Cage or closed in lanai
 

I’m thinking about a new build. Just wondering if anyone has an opinion with benefits and drawbacks of getting either a closed in lanai for extra space, or just a cage. Costs of getting it through t.v. Does either one raise taxes? What about keeping the floor level with the inside floor, which I like.benefits vs. drawbacks.
Thank you.:undecided::

After purchase, we enclosed our lanai (now a Florida Room) & added a new lanai.

We raised the floor in the Florida room, it feels like it is part of the house.
Raising the floor gives you better rain water protection.
Insulate the ceiling.
We got a second A/C unit, I hate the look of the split A/C venting.

We put a roof over our new lanai.
Love this feature.

If you grill, think about where you will be doing this.

Well, I think the two are for completely different purposes. One does not have an "advantage" over the other. Like a pickup truck vs a roadster.

Enclosing a lanai (which we are planning to do) adds a room to the house,

These can be enclosed with floor to ceiling glass, so it has the advantage of being dry, and possibly airconditioned, and the advantage of feeling like you are "outside".

Others, like us, are looking to convert it into a part of the house, concrete block, etc, which typically is an airconditioned room that is dry and used for some indoor activity - game room, tv room, office, study, etc.

A birdcage is typically open to the elements. It is typically for "outdoor" activities - swimming, barbequing, sunning, lounging, etc. It typically keeps bugs and most leaves and animals out.

We are not outdoor people, so enclosing the lanai more fits our lifestyle and needs≥

Also, almost without exception, it is less expensive to make significant changes while the house is being constructed rather than after moving in. But, many do them anyway - like us.

If you have the room and money, I know some that have done both. Which solves any issues with making a choice :)

We enclosed our lanai, then built a small birdcage to the side of it. Be sure to get good insulated windows. Put electric and cable hook up in ceiling if you plan on hanging a tv out there. Raise the floor. Only thing I regretted is not raising the floor.

If enclosing, raise and level floor, Raise the ceiling if you can, insulate all around including ceiling , install electric and cable outlets in "outer" walls, use heavy duty solar reflecting insulated windows if facing sunny direction, include as part of central air system, consider "can" ceiling lights, and expect to add sun shades if facing sunny direction. Consider using several screened slider windows to open in the Spring and Fall and add French doors opening to the lanai to isolate it from the rest of the house when the windows are open or to create an "isolated media room from the rest of the house.

We didn't raise the floor. I really enjoy this room. It is our craft room and art studio and television watching area too. The ceiling was insulated and we chose the heavier hurricane proof glass and together with the blinds it really handles the evening sun pretty well. We haven't added further air conditioning.

If any of you want to look at it, friend me on Facebook.

Aren’t you the one with the lot you put money down on then figured out it is near a power outpost building? If you are building new then you need to be in a conversation with the design team / builder. If the lanai is built enclosed then the floor will be level with main house and ceiling insulated

Depends on your preference but I had a half wall built when we built our house. I have found that I like the privacy, we also replaced the original screen with something that in the day, you really can’t see in through the screen. The same is not true at night with the light on. One of the biggest complaints for just screening in the lanai is the dirty floor you get every time it rains. I don’t have that, for the most part. Also, whatever the cost of glassing in the lanai is, it’s usually less expensive to have an outside contractor do it than to have The Villages build it. Sounds counterintuitive but you should check it out before making a final decision.

We bought a manufactured home on the historic side and it had a screened in Lanai 'stretch' ...I very soon got fed up with it the rain on the screen turns to dirty water running down into the room which constantly needed cleaning - so we had sliding acrylic (hard plastic) windows put in and the screen is still outside and had the air-con upgraded when our unit died so that it could duct into the now enclosed lanai. Now I've got the best of all worlds - protection against the weather and dirt - I can slide open the windows if I want fresh air and the outside screen stops the bugs and I can shut the duct to the main A/c - I had the contactors extend the solid roof over the lanai ...so now it is a 'real' room with carpeting furniture etc. and is my entertaining area with a Tiki Bar etc. Great solution to a common problem.

As long as you leave the slider in place raising the floor will not raise your taxes. It is removing the slider that creates the extra sq footage that will increase your taxes c

I think it's adding hvac not the sliders,

In my last home we removed the sliders after final inspection, the living room air circulated enough to maintain temp.

But the glass must be insulated

Built the house in 2019. Builder had some weird requirements (talk to design specialist) that included a 6 foot overhang past the end of the lanai (maybe to reduce warranty calls on water coming in ?) if we went with the glassed in option. So we went with screens, knowing they would be thrown away soon after move in. We had the concrete slab of house and lanai extended 8 foot in back and 6 foot on side for future outdoor use. No step down. We used Custom Windows of Leesburg to put 12 sliders where the screens were. Got on their list early in process so the a couple months after move in we had a nice almost 500 sq ft room. Added a ceiling split and shades shortly after. Downside ? I would have liked to have a couple of electric boxes put in the floor during build, but code wouldnt allow it. So I used what little wall space I had to put in exterior level duplex outlets. Of course, lanai ceiling was insulated as well.

It depends...
 

I can offer you my opinion, but it ultimately is a decision based on your preference and lifestyle.

I would say 3 major factors are: what type of back yard do you have, preference of outdoor living vs indoor living and what direction your Lanai faces.

If you have a Kissing Lanai, the enclosed space does provide some visual and audio privacy, this seems to me to be a big plus. In addition, if you put in A/C and heat, you get add'l comfort. If your Lanai is facing North, you get the benefit of warmer area on winter mornings. If your Lanai is facing West, you get cooler afternoons in Summer.

The house we bought has Golf Course, Southern facing Lanai, and has a Lanai that is Partially covered, and bird cage. It has an outdoor kitchen and paddle fans. We really enjoy the feeling of being outdoors, and would never think of enclosing it. If I want to be indoors, I just go inside and look out the sliding glass doors. I do not need another enclosed room? We bought if Florida for the outdoor Lifestyle.

Good luck in making the right decision for your situation.

Ron

I would wait until after you have lived in the home for at least 1 year before making substantial improvements. Determine how you actually use all the rooms before spending big bucks only to have a change of heart later

Do you have a view of something beautiful, or just of the neighbors? Will you be here all summer? Do you like sun, or do you stick to the shade? Where do you spend your time when you are at home? How much entertaining do you honestly plan to do? How often will people really be houseguests? (Honestly, not in your dreams.) Do you like to sit outdoors on hot evenings and read or chat, or watch TV in the AC? Do you need more room to do what you like to do?

For example, if you don’t have a view, does it make sense to build a large lanai with lots of glass and AC and insulation? Do you need the extra conditioned space? My lanai has sliding glass doors to the living room and kitchen, a large window facing a neighbor that is always screened so I can’t see out, and one missing wall into the birdcage and on to the view. But I never use it, except as storage for patio furniture and cushions. If I’m outside, I’m in the shade under the big awning over the outside table or in the pool. I spend most of my waking hours in my second bedroom “office” at my desk. That actually faces the street, not the view. I have a big living room I seldom use. The living room has two French doors onto the patio with a lovely view. I bought a comfortable chair where I can sit looking out one door, but I never sit there. So for me, a big lanai would not be a good use of my money.

When I look at photos of homes for sale in The Villages on Zillow, I see that a lot of houses that have lanais with windows don’t seem to use them much. Other people use them as living rooms, but does that mean that their living rooms don’t get used very much? Is it like those big houses back home that have a formal living room and a formal dining room that are almost never used, and a family room which is where people spend their time? Many of us essentially just have a family room now, which is a much better use of space.

I think my favourite lanais here are the big ones with columns where you can walk out into the birdcage. No screens or windows necessary because they are for shaded outdoor living, not for a second indoor living room. It essentially works as a big, sturdy, insulated awning. They are level with the patio and maybe have a tile or stone floor. There is a drain along the front edge so rain doesn’t run in, but if some rain gets on the floor, it will run out again without needing cleanup. It should be at least twelve feet deep and twenty feet wide. You can have motorized sun shades at the openings if the sun shines in. However, again, if you can’t stand to sit outside in the evening when it is 85° and humid, it might not get much use.