[MargaretR]

I am thinking about removing the sliding doors in my Grantham model home. the lanai is enclosed with glass and has heating and air conditioning. we keep both sliders, living room and bedroom, open all the time, so why not just remove the whole thing? has anyone done this? Pros and cons?

Thanks for any tips.

[jane032657]

I am not sure of what you mean but we took the sliders out of our kitchen which led to our lanai. We made our lanai a Florida room fully enclosed with two sets of sliders, wondows and HVAC. So you walk in from the kitchen which now has a nice opening instead of sliders into the Florida room and from there into the bird cage. Looks great.

[k2at]

If the room is wired up for air and heat, there is no reason to keep the sliders closed. I know a few people who have removed them and lot it much better than having the sliders which now serve no purpose.

[784caroline]

When we enclosd our lanai with Glass sliders, not only did we take out the sliding glass doors, we raised the lanai floor, tiled the (former) lanai floor to match the family room, when the sliding doors came out we "arched" the entrance way (where the sliders previously stood) to the (former) lanai.

There are 2 concerns you should consider before doing this 1) Privacy -- if you have a neighbor directly behind you, this may not be the best idea for it really does open up your entire family room for everyone to look in, and 2) I would not go cheap on the windows you are planning to install for "when" (not if) a hurricane comes by, the glass sliding doors do offer and extra layer of protection just in case the glass windows gte blown out....and remember the windows may be ok but if the framing that holds the windows are not installed properly you could have a potential problem.

Given those 2 issues, we absolutley love the open look we have by taking out the sliding glass doors

[jane032657]

Good points above. A closed lanai has to have a permit and the inspector will make sure windows are to standards, electric, etc. We also raised the floor, hooked up HVAC, put in e rated windows...it is important to do what you can to keep the room cool so think ahead!We put sliders in on two sides instead of windows so it would have an airy open feel to it. Just another consideration which we decided to do ATFER the windows were ordered! Fortunately they were not yet in production.

[pklein9747]

It's interesting. We were just talking yesterday about what to do with our lanai doors. We have an enclosed lanai but not under air/heat. It is fully enclosed with glass windows/door. We are in a CYV and still need a door there but I would love one that opens fully and provides a large opening onto the lanai. Our lanai is small enough so that the air/heat does a decent job of cooling/heating that area as long as it is not too extreme. Does anyone know if there are other options for a different type of door?

[MargaretR]

784Caroline,

OP here. How did you "arch" the doorway? Did you actually arch into the existing wall or did you "round off" the two upper corners? Do you have any pictures?

Our lanai is already enclosed, HVAC, hurricane windows, inspected, etc. The only thing I didn't do is raise the floor. Privacy may be a rare issue, but I am keeping the drapes in the living room and bedroom even though there will be no doors, just to soften the openings.

Thanks.

[LittleDog]

We converted our lanai to a Florida room with sliding glass windows. We didn't raise the floor and kept the sliding door. The reason that we did this is our central air and heat is not big enough to heat and cool the extra room so we installed a Mitsubishi wall unit to heat and cool the "lanai". When using this room we usually keep the sliding door closed and if the heat and ac is on out there it just is working on our Florida room and the house heat and air is not trying to cool/heat the extra room. However this is just our preferences. I think it boils down to individual preferences.

John

[784caroline]

MargretR

You arch the 2 corners...I think it would be a major effort to arch into the wall for if im not mistaken thats a structural support beam above the sliding glass door. It is amazing how they do this....they actually get a styraform mold and then drywall around that mold....The arched look makes it look like you simply did not take out doors and now have a square entrance way.

Send me a PM with your email and I will try and send you a picture.

[FloridaShrimp]

Hi, we just bought a house that needs a bit of work and the first things that have to go are the two sets of sliding glass doors. The whole set is being removed and replaced with glass doors- three panels, one stationary and two opening. We got the double paned windows with the mini blinds inbetween the panes that can be raised or lowered and open or closed. The lanai is glass enclosed. For the contractor, we used Heckard's Door Specialtes, 352-376-0422. The owner is Barry Heckard. We were impressed with his products. Two sets of doors and a front door with side panel cost a tad under $10K. Pricey, I know, but I think it will really improve the house as the sliding glass doors are so visible. Hope this helps...

[NJblue]

One reason we kept the sliders between the two areas was for privacy for when we have a house full of guests and the lanai has to be used for a sleeping area. We can close the doors and have a sleeping area and a "living" area.

[lightworker888]

In our CYV we enclosed the lanai with glass and have a garden door out. Then we removed the sliders and put in french doors which we often leave open during the day and close at night. We did that so that the lanai could also be used as a bedroom if necessary. Our bedroom also opens onto the lanai and we kept the sliders in but keep them open most of the time as it gives a really open feel to the bedroom, like an adjoining sitting area. The french doors have blind inserts that we can open or close so sometimes we open the blinds and close the doors during the day. In the evening we have the option of closing the lanai blinds or closing the french door blinds, depending on our mood or activities. Have fun planning and enjoying TV life.

LW888