My house has an attached, screened lanai.
I realized that I loved the size and look of the space, but never wanted to sit out there.
The windows looked pretty and the glass door was gorgeous. The problem is that I never wanted to open the windows. Down south the outside temperature is never right. I didn’t want the hot, muggy summer air blowing in or the chilly winter air. I also didn’t want to sit in a space with no heating or cooling. So I either sat inside my home with perfect HVAC or dealt with the breeze when I was working outside. My poor lanai was ignored. I finally got smart and decided to upgrade the space. I bought all new windows and screens to make the space air tight. I then got a ductless HVAC unit installed to provide heating and cooling. I now can sit that much closer to the outside but have the temperature control I want. I have made the space one part sitting area and the other part my home gym. Everyone loves coming over to my place and sitting in that room. It is like being outside but getting the perks of being indoors. The big windows show a perfect view of the lake, sand and my gardens. I can happily sit in that room for hours now that I have the temperature control program that I want. The cost of the upgrade is not that much when I consider how often I use the space. If I had to pay a dollar everytime I relied on the HVAC equipment, it wouldn’t take long to pay it back.