Enclosing the lanaii...
 

We are kicking around the idea of enclosing our lanaii. I have a question that I have heard many answers to.... What constitutes increasing your square footage and therefore raising your taxes?? Raising your floor? Removing your sliders? Running duct work from your existing HVAC? Glass windows instead of acrylic? Any and/or all? And if we decide to do it, is there a good contractor to do everything at a reasonable cost? Thanks everyone for you help!!

We enclosed our Lanai 4 years ago.....raised the floor and tiled to match the rest of the house, knee stucco wall with glass UV sliders all the way around, increased insulation in the ceiling. When we talked to the County they said removing the sliders would make the space part of the house and would constitute an addition. No tax increase leaving them on. The candid part of the conversation was that even if you take them off, the additional tax, in the scheme of things, would be insignificant. We didn't heat or AC and it hasn't been an issue, the sliders are left open all day but that decision should only be made based on your individual body thermostat. To get the current and correct information call or visit the County since they make the rules and assess the taxes. We used T&D based on their Villages experience and connection and knowledge of the County government. There are a lot of vendors who do the work, make sure you investigate them with Seniors Against Crime in addition to getting a long reference list with phone numbers and addresses so you can see what they do.

Call Sumpter County building department, or stop by, Pinellas Plaza, the copper topped building and ask the experts.

Hey Tink, there's no pee in Sumter.

I pee in Sumter every day.

I love spell check........I saw it right after I hit send.....Let's mark it up to old age. :clap2::clap2::clap2:

Not to be rude, but I don't understand why anyone would want to enclose an outdoor, screened, roofed(?) area. Sorry. I just don't get it.

And by the way, is it "ruff" as in a dog's bark, "roof" as compared to "book," or "rouf" as in "proof?"

Which is why you haven't done it.

That's an easy one. When it is nice out, we open the windows and it is just like before we enclosed the lanai. When it is cold or hot and humid we close the windows and the area is still usable. Our lanai is used everyday.

We enclosed ours to add 500sf to our home. We added 800sf lanai and added a birdcage. This is one reason why anyone might.

Recently I had my Lanai enclosed and enjoy it much more. Just slide the windows open if you want and close them when you want.

If you have pictures and want to share, I would love to see them. We signed to have ours enclosed this week but still have a birdcage. I am glad you are enjoying yours. We have kicked the idea around for eight years and recently saw a neighbors enclosed that was so welcoming and comfortable.

To make the space usable in the summer and winter. If you want the outdoors open the sliders and it is the same screened area you had before but you can shut the doors when it rains and when it is 95 or 35 degrees and 90% humidity.

Don't you have a living room? I don't get it either.

We are hoping to use the space as a place I can use my paints on a surface that can be wiped up, and use it with a pull out bed when the family comes and continue to use it as an outdoor space with the sliders open.

I understand your view, and hope we find it useful.