Patio · Lanai · Sunroom · Balcony Impact Enclosures
Turn your existing covered patio, lanai, porch, or balcony into a bright, weather-tightbonus room where you can sit with your family and relax year-round—protected byLow-E laminated impact glass rated for Miami-Dade HVHZ and Florida coastal wind zones.
Florida Room Enclosure GalleryWatch Florida Room Installation
Quick summary
Enclosing a covered patio, lanai, porch, or balcony with impact windows and doors turns an outdoor slab into a lockable, storm-tight family retreat.
Turns a covered patio, lanai, porch, or balcony into a storm-protected room where your family can sit and relax year-round.
Permitted as an unconditioned sunroom separated from the main house by the existing exterior sliding or French door.
Republic always recommends Low-E impact glass (SHGC 0.18–0.25 with solar tint) to cut heat gain and block 99% of UV rays.
Full-view picture window and horizontal roller walls run $11,000–$18,000; multi-panel sliders, French doors + windows, and bifold walls run $12,000–$28,000+.
Watch Florida room installation
Watch our vertical walk-through on enclosing a covered patio or lanai with Miami-Dade NOA impact windows, Low-E solar glass, and sill waterproofing.
Tap play to watch right on the page (optimized for both mobile portrait and desktop viewing), oropen on YouTube ↗
Florida Building Code · Straight answers
The #1 question South Florida homeowners ask on Reddit, Nextdoor, and during estimates is whether enclosing a patio creates a conditioned "livable" room under air or an unconditioned bonus room. Here is the exact Florida Building Code distinction.
When Republic encloses your covered patio, lanai, or porch with impact windows and doors, it is permitted as an unconditioned sunroom or patio enclosure (bonus room)—giving you a quiet, storm-protected room where you can sit with your family, relax, dine, or watch TV out of the rain, wind, dust, and mosquitoes.
To qualify as a bonus room, the existing sliding glass door, French door, or window between your air-conditioned house and the patio stays in place as the code-required thermal barrier.
Strong ROI & added home value: Most of the time, homeowners recoup a high return on investment (ROI) on this project because enclosing an existing patio with hurricane impact glass adds usable year-round living space, wind-mitigation protection, and real resale value to the house.
Removing the house sliding doors, ducting central AC into the patio, and counting it as habitable living square footage under air requires a change-of-occupancy addition permit under the Florida Building Code (R301–R303, Energy Code R402/R405, and county policies like Palm Beach County PBO-089):
| Requirement or Feature | Standard Florida Room Enclosure (Bonus Room) | Conditioned "Livable" Room Conversion (Habitable Space) |
|---|---|---|
| FBC classification | Unconditioned sunroom / bonus room (AAMA/NPEA/NSA 2100 Cat IV; Palm Beach County PBO-089). | Habitable conditioned space under air (FBC Residential R301–R303 & Energy Code). |
| Everyday use | Storm-tight family lounge, coffee porch, TV den, or poolside sitting room sheltered from rain, wind, and bugs. | Formal bedroom or open-concept living room extension merged into the central AC envelope. |
| Interior house door | Kept in place. The sliding or French door between the house and patio remains as the thermal barrier. | May be removed after an engineer certifies full residential thermal and structural compliance. |
| HVAC & fresh-air (oxygen) | Unconditioned; cooled by Low-E solar glass, ceiling fans, or opening the house slider when in use. | Requires Manual J/S/D load calcs, supply/return ducts, and FBC fresh-air (oxygen / air-exchange) ventilation. |
| Insulation & slab | Uses existing sloped slab with laser-leveled high-water sill risers and urethane seal; no wall R-value rule. | Requires Energy Code R402/R405 roof/wall insulation plus a raised slab poured over a 6-mil vapor barrier. |
| Engineering & permit | Window & door permit with Miami-Dade NOA / FL Product Approval drawings and wind-load charts (pulled by Republic). | Habitable-addition permit requiring sealed architectural plans, a licensed structural engineer, and NEC outlets. |
| Home value & ROI | Delivers strong ROI most of the time by adding usable storm-protected square footage, curb appeal, and resale home value without the cost of a full structural addition. | Adds appraised heated/cooled square footage under air, but requires a much higher upfront construction and engineering outlay. |
Custom impact layouts
Whether you have a covered backyard patio, an L-shaped corner loggia, or an 18-foot wide pool opening, we custom-build the enclosure around your existing structural beams and columns.
Full glass view picture windows and horizontal rollers
2-, 3-, and 4-panel bypass or pocket glass walls up to 10 ft tall
Outswing impact French door paired with flanking impact windows
Accordion panels that stack neatly to the side of the loggia
We laser-level sloped patio slabs, install high-water sill risers on composite structural shims, and seal the full track in continuous urethane with open weep drainage.
Impact glass anchors into a concrete tie beam, CBS columns, or engineered roof framing—never into thin aluminum screen-cage tubing without engineered columns.
Multi-unit spans and 90° corners use heavy-gauge Miami-Dade NOA structural tube mullionsanchored directly into the slab and tie beam.
Solar heat control · Republic standard recommendation
For a Florida room enclosure, Republic always recommends Low-E (low-emissivity) laminated impact glass—often paired with gray, bronze, or solar-control tint. A standard bedroom only takes sun through one window, whereas a Florida room has glass on two or three exposed walls. Without Low-E solar control, afternoon sunlight turns an enclosed patio into a greenhouse.
| Glass Package | Solar Heat Gain (SHGC) | Visible Light (VT) | UV Rays Blocked | Florida Room Suitability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Laminated Impact Glass (No Low-E) | 0.60 – 0.70 | ~78% | 99% (via PVB/SGP interlayer) | Not recommended for multi-wall sunrooms; allows high radiant heat buildup on sunny afternoons. |
| Laminated Impact + Solar Low-E (e.g., Low-E 366) | 0.22 – 0.25 | ~62% | 99%+ | Republic Recommended Standard: Cuts solar radiant heat by ~65% while keeping clear, natural backyard daylight. |
| Laminated Impact + Low-E + Gray or Bronze Tint | 0.18 – 0.22 | 42% – 52% | 99%+ | Best for West & South Pool Exposure: Maximum glare reduction, daytime privacy, and lowest solar heat gain. |
| Insulated Laminated (IGU) + Low-E + Argon | 0.18 – 0.23 | 55% – 62% | 99%+ | Best for Air-Conditioned Conversions: Adds U-factor thermal insulation (0.28–0.32) and extra acoustic dampening. |
Spectrally selective Low-E coatings reflect solar infrared heat before it warms your concrete patio floor, while the laminated interlayer blocks 99% of UV rays.
Low-E coatingsWide sliders and bifolds use heavy-wall 6063-T6 aluminum (ES Windows, ECO, PGT, CWS Medley) for high Design Pressure, while window-wall enclosures can also use insulated vinyl frames.
Insulated vinyl framesTransparent South Florida pricing
Pricing depends on total linear footage, height, glass package, and how many walls open. Below are turnkey installed ranges across South and Southwest Florida.
| Enclosure Type & Footprint | Typical Window & Door Schedule | Turnkey Installed Range | What's Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizontal roller + picture window walls | Full glass view picture windows and horizontal rollers across the patio span | $11,000 – $18,000 | Screen/jalousie take-down, structural mullions, Low-E impact glass, and city permit. |
| Multi-panel impact sliding glass doors | 2-, 3-, or 4-panel impact sliding glass door wall + flanking glass | $12,000 – $22,000 | High-water sill riser on sloped slab, heavy aluminum track, Low-E glass, and permit. |
| Outswing impact French door + windows | Outswing impact French door paired with picture or horizontal roller impact windows | $12,800 – $21,200 | 3-point stainless lock, structural mullions, Solar Low-E glass, and HVHZ permit. |
| Impact bifold folding glass walls | Multi-panel folding impact glass wall + flanking picture windows (up to 24+ ft) | $14,000 – $28,000+ | Custom aluminum frames, Low-E impact glass, PE mullion engineering, turnkey install. |
Note: Ranges apply to enclosing an existing covered patio or lanai under a structural roof/tie beam (habitable-room conversions with new HVAC, insulation, and raised slabs add $18,000–$45,000+ in general construction). Final pricing comes from your written quote after a free in-home measure. See our window cost guide and door cost guide.
Permitting · HVHZ engineering · Wind mitigation
Enclosing a porch, lanai, or Florida room requires a municipal building permit and final inspection. Under licenses CGC-1533058 and CCC-1337395, our in-house permit team handles the full engineering and inspection workflow.
Patios sit at ASCE 7 Wind Zone 5 corners where suction loads peak. We calculate siteDesign Pressure (DP) and submitMiami-Dade NOA / FL Approvals.
We prepare your HOA or condo Architectural Review Board packet: elevation drawings, frame finish specs, NOA certificates, and insurance certificates.
Protecting every exterior opening—including your Florida room—qualifies your home for Class A Opening Protection credits on Form OIR-B1-1802. See our insurance savings guide.
Florida Room Enclosure Gallery
Browse South and Southwest Florida patio, lanai, and balcony enclosures built with Low-E impact windows and doors. Click any photo to view full size.
Tiled patio enclosed with a full-lite impact glass door, fixed picture glass, and horizontal roller window.
Continuous multi-bay Florida room enclosure under a shingle roof with Low-E impact glass.
Ground-level patio converted into a bright, weather-tight bonus room with exterior door access.
Furnished Florida room interior with single-hung impact windows and full-lite patio door.
Waterfront Florida room with Low-E laminated impact glass protecting indoor plants and furnishings.
Balanced ground-floor enclosure featuring a center swing impact glass door and operable side rollers.
Expansive tiled sunroom wrapped in structural white aluminum impact windows with Low-E solar glass.
Primary house French doors kept as the thermal barrier opening into the enclosed glass Florida room.
12 Florida counties
Republic Windows, Doors & Roofing designs, permits, and installs Florida room, patio, and lanai impact enclosures across all 12 counties we serve—from the Miami-Dade and Broward High-Velocity Hurricane Zone to Palm Beach, the Treasure Coast, Southwest Florida, and Tampa Bay.
Where we install
A standard impact window and door enclosure is permitted as an unconditioned bonus room (FBC and Palm Beach County PBO-089 non-habitable sunroom), not conditioned livable space under air—so your family can sit and relax year-round while keeping the house sliding or French door in place. Converting a patio into a habitable ('livable') room under air requires a licensed structural engineer or architect, Manual J/S/D HVAC and fresh-air ('oxygen' / air-exchange) ventilation calculations, Energy Code roof/wall/slab insulation, and a raised slab over a vapor barrier.
Because a Florida room has glass on two or three exposed walls, clear glass (SHGC 0.60–0.70) traps afternoon heat. Republic always recommends Low-E laminated impact glass—paired with gray, bronze, or solar tint—to lower SHGC to 0.18–0.25, cutting solar heat by 60–70% and blocking 99% of UV rays.
Yes. For a standard bonus-room enclosure, the existing door and windows between your air-conditioned house and the Florida room remain in place as the code-required thermal barrier. Slide that interior door open whenever your family uses the room and close it during peak summer heat.
HVHZ impact windows and doors weigh 8 to 15+ lbs per sq ft and must anchor into a structural header—such as a concrete tie beam, CBS columns, or engineered roof framing—never into thin 2x2 aluminum screen-cage tubing without engineer-designed columns.
Patio slabs slope 1/8" to 1/4" per foot away from the house. Republic laser-levels the span, installs high-water sill risers on composite structural shims or a masonry curb, and seals the full track in continuous structural urethane with open weep drainage.
County property appraisers tax 'heated/cooled living area under air' at a higher rate than an unconditioned porch. When permitted as a non-habitable impact window and door bonus room rather than a conditioned addition, it remains assessed as an enclosed patio/sunroom ancillary area.
Yes—under Form OIR-B1-1802 (Question 9 — Opening Protection), the Class A Hurricane Opening Protection credit requires every exterior opening to be impact-rated or shuttered. Enclosing your Florida room with Miami-Dade NOA / FL Approved impact units completes your outer impact envelope (or adds a second barrier if your interior patio doors are already impact-rated).
Ceiling fans are common, and with Solar Low-E glass blocking 60–70% of solar heat, opening the interior house slider while using the room keeps it comfortable. Under county policies like Palm Beach County PBO-089, permanently wiring dedicated cooling into an unconditioned sunroom can reclassify it as conditioned space requiring Energy Code insulation.
Most South Florida HOAs and condo boards allow enclosing a covered lanai or recessed balcony when frame color and glass tint match community standards. Republic prepares your Architectural Review Board (ARB) packet—including NOA certificates, elevations, license CGC-1533058, and insurance.
Yes—under Florida Certified General Contractor license CGC-1533058, Republic prepares the ASCE 7 wind-load calculations, NOA drawings, structural mullion calculations, and permit filing. Custom manufacturing and permit review run 3–6 weeks, and our in-house W-2 crews complete most Florida room installations in 2 to 4 days on site.
Primary sources
Free, in person
A Republic window and door specialist will inspect your patio roof header, tie beam, and slab slope, bring Low-E glass samples, and give you a written, itemized quote—no pressure.
Financing
12
Months
No interest if paid in full
20
Years
at 8.99% APR
10
Years
at 6.99% APR
Lenders
12-month offer is deferred interest: if not paid in full by the end of the promotion, interest is charged back to the purchase date. Subject to credit approval.
Estimates
Calculate what this project will really cost you, and your return on investment.
Pick your windows
Add a count to see the average installed price.
Average installed price, estimate, for these common sizes. Other sizes and types are quoted after a free in-home measure. The project cost below fills in from your picks; change it if you have a quote.
Pick your doors
Add a count to see the average installed price.
Average installed price, estimate: the middle of each published range. Full-glass garage doors are quoted after a free in-home measure. These are typical installed prices. Your price depends on size, glass and options, and some openings may cost more. Every home gets its own written quote. The project cost below fills in from your picks; change it if you have a quote.
Your numbers
The wind or hurricane part of your homeowners premium, shown on your declarations page.
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As low as 8.99% APR for 20 years.
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Estimate only. Assumes 10% of your windstorm premium. Your insurer's Notice of Premium Discounts shows your actual credits.
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Estimate. Assumes 12% of the monthly bill, ENERGY STAR's Southern-zone average for replacing single-pane windows with ENERGY STAR certified ones (about 8% from double-pane).
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Payment minus the insurance and electric savings.
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Project cost divided by yearly insurance and electric savings.
Estimates only. The insurance and electric percentages are assumptions, not quotes. Actual savings depend on the insurer, the home, and usage. Not a guarantee. Financing is subject to credit approval.
Google reviews
See below.
I had Republic Impact Windows; Doors & Roofing do my windows. Matt's crew is the best, Maria and everyone I spoke with on the phone was knowledgeable & helpful. They did a wonderful job and left everything perfect and clean! They just need to come back and due the touch up paint. I would definitely recommend them, and I have done just that. A neighbor saw what a great job was done, and I passed along Ryans card & she is also getting windows from Republic Windows, Doors, And Roofing.
Outstanding job! The installation was completed flawlessly. The team was friendly, punctual, efficient. Kept the are clean throughout the installation. We are very satisfied with the results and highly recommend their service.
I had an outstanding experience with Republic Windows and Doors. They installed seven impact windows for me, and every step was top-notch. Ryan, the salesman, was extremely professional during his initial visit—he explained everything clearly, from employee insurance to the high-end tools they use, like premium screws and caulking. Then, Matt and Carlos took over the installation, and they were exceptional—they demonstrated an extraordinary level of dedication, precision, and stamina, ensuring every detail was perfect. Their work ethic was truly outstanding, and they took pride in every step of the process. Plus, the pricing was surprisingly affordable for the quality they delivered. I highly recommend them for any window or door project!
From start to finish, the team of Republic Windows, Doors, & Roofing truly exceeded ALL of our expectations! We had 4 companies bid to replace our condo's sliding doors and windows. Their pricing was on the lower end of competitive BUT not the lowest price. From the onset, the interaction we had with their sales manager, Ryan Didato, was terrific. He was on-time, patient, took his time to walk/talk us through everything, explained the process from start-to-finish, and was available to answer calls/questions I had following our initial interaction. He also didn't "hard sell" us AT ALL which I 100%++++ appreciate. He's the definition of a professional and has the patience of a Saint. After signing our contract, their office team including Debbie, Yiseth, and company took care of everything including submission of plans to HOA and the City of Pompano Beach. They continued to keep us informed regarding ordering windows, etc., as our windows and doors are not standard = all custom. Thank you! Next up: installation. Matheus was the lead on our installation working in tandem with Carlos. WOW! Responsible, respectful, and do they know what they are doing!!! They also covered EVERYTHING before starting to help minimize concrete, drywall, and wood dust. Yes...you will still have some but did they ever help alleviate a lot of clean-up work. They also cleaned up when they finished each day. They didn't take break-after-break...they remained focused and steady = they didn't rush. They did it RIGHT! Plus Matheus has an INCREDIBLE play list on his boom-box that we all enjoyed!! To close, I have remodeled 6 different homes/condos here in the greater Fort Lauderdale area including putting in impact windows and doors. This was BY FAR the best experience from start-to-finish I have ever had. And the sliding doors which are really large open and close the smoothest I've ever had! On behalf of my 85 year old father, my 55 year old special needs sister, our fur-baby Dolly...THANK YOU ALL for making this such a positive experience the entire way through. We will 100% recommend you to anyone looking for a reliable, reputable, fair priced company for high quality impact windows and doors! Christopher Tompkins