[Lbmb24101]

Hello wise folks of TOTV:

Right now we are using our outdated patio furniture in our lanai. Works, for now. Too many expenses when one moves, as you know.
But still,
We have questions and appreciate your two cents.

1. Those of you with lanai facing wall, have you enclosed yours? Also,
2. We are thinking of putting plants to cover the brightness of the wall.
If you have done that, what are the pros and cons of placing the plants outside? Inside the lanai?
3. What do you have in your lanai? Wicker vs wrought iron, etc?
4. If you have a small fountain, do you have it inside the lanai or in the small outdoor patio? Why there?
5. What type of floor have you put in your lanai? I assume, tile if

enclosed. But if you have NOT enclosed the lanai, what type floor do you recommend?

I wish i was a decorator...

[casita37]

Sorry to be dense, but I don't understand "lanai facing wall".

Are you talking about a courtyard villa wall?

Very interested to hear what others have to say about flooring on the lanai. I am in the process of trying to decide that myself.

[Lbmb24101]

Casita,
Our lanai faces a wall ( instead of street or golf course, etc) that separates us from villas
We have a Gardenia.

[gomoho]

Take some deep breaths, relax and enjoy your new home one step at a time. I remember when we moved in last year I thought I had to get everything done right away and made some mistakes as a result.

My suggestion is to sit on the lanai and study the area till you get a picture in your mind what it is you would like to accomplish. There are so many wonderful tropical
looking plants you can use as climbers on the wall if that is your desire. Or vertical
shrubs that will give it a more stately appearance. Do you want fragrance? how about
the sound of palm fronds rustling in the wind? You have a blank slate - talk to a few
landscapers and pick their brains for ideas. Most important take you time and enjoy.

[angiefox10]

Originally Posted by gomoho

Take some deep breaths, relax and enjoy your new home one step at a time. I remember when we moved in last year I thought I had to get everything done right away and made some mistakes as a result.

My suggestion is to sit on the lanai and study the area till you get a picture in your mind what it is you would like to accomplish. There are so many wonderful tropical
looking plants you can use as climbers on the wall if that is your desire. Or vertical
shrubs that will give it a more stately appearance. Do you want fragrance? how about
the sound of palm fronds rustling in the wind? You have a blank slate - talk to a few
landscapers and pick their brains for ideas. Most important take you time and enjoy.

Absolutely right!!!!

You can wait and then find what you want at a good price by buying the items everyone else thought would work for them, and now has to sell off cheap! Ha!

Landscapers can make a lackluster lanai into your perfect outdoor room.

I would wait to enclose the lanai to see how much you use it outside. We have chosen, so far, to not enclose. We love sitting outside. Others have made the choice to enclose. Take your time.

Get ideas from your neighbors. I find that each home/lanai is more beautiful than the next! *sigh*

[YouNeverKnow]

Originally Posted by Lbmb24101

Hello wise folks of TOTV:

Right now we are using our outdated patio furniture in our lanai. Works, for now. Too many expenses when one moves, as you know.
But still,
We have questions and appreciate your two cents.

1. Those of you with lanai facing wall, have you enclosed yours? Also,
2. We are thinking of putting plants to cover the brightness of the wall.
If you have done that, what are the pros and cons of placing the plants outside? Inside the lanai?
3. What do you have in your lanai? Wicker vs wrought iron, etc?
4. If you have a small fountain, do you have it inside the lanai or in the small outdoor patio? Why there?
5. What type of floor have you put in your lanai? I assume, tile if


enclosed. But if you have NOT enclosed the lanai, what type floor do you recommend?

I wish i was a decorator...

I sent you a Private message.

[asianthree]

riverrock on the floor feels great on bare feet

[borjo]

We have an open lanai and a pindo palm centered against the wall, jasmine climbing the wall, bottlebrush and crepe myrtle. In between are other smaller plantings the whole length of the wall. Anything will look lovely and breaks it up. We have river rock on the floor of the lanai. It never changes color when wet and drains the rain well. I even have curtains in the corners. My furniture is cast aluminum and outdoor rattan with cushions Only problem is moving the rattan close to our slider every rain so the cushions don't get wet. That"s about every day! Yes, I have a fountain running 24/7. I dearly love the openess.

[Lbmb24101]

Thank you to all the reples!
Yes, we are taking it easy w stuff. going on this forum is so valuable! And is part of our research ' homework' for sure.
Truly appreciate all your advise.
Borjo, we specially like your very specific post.
THANKS and keep them coming since other newbies will also benefit.

[kaydee]

Love our open lanai...in my opinion, I like to think practical when it comes to furnishings. We have pipe casual furniture ( no cushions). Open lanai will get wet and will get dirty. Flooring is river rock..love everything about it! When necessary, I pull in the hose & spray out the dirt including spraying the furniture. We so enjoy the beauty of our flowering bushes, potted plants and the multitude of chirping birds hanging out at our feeder! As others have said, live in your home, get a feel for what surrounds you and little by little give it your own taste.

[coconutmama]

Originally Posted by kaydee

Love our open lanai...in my opinion, I like to think practical when it comes to furnishings. We have pipe casual furniture ( no cushions). Open lanai will get wet and will get dirty. Flooring is river rock..love everything about it! When necessary, I pull in the hose & spray out the dirt including spraying the furniture. We so enjoy the beauty of our flowering bushes, potted plants and the multitude of chirping birds hanging out at our feeder! As others have said, live in your home, get a feel for what surrounds you and little by little give it your own taste.

Does your birdfeeder attract unwanted pests such as mice? Ours did "up North", but I was thinking of putting one out here & trying again. Presume it will, but would like your view. Thanks for any input.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by kaydee

Love our open lanai...in my opinion, I like to think practical when it comes to furnishings. We have pipe casual furniture ( no cushions). Open lanai will get wet and will get dirty. Flooring is river rock..love everything about it! When necessary, I pull in the hose & spray out the dirt including spraying the furniture. We so enjoy the beauty of our flowering bushes, potted plants and the multitude of chirping birds hanging out at our feeder! As others have said, live in your home, get a feel for what surrounds you and little by little give it your own taste.

We don't have a wall but have an open lanai that we love. We have added an outdoor rug that dries quickly when it gets wet. I saw some gorgeous and nicely priced ones at Walmart, but it is late in the season and sometimes they sell out. We bought reasonably priced outdoor furniture from Home Depot and when it rains on it, the cushions don't absorb moisture for long. We have placed some live palms inside to soften the look and found glass topped tables for side tables at Bargains and Treasures. I have hung a couple of my acrylic canvases on the wall, most acrylic canvases do well outside if they are not framed. I have a lamp too, but we have one sheltering wall. We also have a TV.

Things do blow over, so you have to keep that in mind. We also enjoy our finished concrete floor that came with the house. It washes off very nicely with the hose.

Everything gets filthy dirty out there so keep that in mind when you pick color and washability.

Below is a picture before we added wall stuff and plants and TV.

Take your time. This part is supposed to be FUN. Wait until you find what you LOVE.

[livsea2]

I saw a house for sale that had a patio of concrete beyond the screened lanai and a 6' or so white PVC fence around it for privacy. I questioned whether that's permitted since I have never seen that before. Anyone know if it is permitted? It sure does give you the privacy everyone seeks.

[kaydee]

Originally Posted by coconutmama

Does your birdfeeder attract unwanted pests such as mice? Ours did "up North", but I was thinking of putting one out here & trying again. Presume it will, but would like your view. Thanks for any input.

The only unwanted critter is an occasional squirrel! The birds are such a joy. Love the many doves, thrashers, wrens & cardinals and it is especially entertaining to watch the babies be fed by mama & papa. It's amazing to me how close my feeders are to the screens & yet the birds are not intimidated by us sitting so near them.

[Snookie]

We have enclosed our Lanai with acrylic and it is tinted. We do not face a wall but we are having vertical blinds put in this week to stop the afternoon sun. We had our floor painted and the speckles out into it. That worked great.

We also have both wicker and wrought iron. Wicker in our seating area and wrought iron for our table and chairs.

Also we bought a stand up air conditioner/heater/dehumidifier (from Lowes or Home Depot, I forget which) that is portable for use in windows. We had someone who works with acrylic to put in a whole for the vent and the drain tube. Because the drain tube was too low and we would have to cut through the metal from of the sliders we made a wood frame 8 inches high and bought an 18 inch floor tile to put on the frame and everything matches perfectly. By putting in this AC unit which is also a dehumidifier and a heater you will not have to pay taxes on an additinal room. If you have one installed it will be considered a room and you can get taxed on it. Good luck

Snookie