[Jimmydoodlebug]

Has anyone used Home Depot for their Lanai glass enclosure? How did you like it?

Their contractor quoted me $32,000 for a 12 by 28 Lanai, including raising the floor and 3 new electric outlets, with sliding panels and fixed glass windows below. No solid wall. The salesman said their windows would withstand 180 mile an hour winds, which I didn't think would ever be needed here. There was a 10% discount if I signed at that time but it was good for four hours only. They require a 15% deposit but wouldn't start work until January or February.

They claimed their Lanai enclosures are the very best available, but I wonder what the next best would cost.

To tell the truth I felt like I was being taken advantage of and pressured to spend a lot of money before I had compared competitors products and prices so I refused. My "I'm old but I'm not stupid" alarm went of.

Has anyone here used them and what did you feel about the whole project, from salesman to completion? Do you think you could have spent less or do you think you got what you paid for??

Thanks

[jimbo2012]

Jim, I see you're new here, run don't walk from that quote.

Do searches here and learn what's it all about.

For example why are they raising the floor?


Oh rule number 1 here in never money up front.

[raynan]

Call Custom Windows in Leesburg for a quote. They have a showroom with their different products just off of 441.

[NYGUY]

Get at least 3 other quotes. Those guys are out of Ocala (I forget the name) and they gave me a quote also. I thought I would faint!! While I liked the product, the pricing is off the charts!!!

[MoeVonB61]

We had the SAME experience with Home Depot when we had them in for quotes to refinish our kitchen cabinets....HIGH pressure and HIGH price......3X that of DOC's and 4X that of another....when we said NO, he said he would drop the price $3,000 if we signed today; we said GOODBYE and don't call us....

[Miles42]

Never go to HD for a quote of any kind unless you like giving your money away.

[Debfrommaine]

Originally Posted by mrich61

We had the SAME experience with Home Depot when we had them in for quotes to refinish our kitchen cabinets....HIGH pressure and HIGH price......3X that of DOC's and 4X that of another....when we said NO, he said he would drop the price $3,000 if we signed today; we said GOODBYE and don't call us....

Not to highjack this post but I am having a fella refinishing a table top for me - have seen gorgeous pictures of his refinish work on cabinets - wow. Can supply name if you still need it.

[Epic Home Pros]

You can always sit down with an architect and have what you want drawn up. This gives us builders a clear picture of what you want and we can give you an exact cost of enclosure. Also it will allow all builders giving an estimate the chance to bid on the same exact details. It did sound like a very high estimate for what you described..
Villages Home Professionals,LLC

[Jimmydoodlebug]

Thank you all.

It seemed very high to me, it was the cost of building an actual addition, but I didn't have any comparison point. I'll take a trip to Leesburg and see the showroom there. My wife is a licensed Florida architect, so she's qualified to draw up whatever we want, but I thought it was usually just a matter of assembling mass produced components on an existing slab under an existing roof.

We'll probably wait a few months for whatever we do since we have an existing acrylic enclosure that works well, but it's probably hot in the summer.

It seems that no one here has used Home Depot so that probably says it all.

[Paulz]

Raising the floor is new code 7/1/15 if you want to enclose and condition your lanai, it must be level with your house. I have no idea what the logic behind the code is.

[gomsiepop]

I have a Gardenia and had my 13 x 29 lanai enclosed with a very high quality glass, raised floor, three outlets and Mitsubishi a/c and heat for $18,000. Brian Terry Vinyl did the work for me. They had built a 16 x 26 screen room with roof in my previous home. I would hire them again if I had to do it all over.

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by Paulz

Raising the floor is new code 7/1/15 if you want to enclose and condition your lanai, it must be level with your house. .

Not sure that's correct, when I spoke them it was not as long as there was 4" of concrete slab above grade on the exterior edges.

The new code does pertains to windows which prohibits aluminum frames due to heat loss/gain. If space is conditioned

Originally Posted by gomsiepop

I have a Gardenia and had my 13 x 29 lanai enclosed with a very high quality glass, raised floor, three outlets and Mitsubishi a/c and heat for $18,000. Brian Terry Vinyl did the work for me. They had built a 16 x 26 screen room with roof in my previous home. I would hire them again if I had to do it all over.

The price was fine depending on what type of glass (you said high quality, but what are they?)

The drawback is is he only does aluminum frames, which is a major conductor of of heat & cold. he also uses a lot of sliders which are big on drafts.

It does not provide a thermal break of interior to exterior temps.

Just feel the frames at nite or early in the morning, they are cold.

vinyl or wood are far superior.

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by Villages Home Pros

You can always sit down with an architect and have what you want drawn up. This gives us builders a clear picture of what you want and we can give you an exact cost of enclosure. Also it will allow all builders giving an estimate the chance to bid on the same exact details.

Absolutely correct, except it does not need to be an architect a drafting company is fine.

I used Blue Water drafting in Oxford ask for Drew

[Jimmydoodlebug]

Thanks all for your replies.

The fact that no one seems to have used Home Depot for their lanai conversions probably says it all.

I'll shop around.

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by Paulz

Raising the floor is new code 7/1/15 if you want to enclose and condition your lanai, it must be level with your house. I have no idea what the logic behind the code is.

We had our Lanai enclosed and the floor raised because we wanted it level with the house floor as we go in and out of there a lot. Easier to navigate when carrying food or other stuff and don't have to step down or step up. Don't know about the code thing but it wasn't part of any code when we had ours enclosed in January of 2015. People did tell me it was required so I called the County to get from the people that enforce that stuff and they said it was not part of any code at that time. The only thing that would change anything would be the removal of the sliding doors separating the Lanai from the house. Anything else I wanted to do, raise the floor, put in air conditioning or heat would not change the assessment or violate any code. Since a previous poster indicated things changed July 1st, you might want to call the County to be sure. Don't trust any contractor to know the rules, find out for yourself.