outdoor living
 

would be interested to know how many people would not buy a home if it did not have a lanai or outdoor space? i saw a lovely home which had a gorgeous large living dining area because it was a gardenia which incorporated it's lanai into one huge room. very nicely done, no steps or gaps in ceiling, resulting in a long wall of windows. personally i never use my lanai except to put my potted plants but i know that most people like to have meals outdoors etc. was just wondering if the lack of a lanai would prevent you from buying a lovely spacious home.

We're looking to buy the end of summer and one thing we want is a lanai that runs the width of the house. We would like to put a spa in it. I prefer to sit in the heat and humidity as opposed to the AC. So for us a good lanai is important.

We have a stretched Gardenia with an enclosed lanai under heat and air. We eat in the lanai all the time with the windows closed. There is a birdcage off the lanai and never eat in the birdcage.

A lanai was important to us -- we purchased a Begonia with a fully enclosed lanai. We need to add heating and air which we plan to do in the next year or so when we are in TV full-time so that the space can be a part of our living area.

well this was my line of thinking, since many people enclose their lanai anyway, wouldn't it be nicer to have one gigantic room?

I think so. :agree:

I believe there could be moisture issues if you have a pool or hot tub that is "inside" your space... I could be very wrong. I can not recall seeing any pools or hot tubs in an area that is "enclosed".

Yes
 

Exactly. The major selling points for our house were large enclosed lanai and room for a pool. Most of our friends have enclosed their lanai.

A good set up is a covered lanai going out to a cage. Moving to Florida means outdoor living.

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Lanai
 

Our lanai is enclosed. We have a birdcage and pool that you access by leaving a door onto our patio and a door entry into the birdcage. Works great for us.

We enclosed our lanai. Best money ever spent. The house is much quieter. We did add a bird cage as hubby likes putting his plants out there and we have some patio furniture out there too. The only time we use it is for parties.

No lanai or outdoor living space we would not buy.

Enclose lanai with stackable sliders offers the best of all world allowing maximizing the outdoor living while providing conditioned space for those too hot or too cold or too wet days......all adjacent to a large bird cage with pool and spa....and bistro tables with umbrella for lunch by the pool.

Can't wait for this seemingly prolonged FL winter to be over.

Outdoor living is a must for us. Our home had a lani but we blew it out for two reasons. First, it wasn't outdoors enough for us, and second, it opened up enough space in our back yard for a birdcage that runs the length of the house and has a pool. Beyond the birdcage is a wildlife preserve providing both privacy and entertainment. Sitting in the birdcage looking out at the sunset over the preserve is priceless. Then when it gets dark, listening to the frogs and other critters in the preserve is great entertainment. And the birds we see during the day is another wonderful benefit. We are going to put up a retractable awning so we can sit in the birdcage when it is raining also.

Love that outdoor living.
You can't beat a cage full of bugs!!

Florida living
 

So much of your question begs answers. If you have a view, or any type of privacy, I think the average buyer will want to take advantage of the glorious weather we have here about 50% of the time. No nice enclosed living room can replace this glorious Florida sky, especially sunrise and sunsets.

If it didn't have some sort of outdoor screened-in space, we wouldn't buy it. An enclosed lanai with sliding doors to open up much of it would be a second choice. But I love my "screened porch," as we called it up north, the best. I really don't care to have any more indoor space. We have a Begonia, and it has plenty of indoor space for us to rattle around in.

I love our front porch too. We sit out there a lot just to watch the world go buy and keep the dog company.

Throw in a summer kitchen and a pool bath and you may never go inside again.

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Interesting thought as we watch the properties for sale right now! We are planning to relocate to TV late Spring/early Summer and have participated in the Lifestyle in July as well as October. Does the preference for a Lanai depend on whether or not your back yard is on the South or West? If so, I can see where an enclosed Lanai is important. However, as I sit here layered in clothes and blanket, I am dreaming of being warm (hot as the hubby would say) and sitting on an expanded lanai (with pool preferably). However, I'm sure there are many opinions and experiences that are unique to each homeowner. Love to hear everybody's opinions to help me think through each possibility!

There is a beautiful home in my neighborhood that is very updated and is a waterfront lot. It is priced right, but the original lanai was closed in. It shows a good bit, but the biggest dealbreaker (according to lookers) is that the lanai was closed in and there isn't room to add one.
I can't understand why anyone would have a waterfront lot and not keep a lanai. I spend many hours sitting outside watching the sunrise and the beautiful pelicans and birds who frequent the lake.

No, I am sure we would LOVE our lanai no matter which way it faced.

Our lanai faces directly west. We get nice shade in the morning, and we have shades in case the sun is a problem in the evening.

Many of our friends have enclosed their lanai. We would never enclose ours.

The direction the lanai faces is another personal choice. Many want the lanai facing west for warmth in the winter. When we were house-hunting, I downloaded a compass on my phone so that I could tell exactly which direction the lanai faced. We knew we would not want to enclose it (grew up with and loved screened porches), and we wanted it to face east so the early evening hours would be comfortable. I would do it that way again, but others disagree. It's just personal preference.

Our cats love the lanai. We are not allowed to move.

Our birdcage doesn't have any bugs. I'm so happy to have the outdoor space that is protected from bugs and critters.

To answer the OP's question......No I would not purchase a home without outdoor living space. I love sitting on our outdoor lanai to eat a meal or just relax with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. I enjoy feeling the breeze outdoor living offers.

Our BBQ grill sits right outside of our sliding door in our breakfast room. It is so convenient for me because I BBQ most of our meals. It is so close to the kitchen and great thing is you can not see the BBQ from inside the house although it directly to the right as I walk out of the sliding door. The grill sits under the roof of the lanai so I can BBQ even when it rains and not get wet. I LOVE that.

The only time I’ve had bugs in my birdcage is when a workman wants to make his job easier by using the screen door check to keep it open. I explain to them why it’s not a good idea, I close it, but they knew.


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We would not buy a home without outdoor space. If I wanted additional indoor space, I would just buy a bigger house. We love sitting outside. Coffee in the early morning. Perhaps a glass of wine in the early evening.

Shrubs and plants make it a beautiful "green place" -- while screened birdcage offers protection from insects. It is physically, mentally and emotionally comforting. The only thing I don't like is that I seem to have a mental block because I never remember how to spell linnae/linai/liniai WHATEVER ... you know what I mean.