[ComingfromCT]

We are looking at preowned homes and we aren't sure if we would be OK with just a screened in lanai or if it needs to be enclosed. If it should be enclosed what should we be looking for? Some homes have nicely enclosed lanais but they are more expensive. Some say you need acrylic windows and some glass and .......... on and on.

Is there some good basic wisdom from you all?? I know everyone is different but is there any general consensus? I would think that due to the heat that we would need an enclosed lanai to be able to spend time out there most or all of the year. I know I sound like such a rookie but we really are perplexed. Thank you in advance!!

[bandsdavis]

Just our 2 cents, of course, but we hardly ever use our basic screened in lanai. Once in a while in the evening in the late fall/winter/early spring months, but that's it. We bought a preowned home and the owners had made the former lanai into a fully interior Florida Room. Windows and a slider on 3 walls so we can get as much airflow as we want when the temperature is right, and it's fully under air on the same system as the rest of the house. We spend all of our time in this room, other than cooking and sleeping of course. I don't know how much it cost, but it is the reason we bought this house. By the way, our house is an At Ease model (although not the same layout as the At Ease models they are building now). Hope that helps and good luck.

[VApeople]

We have a large lanai and we enjoy sitting out there every day. We have never considered enclosing it.

Our lanai faces west, so it is great in the morning but not on summer evenings. We also have a small sitting area in front of our house that gets a lot of evening shade, so we sit there instead.

[oldtimes]

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[dewilson58]

Lanai vs. Florida room is apples & oranges.

Only enclose if you need the square footage.

I would never have a West facing lanai..........hot late afternoon sun.

[thelegges]

We sit on our lanai 300 plus days a year. If I needed another air conditioned room, I would just buy a bigger house. We have actually turned down buying a home because the lanai was enclosed.

[Toymeister]

We have had both. For the home without much of a view we enclosed it with floor to ceiling sliding glass panes (not true sliding doors). It was pleasant to read the paper there with coffee.

For the second the lanai is intricate to the pool bird cage and it has a view.

For the begonia that we are selling, screened lanai.

[retiredguy123]

In my opinion, when viewing houses, double pane glass with an HVAC system is the best, and is worth paying extra for. Single pane glass, acrylic, or regular screening add little or no extra value to the house.

[Kelevision]

I was born and raised in FL and have always been confused about why people in the villages enclose their screened lanai?

[valuemkt]

Like many things.. it depends. If you;re looking at pre-owned homes, many lanai's are only 8 feet wide. that wasn't acceptable for me. First home was pre-owned, faced east, was 15x15 and had double pane low E glass with sliding windows. Was way too warm for my liking most months. Added a mini-split and sun blocking manual shades. Gives you a room where you can add a TV and get some sound separation. Current house is also east facing (morning sun) and is 30x16, two sides of sliding glass doors, mini-split and remote controlled shades. 75" TV on solid wall, plenty of room for furniture etc. Of course you would expect to pay more for a home that has a climate controlled extra room, vs a screened porch that gets soaked during downpours.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by ComingfromCT

We are looking at preowned homes and we aren't sure if we would be OK with just a screened in lanai or if it needs to be enclosed. If it should be enclosed what should we be looking for? Some homes have nicely enclosed lanais but they are more expensive. Some say you need acrylic windows and some glass and .......... on and on.

Is there some good basic wisdom from you all?? I know everyone is different but is there any general consensus? I would think that due to the heat that we would need an enclosed lanai to be able to spend time out there most or all of the year. I know I sound like such a rookie but we really are perplexed. Thank you in advance!!

Like most things no shortage of differing OPINIONS. So confession, we have screens.
Inventory is tight. Enclosed lanais more expensive? Only if there is a buyer who thinks it is worth more. As to plexiglass vs glass. Plexiglass is plastic. It is easily scratched.
Glass is well glass. There is thicker glass and there is safety glass both less likely to break. Property on a golf course? If, someone hits your glass it seems they are not liable according to previous threads. Proper air conditioning adds to the square footage of the home and increases TAX. It is unlikely that a home with an ac lanai has proper permits due to that reason.

[Garywt]

We have enclosed ours. Two double slides and one triple slide which lets plenty of air in. With is closed it keeps our furniture nice and dry when it rains. We feel we have the best of both worlds.

[Papa_lecki]

Our lanai is screened - it just makes sense for Florida. It’s east facing.
Definitely think about the sun rising/setting when buying

We rented with glassed climate controlled lanais - it was nice for afternoon naps, but we didnt watch too much TV in them.

[Becca9800]

We have a screened lanai, and horrors of horrors, our lanai faces west. The only time it's uncomfortable is for about the last hour before sunset and only in the Fall & Winter (no leaves on the trees). In Spring and Summer, the trees block the setting sun. Wind-blown rain will come inside the lanai, in my case, about a foot inside. Indoor/outdoor rugs and furniture is the fix. When it does get wet, it's dry in 10 minutes. Rain hasn't been an issue for us. When we were house shopping, a screened space was a must-have. I have a screened patio up north, and I love that space too.

[tuccillo]

In reality, having AC for an enclosed lanai does not increase the property tax. Enclosing your lanai doesn't increase your property tax either unless you remove the sliding glass doors to the interior. If you use a reputable AC contractor, they will pull any required permits.

Originally Posted by DAVES

Like most things no shortage of differing OPINIONS. So confession, we have screens.
Inventory is tight. Enclosed lanais more expensive? Only if there is a buyer who thinks it is worth more. As to plexiglass vs glass. Plexiglass is plastic. It is easily scratched.
Glass is well glass. There is thicker glass and there is safety glass both less likely to break. Property on a golf course? If, someone hits your glass it seems they are not liable according to previous threads. Proper air conditioning adds to the square footage of the home and increases TAX. It is unlikely that a home with an ac lanai has proper permits due to that reason.