Enclose lanai?

[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.

[Babubhat]

Glassed mine in years ago. Get three current quotes. Split ac installed in 3 hours. No issues. Put tile in lanai.

Custom windows, D and J, cvs seem to be popular contractor choices

[Stu from NYC]

We converted our lanai to a Florida room about 18 months ago.

The cost will vary widely depending upon how big a lanai you have and the glass panels you purchase. I am sure price is up substantially in this time.

We left our floor as is. We have not gotten a split a/c yet so far it appears out hvac can handle the space.

Did use Custom Windows they have a large showroom where you can see the possibilities.

[Garywt]

We used Cook Aluminum for ours. We had painted the floor and then had the sliders put in. We had 2 double sliders, a triple slider, new door and screened in our front entry way for about $5400. We have not put an AC in yet but have spoken to SunCool about it.

[mtdjed]

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.

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.

[davem4616]

We converted our lanai to a Florida room about 18 months ago.

The cost will vary widely depending upon how big a lanai you have and the glass panels you purchase. I am sure price is up substantially in this time.

We left our floor as is. We have not gotten a split a/c yet so far it appears out hvac can handle the space.

Did use Custom Windows they have a large showroom where you can see the possibilities.


ditto on the above...except we put tile in

we enclosed it within 4 months of moving in...makes a huge difference

get a few quotes

the exposure you have will make a difference on whether you need a split...we have an 11 foot opening leading out to the lanai and haven't needed a split. We also put sunscreens in to help keep the direct sunlight out

we used All Season Rooms 352.322.2298

[Packer Fan]

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.

Interesting. $400 a linear foot for sliders seems very high. I got several quotes on double pane glass last summer and it was about half that. Definitely agree you want to do it right.

[mtdjed]

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.

[QUOTE=Packer Fan;2070951]Interesting. $400 a linear foot for sliders seems very high. I got several quotes on double pane glass last summer and it was about half that. Definitely agree you want to do it right.[/QUOT\\

Price is high but included electrical work, insulation of ceiling, framing and installation. Just trying to show some cost reference. It is what it is.

[Stu from NYC]

[QUOTE=Packer Fan;2070951]Interesting. $400 a linear foot for sliders seems very high. I got several quotes on double pane glass last summer and it was about half that. Definitely agree you want to do it right.[/QUOT\\

Price is high but included electrical work, insulation of ceiling, framing and installation. Just trying to show some cost reference. It is what it is.

So many variables putting in what we paid would be meaningless/

[patfla06]

We enclosed our lanai in 2016 so the prices would be useless now.
Before we even moved in we tiled the floor.

Custom Windows did the sliding doors and never had a problem.
Daniels Heating & Cooling installed the Mitsubishi mini split, a 2 ton unit.
We used the heat this Winter as it was unusually cold. Daniels was
more competitive in price. Had insulation added to lanai attic.

We now use the lanai year round and it’s so much cleaner.

It is the best thing we’ve done to our home.

[Sensei]

a number of years ago we realized the screened lanai was hot, humid, horribly dirty, and rarely used. We enclosed...we went full-bore and are fully delighted using the "new" room many hours of every day. Raised the floor, tiled the floor, installed electrical outlets, raised the outside walls two blocks high. Installed two large slider windows and four fixed, new doors, extended the walls to fully cover the stacked sliders then enclosed them in removable panels. Covered the threshold rails of the sliders with removable panels. Had a split air unit installed by a cut-rate firm. Had the split air unit reinstalled properly by M&S Air Conditioning. Entire project was pricey. Entire project ENTIRELY worth it.
john

[VillagerNut]

I would not split the current lanai in half. The larger the lanai, the better the resale. Put glass windows so you do not have any problem with discoloration of windows down the road. Put a tint on the windows if needed. Leave the sliders from the house into the lanai so you still have that protection from weather issues. And at some point you can add a mini split at a cost of about 5K. The flooring can be either an outdoor tile or just do a driveway coat.

[Fastskiguy]

Can I ask a followup about the mini split systems? Can they be put in to direct cool air to other rooms too? For instance, our bedroom is cool in the winter and hot in the summer and it would be nice to be able to cool down the garage too. Is there a system that could cool the soon-to-be-enclosed lanai, the bedroom, and the garage or is that just completely ridiculous? Thanks :)

Joe

[BobbyM46]

Can I ask a followup about the mini split systems? Can they be put in to direct cool air to other rooms too? For instance, our bedroom is cool in the winter and hot in the summer and it would be nice to be able to cool down the garage too. Is there a system that could cool the soon-to-be-enclosed lanai, the bedroom, and the garage or is that just completely ridiculous? Thanks :)

Joe

Joe, Yes you can add individual units to different rooms using an upgraded outside unit. Mitsubishi does offer this type of setup. It is called a multi system operation. May be a little pricey but is doable.

[skippy05]

I got quotes from real AC companies for Mini split AC installation in my sunroom. Quotes were 5k, 7k range. Instead, I went on Facebook Market Place and searched for "mini split". On there you find a lots of guys doing it for a living on the side out of the trunk of their car. They provided the new mini split and labor and it was 2300 total. I did not worry about stupid electrical permits or inspections or approvals and paid them in cash. It worked out perfectly. Further advice: Custom Windows of Leesburg is TERRIBLE service and workman ship. I used them for my glass and had to withhold money in order to leverage them to come back several trips to fix their terrible work.

[PaulinTV]

I haven't glassed in my lanai but in discussions with others there are some things that increase the tax base and others that do not. Anyone feel free to correct me or expand on this for the OP in their cost considerations.

[MartinSE]

We got a quote yesterday from Custom Glass to glass in our 8x14 lanai with insulated glass and split AC.

$25,000 and 9 months.

[Lottoguy]

If you raise the lanai floor to match the home this will increase your square footage which will raise your real estate tax. Leaving that small three inch drop will actually save you money and is then NOT considered part of the house in square feet.

[Flossi]

We used Custom Windows and had horrible experience! Live in Marion County and the inspector - called by Custom Windows- told us we could not have a mini split because our glass was not the proper thickness. We were not informed by Custom Windows that this would be the case. Poor communication by the sales department. We purchased a portable AC unit from Sams Club. Very dissatisfied with Custom Windows. They also were very slow to return calls and reluctantly admitted that we were misinformed.

[zendog3]

We had a bird cage and a lanai. We glassed in the lanai all the way around. So now we can open all the sliders and walk out into the bird cage for larger get togethers. On hot days, we can close the house sliders and open the lanai for typical lanai use. On cold days, we close everything.

We had a country kitchen in the lanai. When we glassed in the lanai, the grill was out of code so we had to remove it and put a new grill outside. We were told that if we air conditioned the enclosed lanai, the new space would be living space, hence taxable. We found more AC was unnecessary. Just open the house sliders and the lanai space is very viable using house heat and AC.

If we were to do it again, we would raise the floor in the lanai and tile it to match the house,,although someone said that would make the space taxable.

Good luck. This is expensive, but I would guess the value added to your house is more than the cost. Besides, none of us in TV have than many years left. Enjoy every minute to the max.

[DonnaNi4os]

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.

Mine is not enclosed but I have a friend who had hers done. Just be aware that if you are in the Marion County section of TV you will need to have the upgraded glass in order to put in a Mitsubishi type a/c unit. If you don’t you won’t get a permit to do the air conditioning.

[rsmurano]

Just finished ours a week ago. If you are going to spend the money I would make it look like it’s part of your home. We raised the concrete to match the height of our home floor. Put the same tile in as the house so when you look at the lanai it’s an extension of the home. Put electrical in the floor and in the end posts for recliner chairs and tv. We used double pane windows with egas to keep the sun/heat out. Ordered blackout shades for heat and privacy. We did put sliding windows/screens on the ends so we can open it up and get a breeze coming they. Our sliders from the house to the lanai open up completely so you don’t have any restrictions and we aren’t going to need an a/c unit out there. All of this and no tax increase because we went with level 3 install, level 4 & 5 you will pay taxes. Custom windows did ours and we started this last july

[nancyre]

The first question is - Enclosed or converted to legal living space?
Legal Class 5 living space involves outside walls, windows or sliders, rasing the floor ---- FLORIDA ROOM - real walls & windows - electrical etc. This is now the new envelope of your home.
Enclosed lanai - most enclosures are not hurricane rated - they aren't structured for over 77 MPH winds - so the house sliding glass door must retain to protect the envelope of your home.

I would love to talk with someone who converted a slding house lanai to an actual Florida room ( class 5 living space )

[Diver Man]

We enclosed our lanai in 2016 so the prices would be useless now.
Before we even moved in we tiled the floor.

Custom Windows did the sliding doors and never had a problem.
Daniels Heating & Cooling installed the Mitsubishi mini split, a 2 ton unit.
We used the heat this Winter as it was unusually cold. Daniels was
more competitive in price. Had insulation added to lanai attic.

We now use the lanai year round and it’s so much cleaner.

It is the best thing we’ve done to our home.

X2, exactly what we did, and Daniel's was the best price for the mini split. Custom Windows for the glass enclosure, and tiled the floors. Best thing we ever did. We use the Lania everyday for breakfast and dinner, and a mini bar area. Highly recommended.

[dms54]

Can I ask a followup about the mini split systems? Can they be put in to direct cool air to other rooms too? For instance, our bedroom is cool in the winter and hot in the summer and it would be nice to be able to cool down the garage too. Is there a system that could cool the soon-to-be-enclosed lanai, the bedroom, and the garage or is that just completely ridiculous? Thanks :)

Joe
Yes, you can use one mini split system to cool multiple areas. I have a friend that added A/C to her lanai and garage at the same time.
They used one (larger) outdoor unit and a wall mounted indoor unit in the garage and in the lanai she had them take out the ceiling fan and use a recessed unit in the center of the room because she like the look of that better instead of one hanging on the wall. Both indoor units connect to the one outdoor unit and it works just fine.

[rogerk]

Can’t add anything to the previous comments except to check with county’s building department. The decisions you make regarding a/c vs dehumidifier and raising the floor and a few others will make a huge difference on your property taxes. Get the facts from the source not a contractor and don’t forget to get ARC approval for whatever you decide😊.

[Barborv]

Last summer we got several quotes and ideas. We haven't lived full time in the house yet so I want to go through a few seasons to see what is more important. Either glassing it in or leave the screen and put an outdoor kitchen. We also want to put a large rock fountain on the outside, and I feel we will lose the feeling if it is glassed in., What to do! What to do!!