Lanais Enclosures
 

I am asking a few simple questions as we are trying to decide - Please only answer if you have or have had a glass enclosed Lanai. I also don't want any mention of additional taxes or all that stuff. I don't care. The questions are -

1. Single or Double pane glass and why? Single Pane is $12,000 and double is $23,000.
2. Mini split air cond or not? Does it make a difference if you have single or double pane glass?
3. Knee wall or full height sliders? Any troubles with either?
4. Raise the floor or not? (again, not tax talk, I don't care).
I am in Sumter county. Please don't post an opinion if you don't have a glass enclosed Lanais in The Villages

We went to open houses that had enclosed lanai, sitting for 10 minutes. Single pane if there was any noise outside, (cars, lawn mowers, barking or sometimes loud talking) it was as if there wasn't a window there at all.

Double did a better job for noise, but we found a triple that seemed close to sound proof.

Splinters, In full sun without shades they seemed to work ok. Full shade, I would hold off until you live with it awhile. Open windows and see what works.

We choose not to enclose, we enjoy the outside, have water resistant curtains that keeps elements out if needed.

Lanai
 

Double pain and mini split

Worth the extra money for double pain.

Mini split works great when very hot in summer. New splits mount in the ceiling, much more aesthetic looking.

I had 2 house, one with knee wall, new house we put sliders in. Prefer the slider so we can access the back area, open to fresh air, etc.

How do you clean the windows on glass sliders which have the fixed screens on the outside ?

I have double pane sliders that are about 6 feet tall and no mini split. Pretty good at keeping noise out. Our lanai faces east and it does get pretty warm during the day but we haven't invested in a mini split as we are thinking about moving. We would not purchase a house that didn't have the lanai enclosed.

We have double pane sliders along with sliding screens so we can open to 50% fresh air when the weather permits and close them up when hot or cold and it makes it very easy to clean the windows by simply sliding the screens.. We use a floor room AC that works just fine except in the sunniest hottest days of the year.

I’m watching for answers to this! We have been taking them down and cleaning but now it’s just too hard for us. Assuming we have to hire someone to come and clean them.

We had ours enclosed 5 years ago.
We went for knee high wall, opened the access into the Florida room and had a single door with half glass installed in the centre back wall/window area. We had single glass and full air con, which classed the area as Cat 5 in Fl state terms. We have no noise or heat issues. However, that will largely depend on the aspect of the lanai to the sun and any busy roads. That was something our builder advised us on during the planning and estimation phase. He also co- ordinated the airco work with our supplier ((Munns).

Waiting until after summer to decide.
 

Single pane, no mini split (yet).

I’ll make a decision on the mini split after this summer.

One question. I’ve also thought of cutting a register in the ceiling and running a 6 or 8” flex duct off the existing hvac system. Has anyone tried this or is there a valid reason not to do it?

Enclose lanai
 

We also are seriously considering enclosing our 18 X 24 foot lanai. If / when we do I would definitely go with double pane windows, (for noise reduction and temperature consistency),
and probably a mini split system, (for individual control of temperature). I'm also seriously considering taking on the job of the general contractor, and hiring individual companies who specialize in windows, roofing, HVAC, etc. I believe I may get a better job along with reduced cost. Any thoughts on this?

Without getting into the weeds, we have a double pane three door slider. We also kept the original slider in place. The advantage of this is we not only reduce the noise, but also maintain the temperature in the rest of the house. Other than a fan, we did not install air conditioning or heat and were told not to, or it would be considered a room and would be taxable. We have a dining table in the space and during the warmer months we open the sliders and have breakfast out there. We do have a birdcage outside with plaint growth so no one can see in. It was the best investment we ever made. As far as cost we have had it for years and I do not remember what we paid.

In our previous home, we had a totally glass sunroom (even ceiling). Definitely needed the double pane glass. We also had a mini-split heat pump which kept the room very comfortable year-round. On one occasion, our house A/C (gas heat) went out on a long weekend and we used the sunroom mini-split to keep the living area and bedroom livable until a service tech could come. We have cats and a dog so went with the knee-high option to keep the screens intact.

We have double pane, and all sliders (one fixed pane that was too small for a slider) and a mini split. We have a birdcage and pool. We can close off the house completely, and open the lanai sliders to the birdcage and pool. Or we can keep the lanai sliders closed and open the house to connect the lanai (which is our typical configuration). It works well for us.

Thanks for telling people how to behave on their answers - good luck in controlling responses - WOW!!

House in Winifred with enclosed lanai
 

Bought an older house with single pane , acrylic/bronze color lanai sliding doors. Full top to bottom floor sliders and removable. Replaced all rollers. Polished scratches on acrylic. Installed mini split The room was unbearable in the summer. What I discovered was the attic above the lanai was sealed from the rest of the attic with plywood. In other words no acces to the attic above the lanai since it was originally built not to be living space- aka no taxes. I cut into the plywood to gain acces and then installed R 30 rolled insulation and also installed a ridge vent in the roof to let the heat out! Amazing what a difference that alone made. Then the mini split now enables us to sit in the lanai year round- even in 40 degree or 95 degree weather. Love it. QUOTE=Packer Fan;2186815]I am asking a few simple questions as we are trying to decide - Please only answer if you have or have had a glass enclosed Lanai. I also don't want any mention of additional taxes or all that stuff. I don't care. The questions are -

1. Single or Double pane glass and why? Single Pane is $12,000 and double is $23,000.
2. Mini split air cond or not? Does it make a difference if you have single or double pane glass?
3. Knee wall or full height sliders? Any troubles with either?
4. Raise the floor or not? (again, not tax talk, I don't care).
I am in Sumter county. Please don't post an opinion if you don't have a glass enclosed Lanais in The Villages[/QUOTE]