[mainelovr]

We are enclosing our small (9x14) lanai soon, and would like ideas about how to level out the floor. We recently got new furniture for the space, and nearest the house, it leans annoyingly toward the yard. Any ideas about an inexpensive fix? We’re not aiming to raise it to house floor level, just make the chairs not lean. TIA

[retiredguy123]

Whatever you do, I don't think it will be inexpensive. You could get a concrete contractor to apply a leveling topping to the existing floor. Raising the floor to the house level will probably cost even more, but it may be worth the extra cost because it will increase the value of the house.

[Velvet]

Just wondering, could the lean of the lanai be to make sure rain water runs away from the house?

I looked at how the houses on my street were built and they all slop towards the road or towards a depression which runs between homes, I assumed for when it rains heavily. The water is directed away from the homes. To me it looked like excellent design.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Velvet

Just wondering, could the lean of the lanai be to make sure rain water runs away from the house?

I looked at how the houses on my street were built and they all slop towards the road or towards a depression which runs between homes, I assumed for when it rains heavily. The water is directed away from the homes. To me it looked like excellent design.

That is correct, but when you enclose the lanai with windows, you no longer get rain water on it.

[villagetinker]

Send me a PM so we can talk on the phone, VT

[Bjeanj]

https://www.amazon.com/Chair-Leveler.../dp/B06XH52SJW

[dewilson58]

Pads under furniture legs = cheap.

[NoMoSno]

If you are pulling the required building permits to convert outdoor space to enclosed living space you are required to bring the floor level up to the level of the rest of the house.

[PJ_Smiley]

OK. I will do my level best to give you a concrete answer. The lanais in TV slope for water runoff. Most enclosed lanais in TV keep the slope and the window/slider/panel that contractors use is wider at the bottom as the slope increases. So, the outside window can have a "filler" of 1" to 3"'s under the enclosure or the sliders are 1-3"'s longer/taller. This solves the problem and keeps the cost down. Go to open homes with enclosed lanai and you will see that the sloping floor still slopes even with tile.

It seems most folks either don't know or don't want the extra expense to level the floor. With the sloped floor and enclosure (whether sliders, windows or some other enclosure configuration) a Sumter County resident can use the mini-split A/C and designate it a dehumidifier and stay within code.

If you want it level, you can have a concrete person "float" concrete and level the floor and then cover it with tile, vinyl flooring, etc. I do not have any experience with floating and chose not to "float" since I felt that the "float" concrete would have nothing to adhere to and would be a problem down the road.

Bringing the floor level with the house, basically a larger, thicker "float" does not bring the lanai up to Sumter County code. I have no specific knowledge of other county code. To bring an enclosed lanai up to Sumter County code, the resident must do the following:

1) Demo the concrete lanai floor. That's right. Tear it out. Rip it up. Get out the jackhammer!
2) Level the dirt to the floor height you want.
3) A vapor barrier (plastic sheeting) must be installed.
4) You may need to dig new footers depending on how extensive the remodel of the lanai.
5) Pour new concrete.
6) Insulate the ceiling.
7) Install electric outlets to meet code requirements (check with builder or county permitting.
8) Install enclosure.
9) Have A/C contractor validate (a report) that you A/C is large enough for additional square footage.
10) Add ducts and returns to lanai.
11) All of the above requires permits, inspections, and sign-offs by Sumter County.
12) Oh, yes. Get ARC approval.

Some other points:
1) You do not need to bring floor up to level of inside flooring. In fact, I prefer to keep the floor the same height that it was before just below the sliders. Why? That 3-4"'s makes a big difference with an 8' ceiling. The extra 3-4"s makes the room look bigger, and adds more headroom. I don't want to walk into a cave.
2) If you leave the sliders, the lanai space is not included in the taxable square footage for property tax purposes (Sumter County). If you remove the sliders, the lanai becomes taxable square footage. We left the sliders. It also adds privacy.
3) Sliding doors with frames and tracks at the bottom are just that, sliding doors. If you are going to use sliding doors to enclose, don't level the floor.
4) The more glass he more open you lanai will feel.
5) You may want to install solar window film to cut down on heat and UV and it will hive you privacy during the day.
6) At night, with lights on, you will be in a "fishbowl." You may want pull-down shades for privacy. If so, make sure they are opaque enough to actually give you privacy.
7) We expanded (widened) our lanai from 10' to 14' (added 4'). The drop from the slider to the new 14' end was 2 1/2". So, we tore out the concrete and started from scratch bringing everything up to code. Been their done that.

I keep reading opinion after opinion. If you want the facts, talk to Sumter County permitting. Or, have a contractor or 2 or 3 contractors or more stop by, draw up preliminary plans for with code and without code, floor level, floor not level and give you an estimate. The preliminary plans don't need to be a blueprint at this point, just something to give you a good understanding of what you want. A reputable contractor, like T&D, will require no money down, and give you the estimate for free. When a contract is signed, the will have a draw schedule for payments that is fair for the homeowner.

That's my 2 cents.

[NoMoSno]

Originally Posted by PJ_Smiley

OK. I will do my level best to give you a concrete answer. The lanais in TV slope for water runoff. Most enclosed lanais in TV keep the slope and the window/slider/panel that contractors use is wider at the bottom as the slope increases. So, the outside window can have a "filler" of 1" to 3"'s under the enclosure or the sliders are 1-3"'s longer/taller. This solves the problem and keeps the cost down. Go to open homes with enclosed lanai and you will see that the sloping floor still slopes even with tile.

It seems most folks either don't know or don't want the extra expense to level the floor. With the sloped floor and enclosure (whether sliders, windows or some other enclosure configuration) a Sumter County resident can use the mini-split A/C and designate it a dehumidifier and stay within code.

If you want it level, you can have a concrete person "float" concrete and level the floor and then cover it with tile, vinyl flooring, etc. I do not have any experience with floating and chose not to "float" since I felt that the "float" concrete would have nothing to adhere to and would be a problem down the road.

Bringing the floor level with the house, basically a larger, thicker "float" does not bring the lanai up to Sumter County code. I have no specific knowledge of other county code. To bring an enclosed lanai up to Sumter County code, the resident must do the following:

1) Demo the concrete lanai floor. That's right. Tear it out. Rip it up. Get out the jackhammer!
2) Level the dirt to the floor height you want.
3) A vapor barrier (plastic sheeting) must be installed.
4) You may need to dig new footers depending on how extensive the remodel of the lanai.
5) Pour new concrete.
6) Insulate the ceiling.
7) Install electric outlets to meet code requirements (check with builder or county permitting.
8) Install enclosure.
9) Have A/C contractor validate (a report) that you A/C is large enough for additional square footage.
10) Add ducts and returns to lanai.
11) All of the above requires permits, inspections, and sign-offs by Sumter County.
12) Oh, yes. Get ARC approval.

Some other points:
1) You do not need to bring floor up to level of inside flooring. In fact, I prefer to keep the floor the same height that it was before just below the sliders. Why? That 3-4"'s makes a big difference with an 8' ceiling. The extra 3-4"s makes the room look bigger, and adds more headroom. I don't want to walk into a cave.
2) If you leave the sliders, the lanai space is not included in the taxable square footage for property tax purposes (Sumter County). If you remove the sliders, the lanai becomes taxable square footage. We left the sliders. It also adds privacy.
3) Sliding doors with frames and tracks at the bottom are just that, sliding doors. If you are going to use sliding doors to enclose, don't level the floor.
4) The more glass he more open you lanai will feel.
5) You may want to install solar window film to cut down on heat and UV and it will hive you privacy during the day.
6) At night, with lights on, you will be in a "fishbowl." You may want pull-down shades for privacy. If so, make sure they are opaque enough to actually give you privacy.
7) We expanded (widened) our lanai from 10' to 14' (added 4'). The drop from the slider to the new 14' end was 2 1/2". So, we tore out the concrete and started from scratch bringing everything up to code. Been their done that.

I keep reading opinion after opinion. If you want the facts, talk to Sumter County permitting. Or, have a contractor or 2 or 3 contractors or more stop by, draw up preliminary plans for with code and without code, floor level, floor not level and give you an estimate. The preliminary plans don't need to be a blueprint at this point, just something to give you a good understanding of what you want. A reputable contractor, like T&D, will require no money down, and give you the estimate for free. When a contract is signed, the will have a draw schedule for payments that is fair for the homeowner.

That's my 2 cents.

OP hasn't stated what county he lives in.
Marion County requires the floor to be brought up.
A reputable contractor like T&D won't do the job without the required permits and built to code.
My 2 cents...

[retiredguy123]

If you enclose your lanai, I don't think you need to bring the floor level up to the house level unless you are attaching it to the existing HVAC central system. If so, you also need to make the lanai comply with all building codes, such as adding electrical outlets, additional insulation, etc. But, if you are going to enclose the lanai and you just want to level the floor, it makes sense to me to consider raising the floor level to match the house because I believe it will increase the function and value of the house.

[stadry]

there are suitable final floor elevation materials to accomplish what you want - polymer-modified concretes in a bag - they're 'just add water', too. recommend finding someone who's a decorative concrete overlay specialist. he'll have the skills, knowledge, materials, & tools to do it right. if you want, send me a note,,, you can, of course, do whatever you want - even call painters who say 'we can do it !" you can even consult w/those who think they know - after all, its only your home

concretenetwork.com would be a good place to start looking for help

imo, most general concrete people don't have either the desire, education, expertise, or patience to properly install floor levelers + its a different trade than normal concrete,,, generally floor levelers are gypsum based & not suitable for a final floor finish,,, what i rec'd is cement-based & is suitable for a final finish both in adhesion & abrasion,,, even 1 of the replies states 'float concrete' which illustrates lack of knowledge re this work

we've closing in may on our home & i'll have to do the same thing - our 'lanai' (screened-in porch) also has a sloping floor & is enclosed. at least the present owners didn't have some hack try to do what you want done,,, they would've done it wrong making it more difficult to prep & do it right,,, having done this work for 30+ years,i'm not concerned.

isn't it annoying when your adult beverage leans to 1 side in your glass ? ? ? i need to bow to other's knowledge re codes, etc, but 'tearing out the existing concrete' ??? not in my lifetime - not when the materials i suggested are fl dot approved for bridge overlays, etc. that doesn't mean a contractor would be familiar enough OR willing to bypass an 'inspector' & speak to the engineer in charge of the department for material acceptance - tearing out conc's ridiculous imho & certainly not a necessary expense,,, bobcats running around your home when a knowledgeable guy can bring in a 1/2" drill & 5gal bucket ? 7" conc grinder & vac ? here's where knowledge often trumps bldg codes

[if using the word 'trump' upsets some, tough ;-) ]


.

[tsmall22204]

Really, you put all that effort into a question that was wrong to begin with.

[Dlbonivich]

I had permits and my lanai is enclosed with window and ac/ heat and it is not built up to my house

[greenflash245]

how will this increase the value of the house?