New Builds with No Lanai Screens
 

Would anyone seriously consider buying a home without Lanai screening? I watched the latest Goldwingnut video and it appears they are building homes without Lanai screens on smaller lots! Hopefully they can figure out the mosquitoes in such an unlivable spot of the home.

Can they really cost that much to put in?

I would buy a house without Lanai Screening if it saved a few hundred bucks. I would be glassing in the Lanai anyway, so the screening
would be wasted.

Great point
 

Great point, why bother if you want to spend an extra 10 k on glass anyway? The screen would just be thrown away. I guess it should really be optional and not mandatory. But it appears all the cottage homes are without lanai screening. So it must be a cost cutting idea, not a consumer convenience.

The “no screen” lanai is an option on some new homes outside the bubble. It makes sense to me if you plan on glassing it in after build out.

Option
 

That’s great if that is an option instead. I’m thinking for those who don’t have a lot of money to sink into their new buy or are seasonal it wouldn’t be. I know my wife isn’t found of mosquitoes, snakes or spiders which would be a deal breaker for her….lol.

LOL, what makes you think it’s solely because of cost cutting? You sure it’s not because they know their customer market base?

A few years ago no one thought the villas without a garage would sell but they all did. No one thought all of the homes along the turnpike would sell but they all did. There are buyers for everything, the key is the price.

When we built our home 7 years ago we told them to leave screens off because we were going to enclose our lanai, which we did right away. Saw no reason to rip screens out.

Geckos
 

That’s a deal we wouldn’t take. The anoles would e a problem for us. It sounds like it’s getting tougher to make ends meet as a builder.

I'd consider it but it would be a hassle and added expense to have to have someone come in after move in day to add screens. Getting estimates, waiting for work people to show up and complete the work, etc. Also would rather have that expense in the mortgage instead of paying cash or on credit card.

Were all of the homes 100% completed/move-in ready? Perhaps the screens will be added prior to release for sale.

Maybe it is just some models. We stopped and looked at cottage homes in We’ll Point and they all had screened in lanais. Maybe the new models that back up to Marsh Bend do not, we didn’t look that close at those.

The homes in the video were a new class called Garden Villas. I also think maybe the screening is yet to be installed, but who knows?

Maybe, screens are now considered an upgrade.

Sigh.... Need a link to the video?

Another reason to consider a resale. Some of the new homes don’t have garbage disposal, window screens, fans.

The new style of home called 'garden villas' is intended to bring the outside in and the inside out-if I buy one I'll be able to walk directly out my double French doors into my garden area and enjoy true outdoor living-not for everyone but understand-it is a design intent not a cost-cutting measure

None of the homes had screened rear lanais, not screening the front lanai is normal, many of the homes were complete. Usually the screens are put in a 3-4 weeks before completion, which from watching everyday, would have been a few weeks ago.

Let's take a short trip down reality road, or at least the the building materials rows at Lowes and Home Depot. Compared to 5 years ago (pre-covid) prices are 2, 3, or 4 times what they were for wood, drywall, etc., even the cost of paint has nearly doubled. All these prices increases to are passed down to the buyer in the form of higher prices for the home. They (the builder) has 2 choices, charge higher prices for the homes or cut less needed/used items. It is obvious that the latter is the path chosen.

“Garden” homes. They’re not cottage homes. Totally different.

Across the street. OP not taking about the cottage homes there …

Screening
 

if you're not glassing in your lanai, which I don't understand why people do, you definitely need screening!!!

Why would anyone rip the screens out? There are many days and evenings that are great to enjoy the breezes with the glass sliders open.

It’s way north of $20k for windows for your lanai unless it’s a very small lanai or you want to go cheap and put in plexiglass or single pane windows

To Each His Own
 

I golf a minimum of 4X/wk on the championship courses and have seen thousands of lanais close up. The number of times I have seen a homeowner using his/her lanai is minimal. I have probably seen 10 homeowners or contractors cleaning the lanai, pool, or spa for every homeowner actually using the lanai. They look nice, but just aren't used.

With that thought in mind, when we did an extensive remodel of our home, we converted the lanai to another room of the house. We removed the sliding glass door between the house and the lanai; framed the opening; removed the screening etc; poured concrete to raise the floor of the lanai to match the floor of the house; added a knee wall that was under the area covered by the house's roof; framed above the knee wall; added regular windows in the new wall; laid flooring matching the rest of the house; added a mini-split heat/air; and, added a door in the new exterior wall leading to a small patio for access to our gas grill.

We now have a new large, "family" room in our house and a TV theater which is the most used room in the house, compared to a lanai which was seldom used.

As lanais are not included in the square footage of the house for purposes of the county's property tax, while our new room is, there was a minor increase in our taxes.

Our neighbors paid 27K to glass in their lanai. There are a few expenses I would think of before even considering glassing in a garden area lanai. Our musts were home water filters, a softener, blinds, and the garage floor when we moved in. Those costs were about 12 thousand. We had to wait on a couple of these because of contractors so there is some timing inconvenience. I don’t think I would consider a home move-in ready without screening here in Florida.

We did the exact same thing to our screened lanai. We absolutely love the added square footage of home and that room looks over a golf course and pond, so it's beautiful. We didn't put in a mini-split; instead we added extensions to our 18 year old regular A/C system and changed out the whole unit for one that is 1/2 ton more capacity.
We do pay close to $1,000 more in taxes per year, but it's worth it.

I have single pane and I would save maybe $20 a month in electricity or gas so the extra $10,000 doesn't really matter to me or make any sense. It's perfectly comfortable with single pain,
Not everyone is a millionaire in The villages or elsewhere here

Pinching pennies is right! Spec houses don't even come with blinds anymore. That is one thing I really appreciated. I know some changes them out, but it would be an additional burden to have to shop for all the window coverings.They are really cheapening homes - the same model names are quite different and much cheaply done in niceties from 5 years ago.

[QUOTE=BrianL99;2407038]In the last 10 minutes, we've had "no lights" in the tunnels and now, no screens on lanais and smaller lots.

Sounds like someone is pinching pennies down south. Personally, I'm shocked that costs saving are rampant![/QUOTE . years ago all homes came with fans, window shades, vertical blinds , washer and dryer. and no flowers in the round abouts. everything cost.