[EviesGP]

Ok, you sages out there(and I know of a few of you)...I've tried to find this myself here on the forums and Google, but not quite getting my answer(s)? I know we don't have porches here, but lanais.
Just what makes a Lanai a Florida Room? Is it glass, or HVAC unit?
And I know there are Arbors, but when I look up Pergolas, I see anything from what looks like an arbor, to what looks like a birdcage? What makes those different? Sorry if this is a repeat(that I can't find), and thanks in advance!

[Stu from NYC]

We have a lanai but we find we need more living space so we will having converting into Florida room by replacing screens with double pained glass.

Might have to get a split system but hoping our existing system can handle the temps.

[JoMar]

Here is one definition, "A Florida Room is one attached to your home, often at the rear of the house, and designed to let in as much sunlight and fresh air as possible. This stylish home addition gets its name from its popularity in Florida, but is also known by many other names. You may have heard of people calling it a sun room, patio room, sun parlour, or even a garden conservatory depending on what they use it for". We did a full enclosure with large sliding windows, knee wall, raised tile floor to match the inside. We also have a small birdcage on one end and a patio on the other end so have the best of all worlds. When we open the windows lots of cross ventilation and when July and August hit a great place to hibernate. We have shades on the windows which helps keep the heat out and put them up when we use the room, so far no auxiliary AC required.

[graciegirl]

I think of a lanai as a screened roofed room in Florida. A Birdcage is a biggem screened room in Florida. A glassed in sunroom is another thing and many used to be screened in. If they are west facing they can be made better by shades that reduce the sun. We had glass installed that really works doing that too and we didn't need to add an auxiliary air conditioner.

Here are some pictures that I have enjoyed looking at lately because we are having the interior of our glassed in room painted a soft blue-green next week by a masked fellow and we will stay inside the slider doors and we will see that he gets cold drinks and we will keep the fans on and hope he won't be too hot.

Pictures from Bing. I hope this doesn't make anyone upset;




Pictures of a lovely glassed in Florida room. - Bing images


Show us a picture of your indoor/outdoor space.

If you add an HVAC I think it increases your taxes.
Lanai = screened in structure
Florida room = glassed in usually with sliding or awning windows
pergola = open framed structure with beams overhead or lattice
just my understanding

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by John41

If you add an HVAC I think it increases your taxes.
Lanai = screened in structure
Florida room = glassed in usually with sliding or awning windows
pergola = open framed structure with beams overhead or lattice
just my understanding

It there are questions regarding taxes call of visit the County office, they will tell you what makes it taxable. When we did ours, 5 years ago, if we removed the sliding doors it was considered a part of the house and assessment would change. If we kept the sliding doors it would not trigger a reassessment. All that might have changed but I recommend talking directly to the County. The other thing to consider and to ask is if there is a reassessment, how much a tax increase are you talking about? As I remember, when we asked, in the scheme of costs to live here it was insignificant.

[JSR22]

Originally Posted by John41

If you add an HVAC I think it increases your taxes.
Lanai = screened in structure
Florida room = glassed in usually with sliding or awning windows
pergola = open framed structure with beams overhead or lattice
just my understanding

Our taxes did not go up when we had the split added.

[tophcfa]

I could be wrong but my understanding is that a lanai is a enclosed room, usually with windows that slide open to screens, but does not have HVAC. A Florida room is basically a lanai with HVAC. A birdcage speaks for itself, it's a screened in structure that is framed with aluminum beams. Just about all homeowners pools in the Villages are inside a birdcage. I am not sure what a pergola is? If we could only have one, it would be a birdcage with a pool inside it, which is what we have. We blew out the lanai that came with our house to make room for a birdcage/pool that runs the entire length of the back of your house. If we kept the lanai, our pool and birdcage would have been way too small. My avatar picture shows the sunset over the preserve in our back yard and is taken from our birdcage.

[asianthree]

House 4 sale we looked at listed a Florida room. Looked like a lanai, but no sliders, and was under heat and air. Not sure if model is still made but the villages had models that listed a Florida room, fixed windows, but in the same area as where a lanai would be

[Debfrommaine]

Originally Posted by JSR22

Our taxes did not go up when we had the split added.

Same here.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

On several homes I've seen, the back of the house has sliding glass doors that lead out to a patio covered by an extended roof. It's not a separate room, it's more of an outdoor living space. Some of them have a bar and mini-kitchen with fridge, cooktop, grill, and oven. They are 100% open to the back yard, no screens (though some have birdcages that go over them and out behind a pool set into the ground past this open area), no windows.

For me, a porch or patio wouldn't have a roof. It's open-air and you have to "go outside" to get to it.

But these under-roof no-window things have roofs, and you can basically open your sliding glass doors and extend your living room as a result.

Does this have a name?

Something like this: Homefinder - The Villages(R) Homes and Villas for Sale

But on a bigger scale.

Hah! Found one: Homefinder - The Villages(R) Homes and Villas for Sale

What is that outdoor space called? Is it a covered patio? An unscreened lanai?

[Stu from NYC]

When I called the Sumter county building commission before going ahead with Florida room they said taxes would not change unless we took out the sliding glass doors that were leading out to lanai/Florida room.

[Pillowtalk]

Decisions, decisions. Best thing you can do is to check everything out. We have a enclosed lanai with double pane glass with central A/C. We love that room because we can use it all year long. We are now having a “screened in” pergola attached to the lanai. We wanted additional outdoor “Open” space to enjoy the views of our backyard. We wanted something that had style and as we do not like the looks of the “bird cages” this was the best choice for us.

[Frogfolly]

My take on this is that a lanai is weatherproof and a birdcage is not.

[crash]

Originally Posted by Frogfolly

My take on this is that a lanai is weatherproof and a birdcage is not.

More like a lanai has a roof a birdcage does not. Plenty of rain comes in the screens on a lanai unless it is glassed in so not weatherproof.