structure over swimming pools as they were not porches. But now has become common to describe any screened in porch area.

[LianneMigiano]

If you add an HVAC I think it increases your taxes.
Lanai = screened in structure
Florida room = glassed in usually with sliding or awning windows
pergola = open framed structure with beams overhead or lattice
just my understanding
We bought a CV 10+ years ago. The FL RM came with glassed-in windows w/concrete above & below them. It is heated and cooled - but the tax assessor told me that as long as the sliding doors remain as access to the room it is not taxed as the main part of the home - nor considered in the main square footage. I was very surprised!

[rmd2]

The people who bought this house when it was first built had the Florida room built as part of the house. I is not a lanai or other attachment. It has the heat and ac just like the rest of the house. This is my favorite room in the house. I love it because it is part of the house, very comfortable but you feel like you are surrounded by nature. I planted many pretty flowering plants around and it's just so nice to see what is flowering in what season. I can watch the walkers and their dogs go by. It is so much more comfortable than my lanai. I also had a front porch screened in and that made a big difference too. I love seeing a rain storm come in or a sunset from the front porch.

[patfla06]

If you add an HVAC I think it increases your taxes.
Lanai = screened in structure
Florida room = glassed in usually with sliding or awning windows
pergola = open framed structure with beams overhead or lattice
just my understanding

Adding a/c to your lanai does NOT raise your taxes.
Only thing that raises taxes is if you remove the sliding glass doors between living room and lanai.

[Janlindsey4@gmail.com]

We have converted two porches ( one in each house we’ve bought) into enclosed, paned areas. We, of course, can open the windows with weather permitting, plus we can comfortably sit inside our porch during rainfall. Just personal experience here...