Perfectly Sized Shutters For Your Home

A Quick History of Exterior Shutters

Hundreds of years ago, when glass was hard to come by, people needed a way to cover their windows and control ventilation. To solve this need, exterior shutters were invented.

For those who have done any sort of research on exterior shutters, you may have noticed that in the early days, panel shutters were installed on the first story and louver shutters were installed on any remaining stories. This was because panel style shutters served as privacy and protection, whereas louver style shutters were intended to control the amount of light and air entering the home.

Over the years, the styles and designs of shutters have become much more intricate and add visual appeal to almost any home style.

The Harsh Truth About Exterior Shutters

Photo Credit: The Craftsman Blog

Like most things you can do around the house, there is a right and wrong way of going about doing them. To create a truly perfect look for your home, your shutters should not be too long, too short, or placed too far away from the window. They should not be installed in places with limited spacing or be the wrong shape for the window.

Installing shutters the wrong way or incorrectly sized could easily destroy a home’s curb appeal.

Picture Perfect Exterior Shutters

For a picture-perfect shutter installation, you must measure correctly. The ideal shutter pair should be the same as the width and height of the window. When in the closed position, the shutters will sit within the window casing. This is the ideal sizing whether you plan to actually close your shutters or not and creates extraordinary visual appeal.

The Right Way to Install Shutters

On another note, fixed and operable louvered shutters should always be installed with the blades angled inward towards the house when in the open position and angled away from the window when in a closed position.

The correct hardware also goes a long way when it comes to the look of a home. Selecting the right shutter hardware really depends on whether or not the home has wood window casing and the type of material the home is made of.

A Voice in The Community

Photo Credit: The Craftsman Blog

Scott Sidler is the founder of Austin Historical, a well-respected window restoration company based in Orlando, Florida. Scott specializes in restoring windows, educating people on how to do it themselves, and over the years has done an amazing job at pointing out failed shutter installations on Instagram. Scott comes from a family of contractors and painters and has become the go-to person in many circles for identifying the right or wrong way to install shutters.

It’s Your Home, Design It Your Way

The way homeowners want to elevate their home’s interior and exterior is entirely up to them, and we’re delighted to see people like Scott offering help and guidance to help those who are interested in starting new projects. At the end of the day, homes are like art: not everyone will like the same type of art or home style, which therein lies the beauty of it all. Everything is subjective and we’re here to simply help educate and provide resources to assist along the way.