If you’re looking to add extra outdoor-inspired living space to your home, two popular options are a lanai and a Florida room. While they serve similar purposes, there are some key differences between these structures that are important to understand when deciding which is right for your home.
Lanai | Florida Room |
Outdoor, open-air design | More enclosed, can be fully integrated into home |
Screened or roofed structure | Windows/screens on all sides for light and breeze |
Blends seamlessly with exterior | Transition space between indoors and outdoors |
Lower cost, easier to build | Higher cost, usually requires permits |
Provides shade and airflow | Adds conditioned square footage |
A lanai is an open-air covered patio or porch, while a Florida room is a more enclosed 3- or 4-season room with many windows. Lanais emphasize bringing the outdoors in, while Florida rooms allow you to expand your home’s livable footprint.
A lanai is an open-sided patio or porch, typically screened or roofed, meant for relaxing and entertaining. The term lanai comes from Hawaii, where it refers to a porch or balcony.
Lanais are designed to seamlessly connect indoor and outdoor living spaces. They provide shade and allow breezes to flow through while protecting you from direct sun and light rain. Lanais blend beautifully with the exterior of homes and yards in warm climates like Florida, Hawaii, and parts of California.
Key Features Of Lanais:
Lanais can be DIY projects or professionally installed. Materials like wood, composite decking, aluminum, or vinyl are used. Screening and roofing match the home’s aesthetics. Lanais are highly customizable in size, shape, and features. Many homeowners decorate them with potted plants, fountains, wind chimes, and artwork.
A Florida room, also called a sunroom or enclosed patio, is a glass-enclosed space built onto the exterior of a home. Florida rooms originated in Florida as livable outdoor rooms that allowed appreciation of the sunny climate.
Florida rooms have large windows on all sides, including the roof, to let in natural light. Screened windows and doors provide ventilation and indoor-outdoor flow. Florida rooms can be fully integrated into the footprint of the home or jut out from an external wall.
Key Features Of Florida Rooms:
Florida rooms allow homeowners to add conditioned, all-season living space to their home. They can be custom built to desired size and specs. Options like ceiling fans, recessed lighting, and tile floors give Florida rooms an interior room appeal. Homeowners furnish them as extra living or dining areas.
While lanais and Florida rooms both expand a home’s livable space, there are some important differences:
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Lanais are best suited to mild, temperate climates. They provide an affordable way to expand living space and invite the outdoors in. Openness can also mean less privacy and interior drafts.
Florida rooms make excellent multi-season living spaces, but come at a higher cost. The enclosed space also requires attention to temperature control and cleaning.
A lanai is an open-air covered porch or patio, while a sunroom is a fully enclosed space with screened windows on all sides. Lanais have an outdoor open feel, while sunrooms create more of an indoor room with sunlight.
A Florida room has more windows and solid roofing to make it a more livable interior space. A screened in porch is more basic, with open screening that still exposes you partially to elements like rain and wind.
The term lanai comes from Hawaii and refers to porches and patios used for outdoor living. Floridians adopted the term lanai because their climate allows for similar indoor-outdoor spaces to be used and enjoyed year-round.
In Florida, a lanai room refers to a covered, screened-in patio or porch addition used as an outdoor living and entertaining space. Florida’s year-round warm climate makes a lanai room ideal for expanding living areas to the outdoors.
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