[PaulinTV]

I haven't glassed in my lanai but in discussions with others there are some things that increase the tax base and others that do not. Anyone feel free to correct me or expand on this for the OP in their cost considerations.

[MartinSE]

We got a quote yesterday from Custom Glass to glass in our 8x14 lanai with insulated glass and split AC.

$25,000 and 9 months.

[Lottoguy]

If you raise the lanai floor to match the home this will increase your square footage which will raise your real estate tax. Leaving that small three inch drop will actually save you money and is then NOT considered part of the house in square feet.

[Flossi]

We used Custom Windows and had horrible experience! Live in Marion County and the inspector - called by Custom Windows- told us we could not have a mini split because our glass was not the proper thickness. We were not informed by Custom Windows that this would be the case. Poor communication by the sales department. We purchased a portable AC unit from Sams Club. Very dissatisfied with Custom Windows. They also were very slow to return calls and reluctantly admitted that we were misinformed.

[zendog3]

We had a bird cage and a lanai. We glassed in the lanai all the way around. So now we can open all the sliders and walk out into the bird cage for larger get togethers. On hot days, we can close the house sliders and open the lanai for typical lanai use. On cold days, we close everything.

We had a country kitchen in the lanai. When we glassed in the lanai, the grill was out of code so we had to remove it and put a new grill outside. We were told that if we air conditioned the enclosed lanai, the new space would be living space, hence taxable. We found more AC was unnecessary. Just open the house sliders and the lanai space is very viable using house heat and AC.

If we were to do it again, we would raise the floor in the lanai and tile it to match the house,,although someone said that would make the space taxable.

Good luck. This is expensive, but I would guess the value added to your house is more than the cost. Besides, none of us in TV have than many years left. Enjoy every minute to the max.

[DonnaNi4os]

Originally Posted by mrrmauu

Hello,

Does anyone have any experience with having their lanai enclosed? I’m mostly interested in what it costs and was installing an A/C unit a challenge? Did you do anything with the floor? Just curious what others have done to “upgrade” the basic lanai. I was thinking of putting up a wall in the middle and have half lanai and half enclosed / air conditioned.

Mine is not enclosed but I have a friend who had hers done. Just be aware that if you are in the Marion County section of TV you will need to have the upgraded glass in order to put in a Mitsubishi type a/c unit. If you don’t you won’t get a permit to do the air conditioning.

[rsmurano]

Just finished ours a week ago. If you are going to spend the money I would make it look like it’s part of your home. We raised the concrete to match the height of our home floor. Put the same tile in as the house so when you look at the lanai it’s an extension of the home. Put electrical in the floor and in the end posts for recliner chairs and tv. We used double pane windows with egas to keep the sun/heat out. Ordered blackout shades for heat and privacy. We did put sliding windows/screens on the ends so we can open it up and get a breeze coming they. Our sliders from the house to the lanai open up completely so you don’t have any restrictions and we aren’t going to need an a/c unit out there. All of this and no tax increase because we went with level 3 install, level 4 & 5 you will pay taxes. Custom windows did ours and we started this last july

[nancyre]

The first question is - Enclosed or converted to legal living space?
Legal Class 5 living space involves outside walls, windows or sliders, rasing the floor ---- FLORIDA ROOM - real walls & windows - electrical etc. This is now the new envelope of your home.
Enclosed lanai - most enclosures are not hurricane rated - they aren't structured for over 77 MPH winds - so the house sliding glass door must retain to protect the envelope of your home.

I would love to talk with someone who converted a slding house lanai to an actual Florida room ( class 5 living space )

[Diver Man]

Originally Posted by patfla06

We enclosed our lanai in 2016 so the prices would be useless now.
Before we even moved in we tiled the floor.

Custom Windows did the sliding doors and never had a problem.
Daniels Heating & Cooling installed the Mitsubishi mini split, a 2 ton unit.
We used the heat this Winter as it was unusually cold. Daniels was
more competitive in price. Had insulation added to lanai attic.

We now use the lanai year round and it’s so much cleaner.

It is the best thing we’ve done to our home.

X2, exactly what we did, and Daniel's was the best price for the mini split. Custom Windows for the glass enclosure, and tiled the floors. Best thing we ever did. We use the Lania everyday for breakfast and dinner, and a mini bar area. Highly recommended.

[dms54]

Originally Posted by Fastskiguy

Can I ask a followup about the mini split systems? Can they be put in to direct cool air to other rooms too? For instance, our bedroom is cool in the winter and hot in the summer and it would be nice to be able to cool down the garage too. Is there a system that could cool the soon-to-be-enclosed lanai, the bedroom, and the garage or is that just completely ridiculous? Thanks

Joe

Yes, you can use one mini split system to cool multiple areas. I have a friend that added A/C to her lanai and garage at the same time.
They used one (larger) outdoor unit and a wall mounted indoor unit in the garage and in the lanai she had them take out the ceiling fan and use a recessed unit in the center of the room because she like the look of that better instead of one hanging on the wall. Both indoor units connect to the one outdoor unit and it works just fine.

[rogerk]

Can’t add anything to the previous comments except to check with county’s building department. The decisions you make regarding a/c vs dehumidifier and raising the floor and a few others will make a huge difference on your property taxes. Get the facts from the source not a contractor and don’t forget to get ARC approval for whatever you decide😊.

[Barborv]

Last summer we got several quotes and ideas. We haven't lived full time in the house yet so I want to go through a few seasons to see what is more important. Either glassing it in or leave the screen and put an outdoor kitchen. We also want to put a large rock fountain on the outside, and I feel we will lose the feeling if it is glassed in., What to do! What to do!!