Need opinion on sliders vs picture windows for Lanai enclosure

[dori2002]

Hello all, We are enclosing the Lanai with glass and are having trouble deciding between picture windows that do not open or sliding doors that do open. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[retiredguy123]

Slider doors will be a lot less expensive if you don't need to do any wall construction.

[billethkid]

We chose to do stackable sliders to maximize the opening area and enjoy the "outdoors".

[vintageogauge]

We chose double pane sliders with sliding screens. This gives us plenty of fresh air if we want it, ease of cleaning the exterior of the glass, and allows for multiple exit/entrances from the lanai. We have had this for 3 or 4 years and are very happy with it.

[patfla06]

Definitely stackable sliders. With Florida weather you will want to open
them often.

[villagetinker]

We have BOTH, 2 sections of stackable sliders, and the remainer of the one wall in windows that can be opened with screens.

Send me a PM if you would like to see, the installation was by FullView, and we got exactly what we wanted.

[mtdjed]

Hello all, We are enclosing the Lanai with glass and are having trouble deciding between picture windows that do not open or sliding doors that do open. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

We have been in our home here since 2006. We expanded our Lanai in 2007 from 9' by 29' to 14' by 29' (around 400 square feet). Being from the north, we thought that an open Lanai would be a benefit. Note we do have a knee wall.

What we found was that summers were too hot to enjoy for any long period. Autumn not too bad. Winters hit or miss but found that tree pollens start in Jan and progress through spring. Pollens of all kind in spring meant allergies and lots of cleaning. Used to hose off floor and water turned yellow.

Finally decided to enclose in 2001. Enclosure method was influenced by our personal experience and wants. Note, we live on a Cul-de -sac and have a park like view from our Lanai. We decided that we wanted to make it our primary living area due to openness, view and size. Thus, big screen TV, area rug and oriental rug, Bar, recliners, credenzas etc. Also, a Minisplit for cooling / heating.

We selected picture windows on the long length and sliders and doors on the short lengths. No regrets and the sliders are seldom open. (Heat, Cold, Pollen)

This works out to be the best used part of our house.

Point is that opinions, situations, size, location, wants , all make a decision very personnel.

[dori2002]

We have been in our home here since 2006. We expanded our Lanai in 2007 from 9' by 29' to 14' by 29' (around 400 square feet). Being from the north, we thought that an open Lanai would be a benefit. Note we do have a knee wall.

What we found was that summers were too hot to enjoy for any long period. Autumn not too bad. Winters hit or miss but found that tree pollens start in Jan and progress through spring. Pollens of all kind in spring meant allergies and lots of cleaning. Used to hose off floor and water turned yellow.

Finally decided to enclose in 2001. Enclosure method was influenced by our personal experience and wants. Note, we live on a Cul-de -sac and have a park like view from our Lanai. We decided that we wanted to make it our primary living area due to openness, view and size. Thus, big screen TV, area rug and oriental rug, Bar, recliners, credenzas etc. Also, a Minisplit for cooling / heating.

We selected picture windows on the long length and sliders and doors on the short lengths. No regrets and the sliders are seldom open. (Heat, Cold, Pollen)

This works out to be the best used part of our house.

Point is that opinions, situations, size, location, wants , all make a decision very personnel.
Thank you for the input. My wife and I both suffer from allergies. The Lanai backs up to a preserve and there are many trees and lots of vegetation. In all actuality not sure how much we would have it open to the fresh air. Up north we seldom had the windows open due to the pollen. Certainly a lot to consider before pulling the trigger.

[Iowatransplant]

Hello all, We are enclosing the Lanai with glass and are having trouble deciding between picture windows that do not open or sliding doors that do open. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Agree with Vintageoguage. We put in Kolbe patio doors from Romac Lumber in Leesburg. Excellent product and cost was considerably less than the vinyl or aluminum options from several of the other lanai enclosure companies that advertise in the Villages.

[dewilson58]

We removed the concrete and raised the floor in our X-lanai.

As such, our X-lanai is truly the same as the rest......no step-down, no mini-split AC, indoor ceiling fans, outlets around the room, etc.

Since we wanted to match window height, we had a choice of two feet of drywall or two foot windows under the six foot sliders.

So we have two foot fixed windows under our sliders.............more light.

[westernrider75]

Hello all, We are enclosing the Lanai with glass and are having trouble deciding between picture windows that do not open or sliding doors that do open. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I cannot even imagine a glass enclosed room where the windows do not have the ability to open on a perfect day. Would be like being in a fishbowl. Go for the sliders.

[La lamy]

If you have a view, sliders give you more of it. I love seeing the lake from my sunroom's huge picture window, but my neighbour's double sliders gives him an even better view.

[JerseyGurl]

I love my sliders (8 across the back of my lanai. All open and slide for a floor to ceiling clear view. Neat clean lines when sliders are closed. I do need to replace a couple of clips but Custom Windows who installed is expensive to come out and replace. Any suggestions?

[seecapecod]

Agree with Vintageoguage. We put in Kolbe patio doors from Romac Lumber in Leesburg. Excellent product and cost was considerably less than the vinyl or aluminum options from several of the other lanai enclosure companies that advertise in the Villages.

Did Romac install them or did you use someone local? If so- who did you use?

[skippy05]

Reconsider and keep it as is. Nothing says redneck more than a room with an obvious wall that was once an exterior wall. Next, to satisfy that same urge go buy a toy hauler RV and some ATVs.

[jimkerr]

I have stackable sliders. They are really nice when you want to let fresh air in, however, I usually only open them once or twice a year.


If I had to do it over, I’d get the same ones.

[Buckeye Bill]

Hello all, We are enclosing the Lanai with glass and are having trouble deciding between picture windows that do not open or sliding doors that do open. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

We have sliders and love them. Having the ability to open them if we want is a plus.

[nick demis]

Hello all, We are enclosing the Lanai with glass and are having trouble deciding between picture windows that do not open or sliding doors that do open. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Simple, if cost isn't a factor, do you want the option of fresh air for several months of the year or not?

[dori2002]

My wife and I both suffer from allergies. While having the option to get fresh air is intriguing, up in New England we seldom have the sliders open due to the heavy pollen. Of course, would like to do it right the first time. Since this is first time living in FL, we are not sure how bad allergies really are. Thank everyone for the input.

[midiwiz]

Hello all, We are enclosing the Lanai with glass and are having trouble deciding between picture windows that do not open or sliding doors that do open. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

sliders offer more options. we did all sliders. but also consider that in a couple you could keep the full screen rather than a sliding screen

[nancyre]

Whatever you pick - look at the wind rating. I wish the prior owners had upscaled just a bit for double panes for both heat/cold and wind rating. The big questions i do you want the breeze? I personally love the sliders for that. I have considered pulling the single panes and redoing it with sliding glass that is hurricane rated. I also have a minisplit for heat and cooling when the weather does not allow for the breeze. But I LOVE opening the house and the lanai to the fresh air in the Winter Spring & fall

[nancyre]

Agree with Vintageoguage. We put in Kolbe patio doors from Romac Lumber in Leesburg. Excellent product and cost was considerably less than the vinyl or aluminum options from several of the other lanai enclosure companies that advertise in the Villages. What was the price difference ?

[rsmurano]

IMO, when we enclosed our lanai, we used double pane fixed windows on the 35’ wall with the 18” windows underneath. Sure it cost more but you get what you pay for. On both ends, we have windows that open because the trade winds are usually in this direction and we get all the beeeze that is necessary and we keep the heat out.

We also raised our floor, put electrical outlets in the floor and in a couple of pillars, then it’s tiled using the same tile that was used inside. We have the sliders that open all the way up that separate the house from the lanai and tried using this room without any mini split heating system. Too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter, so we installed the mini split system in the ceiling (it costs more but you don’t see it) and use it with the smart thermostat system and not the remote that comes with it so I can program it just like the ecobee thermostat. My heating and cooling bill has decreased because I’m not stressing the 1 heat pump trying to heat and cool another 350 sq ft. We use the room as a living space and when we sell the house, we will get our money out of it many times over, all while being more comfortable using it every day

[kkingston57]

Hello all, We are enclosing the Lanai with glass and are having trouble deciding between picture windows that do not open or sliding doors that do open. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Noted that you are intending to use glass. Tons better than acrylic windows. Bet you can do a mix of fixed and sliding. This will allow you to have an open air lanai and a better view if you intend to look out from your lanai,

[Dusty_Star]

I think if you do sliders with screens, the added functionality will be appealing to future buyers.

[Hank’s mom]

I love my stackable!!

[Stu from NYC]

Sliders for us nice way to get fresh air and listen to nature

[vintageogauge]

My wife and I both suffer from allergies. While having the option to get fresh air is intriguing, up in New England we seldom have the sliders open due to the heavy pollen. Of course, would like to do it right the first time. Since this is first time living in FL, we are not sure how bad allergies really are. Thank everyone for the input.

You will find that the allergies are bad here 10 months out of the year.

[CarlR33]

We removed the concrete and raised the floor in our X-lanai.

As such, our X-lanai is truly the same as the rest......no step-down, no mini-split AC, indoor ceiling fans, outlets around the room, etc.

Since we wanted to match window height, we had a choice of two feet of drywall or two foot windows under the six foot sliders.

So we have two foot fixed windows under our sliders.............more light. Picture/s? or for that matter pictures of any of the replies may further help as I’m having trouble envisioning some of these.

[virtue51]

I had the lanai enclosed -- fixed windows on the bottom about 12 to 15 inches and then windows above the fixed windows that are screened and slide open. I have brushes and trees outside the lanai so it provides a full view of the garden and the fixed windows on the bottom keep the lanai clean. Custom Windows enclosed the lanai -- they have a showroom in Leesburg allowing you to view the various options.

[Carlsondm]

Sliders will give you more flexibility. I don’t know the orientation of your lanai, but ours is south and shaded by trees and a wall. We open the front door and sliders early in the day and whooosh, a breeze flows through the house.

We choose double pane sliders and love the quiet and lack of need for ac or a heater. Our neighbor has single pane fixed and said it was 104 plus in there last summer.

Our work was done by Fullview. Large lanai and they did our enclosure quickly so our swarm of cats would not complain. Excellent work and work flow. Highly recommend.

[Carlsondm]

My wife and I both suffer from allergies. While having the option to get fresh air is intriguing, up in New England we seldom have the sliders open due to the heavy pollen. Of course, would like to do it right the first time. Since this is first time living in FL, we are not sure how bad allergies really are. Thank everyone for the input.
Sliders will make the house easier to sell when you are ready for that. I have allergies too, but hi pollen count is intermittent. Open your house up on nice days and dilute that stale, musty air in the house or choose to keep it closed. At least you would have a choice.

[Pixelpups]

We've enclosed the lanai's in two houses. The first summer we experienced was so hot and humid that we didn't use the screened lanai at all. We used Custom Windows in Leesberg. We had double pane picture windows facing the view and sliders with a screen, at each end. Also had the inline ac in the ceiling to reduce the stress on the main house ac. Kept the stacking sliders from the living room to the lanai open year round. Then we moved to another house in The Villages and enclosed that lanai in a similar fashion. I'm a mosquito magnet, so I must have screens on open sliding doors.

[MDWolff]

We did a large pix window with smaller sliders on the right and left that we can open for fresh air. Hope this provides a workable option.

[MicRoDrafting]

the "CROSS VENTILATION" thru our home during this cool weather season is Quite Refreshing ... as soon as the temperature rises above 60* I quickly open all the screened windows and doors at the front of the house, as well as the horizontal sliders in the Lanai !!

[JoeBell100]

I am in the process of closing in my lanai 15x35.
Installed for an open view to pond with stationary 9 ft. tall double pane glass with sliders at opposite ends of lanai that open for ventilation.
Virtually no noise.
Installed by All Seasons and very happy with install.
Extending living room tile into the lanai in a couple of weeks.
Joe

[lawgolfer]

A lanai, whether screened-in or with sliders and screens seems like a great idea. In reality, they rarely get enough use to justify the space they take up.

We removed the slider from our living room to the lanai and finished off the opening. Next, we raised the floor of the lanai by topping it with 6" or so of new concrete and extended the flooring of the living room into the new room. There was no need to remove the existing concrete pad.

The exterior structure of the lanai was removed. A "knee-wall" was installed and the room framed and finished to match both the outside stucco and the interior sheetrock. The new exterior wall has 3-piece windows, the center part being fixed and the two outside parts being "sliders" with screens if we want to open them. The existing heat/air was extended into the new room. The new windows are covered with roll-up, powered, shades.

One end of the lanai was made into our TV room with a large-screen TV and reclining "theatre chairs". I'm almost embarrassed to admit that, unless we are in bed, we now spend 90% of our time in the new room. Previously, we didn't spend 1% of our time in the lanai.

The sliding windows serve as the required emergency exits. If you want a regular door, that is easily added at the end of the lanai opposite the large-screen TV. If you use a grill, you can have a small slab placed outside that door.

The conversion of the lanai into a useful room was neither cheap nor was it overly expensive as it all sits on the original "footprint" of the house and under the original roof. What it did do was to give us many additional sq. ft. of useful floor space.

[Laurawilcox]

I know you can pick up latches at their showroom for free. Each one just needs a screw driver for two screws. I have done it myself.

I understand they have a service fee after a year to have a technician run out. Perhaps a neighbor can help.

[Bwanajim]

I moved here from Fort Lauderdale and I’m curious why so many people are closing their patio with glass? Is it because you want more room?

[villagetinker]

I moved here from Fort Lauderdale and I’m curious why so many people are closing their patio with glass? Is it because you want more room?

We already had the large birdcage, so we really did not need a screened in lanai, and enclosing it gave us almost 400 square feet of additional room.

[yankygrl]

A lanai, whether screened-in or with sliders and screens seems like a great idea. In reality, they rarely get enough use to justify the space they take up.

We removed the slider from our living room to the lanai and finished off the opening. Next, we raised the floor of the lanai by topping it with 6" or so of new concrete and extended the flooring of the living room into the new room. There was no need to remove the existing concrete pad.

The exterior structure of the lanai was removed. A "knee-wall" was installed and the room framed and finished to match both the outside stucco and the interior sheetrock. The new exterior wall has 3-piece windows, the center part being fixed and the two outside parts being "sliders" with screens if we want to open them. The existing heat/air was extended into the new room. The new windows are covered with roll-up, powered, shades.

One end of the lanai was made into our TV room with a large-screen TV and reclining "theatre chairs". I'm almost embarrassed to admit that, unless we are in bed, we now spend 90% of our time in the new room. Previously, we didn't spend 1% of our time in the lanai.

The sliding windows serve as the required emergency exits. If you want a regular door, that is easily added at the end of the lanai opposite the large-screen TV. If you use a grill, you can have a small slab placed outside that door.

The conversion of the lanai into a useful room was neither cheap nor was it overly expensive as it all sits on the original "footprint" of the house and under the original roof. What it did do was to give us many additional sq. ft. of useful floor space.
by removing sliders you run the risk of having to report extra square footage which increases your taxes. I had mine redone with sliding windows, a screened door and picture window - no added cost as not included in total square foot of home.

[R2theb]

what company did you use to bump out your existing lanai?