Conference 7.286::home_work

    I was going to suggest Olde Bostonian, but you've already had that
    bad experience.
    
     Another idea might be DUANE's wrecking yard in Quincy.  They tear
    down houses and building and resell many items, such as, window
    sash and frames that might have these still on them.  You might
    be able to get them at a good price (i.e.; cheap).
    
    You might also want to check out the WANT AD.  In the Doors and
    Windows sectio, look for someone selling shutters and give them
    a call.  Many people (who don't appreciate the real thing) are 
    replacing older style shutter with vinyl (shudder!) and might 
    have the hardware left over.

    Good luck
    Jeff

    Just thought of another approach to your problem.  Give a few Vinyl
    siding companies a call and tell them you are looking for shutter
    hardware and will pay for it (you might ask $1 per piece).  They
    may have some already or their next few jobs could call for replacing
    the shutters and they would remember your need.
    
    You could also do the same with Replacement Window companies.  They
    remove the old windows completely and could end up with loads of
    hardware if they knew they had a buyer for it.
    
    Jeff
    

    Does Renovator's Supply in Millers Falls, Mass. carry those things?
    I think their catalog is $1.00.  They seem to go in mostly for interior
    trim stuff, but they might have 'em.
    
    Steve

    RE: 316.3
    
    Thanks for the idea Steve.  I've already checked out Renovators
    and, alas, they don't have hinge pins.  I met the owners at an old
    house group meeting in the Spring, 
    and I plan to write to them to see if they would be interested
    in adding another product to their line.  This is a last resort,
    however,  as I have the painted shutters lined up on my front porch 
    at the present time, and would like to hang them asap!

You might want to try Aluminum City on Rt 20 in Northboro. Be sure
you talk to the guy that runs the place - members of his family answer
the phone and tend the desk at times. This guy is a real pack rat - saves
everything in old trailers in the back of his lot. One note: at times
his is very pleasant, other times he thinks that he is doing you a favor!

	I'm planning on building shutters for my house but am not sure
    what type of wood to use.  The shutters are going to be a series
    of vertical slats screwed/nailed to horizontal cross pieces.  The
    typical lumberyard variety of pine seems too soft to be able to
    hold the screws/nails reliably.  Especially when the wood is only
    3/4" thick.  Any suggestions on what would be a good wood to use?
    How about yellow pine?
    
    Thanks
    
    George

    How big will the shutters be?
     
    Are they going to be attached to the house (flush) or serve as a
    screen (for example, around a deck)?
     
    
    

    They will be window shutters (non-functional) for the house.  Size
    will range from 40-48" long by about 14"wide.  The slats themselves
    are about 1&3/4 to 2" wide

    I'd just buy pre-made shutters. You can get them in most standard
    sizes and in wood or vinyl. To make a dozen or so pairs would be
    more work than it worth as far as I'm concerned.
    John

    All the pre-made shutters I've seen are vinyl (yeccch) and are also
    the same shape: rectangular frame with short horizontal slats. 
    I want something a little different so I'm going to make wood shutters
    with vertical slats and an 's' curve on the top.  Making them won't
    be bad at all, it's priming and painting them that's going to be a
    real pain in the a__. :-)
    

    I seem to recall an article in the "Old House Journal" about shutters
    that appeared in the last year or so.  At any rate, OHJ would be
    worth checking out.
    
    - Mark

    I've got this type of shutter on my house.  I think the previous
    owner made them.  One suggestion on the construction.  Use some
    kind of construction adhesive between the boards, along with the
    nails (or screws).  Mine have been falling off a slat at a time
    since I bought the house!

    re: .4

   RE: -.1
    
    	I thought of that but there is only about 3/4" between the slats.
     With a spayer can you paint in between them without putting a lot
    of excess on the other surfaces? (I've never used one before)

   RE: -.1
    
  #    	I thought of that but there is only about 3/4" between the slats.
  #   With a spayer can you paint in between them without putting a lot
  #  of excess on the other surfaces? (I've never used one before)

	Use an airless sprayer like Wagner, 3/4" should be plenty.  Paint
	the space between the slats first then paint the rest.  I haven't
	done this but have seen a few jobs done this way and they came
	out real well.  A side note if you've never used an airless sprayer
	before, when you get done clean everything REAL well including the
	tubing that supplies the paint.  I learned this the second time
	I used mine.

    Hi!
    I am looking for some place which supplies vinyl-type shutters in
    various WIDTHS...I need narrow ones...like only 12" at most.
    It seems most of the off-the-shelf ones I've seen are 14-15"
    which just will not do.
    I know I could get wood ones, but I really don't want to hassle
    with the painting, etc.
    
    Thanx for any recommendations...
    
    Oh yes...location is in the MA/southern NH area...preferably 
    somewhere not more than 40 miles from Lowell.
    
    Deb
    

    Try the Sears catalog. They sell various widths. The latest sale
    catalog has 12"'s and 15"'s

hey, i know!

builders specialties
265 grafton st.
worcester, ma 
752-6708

i had my house sided awhile back and was quoted something high like $50 per 
window to add the shutters.  i went to bs and bought all the shutters at 
various sizes, including different widths and lengths, and get this... the 
smaller ones even cost less.  the cost for a typical set (55x15) was $18.
they even let me take the sample tags home to decide on a color.  the only 
warning is that this is basically a builders supply place - you know - the 
kind of place where they expect you to know that shutter lengths come in 
2 inch, odd number, increments; but widths come in 1 inch increments, but 
only as small as 7 inches.  but i just asked what i didn't know and lived.
also, the shutters come with all the 2+ inch long screws to put em up with.  
when it's time to put 'em up get two drills, one to drill holes and one to 
drive screws. otherwise you'll be changing bits so often you'll forget what 
you're doing out there.

craig

    
     I am in the process of painting my house and trim and am interested
    in putting shutters up. My question is, What is your opinion on
    Vinyl verse's Wood shutters. Also, what are the cost differences.
    I stopped at one place yesterday and was quoted $35.00 a pair for
    Vinyl Shutters. (63" by 14") Is that a fair price ? Also at this
    particular place there were only around 8 colors available and they
    were basic colors. Black, white, dark blue, light blue, Light brown,
    dark brown and dark and light shades for blue and brown. This makes
    it very restrictive for the color that I have to paint the trim
    on my house. With wood shutters I could use the exact color paint
    to match the trim. Has anybody had problems with wood shuuters ??
    Any comments greatly appreciated ???
    
                                     Thanks..

    Painting wood shutters is a pain unless you have a spray gun.
    

    Really, wooden shutters are not that difficult to paint.  It is
    however, one more thing you have to do when you're painting the
    house (probably have to scrape and spot prime them). 
    
    Some people don't like vinyl, because it looks like vinyl (they
    can deform or buckle like vinyl siding sometimes does).  But most 
    of the time, its hard to tell from the street.
    
    You really stated the main tradeoff-color.  How much do you mind
    being restricted to the available colors?
                 
    Bob

    I shopped everywhere for vinyl shutters when I put them on my house.
    I saw some cheap (quality) ones at Grossman's and Sears. I finally
    bought some at a local lumberyard (P.F. O'connor sp?) in Nashua.
    I paid $18 to $26 a pair depending on size. I saw the same brand
    at Plywood Ranch for $5 more a pair. After scraping and sanding
    one set of wood shutters, I said never again and bought vinyl.
    
    Tim
    

    My neighbor painted his vinyl shutters a few years back. They still
    look fine. 

    
    
    Why not stain the wooden shutters?  These days, you can get solid
    stains that look just like paint.  And when you have to restain,
    you don't have to scrape them down like painted ones.
    

    It's getting to be more common to have three colors for the house:
    siding, shutters, and trim.  I guess you still want the window trim
    to be the same as the shutters, but the other trim (door, door frame,
    corner boards, fascia) could be a third color.  I think my brother
    has settled on white, blue, and grey for his house.
    
       Gary

    Likewise, I've painted vinyl - no problem after a decade!
    
    Do them whatever color suits you!

    I'd certainly go with vinyl.  With wood shutters, water gets into 
    the slots in the side pieces that hold the louvers, they rot out,
    and fall apart.  Paint seals the cracks enough to slow this down,
    but it doesn't stop it, and I don't think stain would do anything
    to stop the water getting into the cracks.
    As far as matching colors, I guess you can paint vinyl shutters
    if you really want to, but black and white go with just about 
    anything.  

    Hi,
    
    Does anybody know of a manufacturer that makes yellow vinyl shutters
    for a house exterior?  Are there any home improvement stores in
    Massachusetts that sell yellow window shutters?
    
    Our house is vinyl sided, so we wanted to go with vinyl.  I haven't
    seen yellow shutters at Grossmans, Sommerville Lumber or Webber
    Lumber, just the *usual* colors.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Linda
    

    
    
      One thing you might want to consider is finding shutters that
    are paintable and painting them to the color you want.
    
      The other thought I had was a company in Dracut Ma. that make
    shutters for builders. When my house was built I had some custom
    made for the house, and some standard. They're white but paintable
    and cost less than I saw at Grossmans etc. I just looked in My Lowell
    area Yellow pages but can't find them. If I find the number I'll
    post it, but maybe if you have a Yellow pages for the Dracut area
    you can look under "Shutters".
    

builders specialties 
265 grafton st
worcester, ma
752-6708

i bought my green ones there and they had a selection of colors.  they 
order them to any size you want (2" increments or so) and are cheaper than 
grossman's to boot.  back in '85 they were about $18 a pair and came with 
long mounting screws.  -craig

    	Does anyone know if Spags carries, window shutters (the plastic
    type)???   Or where would the best place be to go (money wise) Eastern
    Mass. pls, (Framingham, area.)
    
     

    
    *************************GROSSMANS******************************
    
    THEY USUALLY HAVE THE MORE POPULAR SIZES AND ARE LOCATED IN MANY
    AREAS. THERE PRICES ARE ALWAYS COMPETETIVE. 
    
    TIM
    

    I got mine at Builders Square in Nashua on 101A.  Their prices
    are usually better than Grossmans.
    

    I don't recall ever seeing shutters at Spags

    How many do you need?  I saw some in the J.C.Penney store in Billerica
    last night.  They had different sizes and colors.  YOu could probably
    find enough to do a few windows if that's all you need.
    
    Chris D.  

     well, i never thought i'd see the day...

     i looked in 1111.1 and found 1111.28 titled "shutters".
     i looked in 1111.28 and found 3328 titled "who sells yellow plastic 
shutters".  3328.2 was my own reply.  but you'll have to look there to see 
who it is.

craig (who's had a few go arounds with the mod about locking notes but who 
now sees the light)

    Can somebody give me the name/type of store to find (say) generic VINYL
    shutters in metropolitan Nashua?
    
    
    				herb
    

    I tried places that sell/make windows, but they want to send a sales
    rep to my home. I just want to buy some shutters. Tried a lumber yard
    in Mass and they supply either wooden or vinyl shutters (can't remember
    which). Is a lumber yard the right sort of place, or more that a
    Grossmans or Somerville Lumber etc are the right sort of place
    I know give them a call and find out!  (will do that too, just not very
    familiar with the kind of services in Southern N.H.)
    
    
    				herb

    
    Maki's in Lunenburg MA just had a flyer out advertising custom-made vinyl
    shutter in eight colors (didn't specifiy which).

We'd like to replace our vinyl shutters with wooden ones, but we only have
21 inches between windows on the front of the house.  I've been to HQ and
Grossman's, but it seems that the smallest width that they typically come in
is 12 inches.  Grossman's says that they can get the narrow ones made, but
they're talking about $80/pair, and we have 13 windows that we'd like to do.
Haven't heard an exact price on the 12 inch ones, but I've been told to 
figure on about half that price.

We have three options that we're considering.

1) Get these custom shutters made, but it'll be over $1K.  I've never had to
buy shutters before, but I'm having a hard time swallowing this amount!

2) Go with the 12 inch wide shutters, but trim an inch and a half off the width
of those that will go between the windows in question.  (We have four windows
which have such a small gap).  Our building contractor seems to think that this
is possible, but the guy from HQ thinks that this might not be possible due to
the way that most shutters are made.

3) Go with the 12 inch wide shutters on all windows except for the spaces
between the narrow windows.  We'd buy the custom built ones for these spaces.
This would require buying 4 pair at the higher price and 9 pair at the lower.
I'm having a hard time picturing how this would look, though.  Pretty bad?

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Greg B.

I think I would opt for buying the 12 inch shutters, and only getting
the smaller ones where absolutely necessary.  I don't think it will look
too bad.  Are all of the windows that are smaller only on one side of
the house?  If so, it won't even be noticeable.

Ed..

    You clearly aren't planning to actually *use* these shutters, they
    are strictly for appearance, right?  How about getting a single
    21" shutter to go between the windows, if it's just for looks?
    
    In the old days, when shutters really worked, they'd overlap the
    two in cases like this where both shutters wouldn't fold back flat.
    
    What have you got against vinyl shutters?  They are a *LOT* less
    work to maintain!!!
    

    
    	I agree (fwiw), if their just for show anyway, go with the zero
    maintenance vinyl.  I wish to Hull I had gone with vinyl everything
    on the outside of my house, instead of the waste of time, yearly
    protection of the wood this and the wood that...ptui.  I can just 
    imagine sanding all those shutters and staining them with those 
    itsy-bitsy paint brushes...
    
    		-Ian

Re.  the last three

We have had vinyl shutters for the past 4 years and liked them.  However, you
had to be at least 10-15 feet away from them, and they weren't all that
noticeable (the fact that they were vinyl).

This summer we've had a wrap-around farmer's porch put on the house, and people
sit *right* next to them, and they really look cheap.  My wife and I both feel
that wood will be a great improvement.

The four windows in question are in the front of the house.  We actually have
9 windows in the front, 2 on one side and 2 on the other.  Perhaps we could
get away with going with the larger ones on the side.  I like that suggestion!

I'll also look into the 21 inch shutter, but I'm not too optimistic about that
one.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Greg B. 

I think non-working shutters look incredibly hokey whether they're vinyl or
wood.  It really bothers me to see two or three windows right next to each
other with one pair of shutters.  It reminds me of the hippos in tutus in
Fantasia.

You think that's bad, you should have seen my house which had shutters on each
side of the front door!

Shutters, even the fake type, do add a visual interest to the house and make
the windows "stand out".  I just took the old fake shutters off my windows
in preparation for repainting the house, and it really makes the house look
uglier without them.  After I repaint, I'll be putting shutters (vinyl if I
can get them in the style I want) on all the windows, not just the two
that had them now.  But the shutters on the doors are staying off.

				Steve

>>	    I don't see why there should be a problem ripping a shutter
>>	to the proper width.  Not if you can borrow a table saw and use

Are we talking wood shutters here?  Well if so, they you could end up ripping
too much off and exposing the groves which the lats of the shutters are in.  If
you are taking that much off its going to look real ugly anyway.  Think of it
as trying to trim a hollow core door, there is only so far you can go before
you hit the hollow part :-)

Brian

    If it were me, I'd rip the shutter right *thru* the slats, stick the
    good part of the slat in the groove that will then be empty, and then
    putthe whole thing back together with only two visible cuts covered
    by bondo and painted...
    
    Edd

I  installed 3 sets of vinyl shutters on my house yesterday.  The instructions
said to leave a 3/4 " space between the  shutters and window frame
but they don't really look right this way.  Is there a reason for the 
spacing?  How should they be installed?

Thanks. (should i have started a new topic?

/james

    I would be inclined to think that the 3/4 inch spacing is for the look
    of the original old time shutters that had offsets due to the hinges
    used. (originally working shutters) .  Since not many owners of houses
    with shutters actually buy them for a real working purpose, I.E. storm
    shutters, rather for looks only, I would say whatever floats your Tuna.
    

I just love instructions that say to do something but don't say why :-(
One possibility is that it has to do with rot.  If the vinyl shutter is
up against the wood, water can get between them and take a l.o.n.g time
to dry out.  The paint should protect the wood, but then, if the paint
fails, there's no way to repaint it.  I suppose I'd mount them flush,
anyway -- but then, I have wide eaves that do what eaves are supposed to
do, namely, keep most rain off the sides of the house.

	Enjoy,
	Larry

    Re: politically correct shutters
    
    Original, functional shutters would have been installed so as to
    close at the center of the window and be secured with a hook-and-eye
    from the inside.  Furthermore, they would be installed so that the
    outer edge of the slats would be at the bottom when the shutters
    were closed.  Of course, this means that the outer edge would be
    at the top 90% of the time when the shutters were open.
    
    Decorative shutters, however, are usually installed at the outer
    edge of the window frame with the outer slat edge at the bottom,
    because most folks consider it more attractive and it will protect
    the siding from rain rather than direct the water through the slats
    to the wall of the house.
    
    As a practical matter, they should be mounted away from the siding.
    If you reread the instructions, does the 3/4 inch spacing refer to
    the side spacing or to the spacing away from the siding?  That would
    make sense.
    
    PBM
    

    I am looking to put the shutters back on my house.  I want the real
    mccoy, not vinyl.  The house is an 1832 Greek Revival Colonial, and
    the shutters were in pieces in the basement and back yard when we
    bought the place.  I've heard of a place in CT called Shuttercraft,
    has anyone used them, know about quality and so on?  All the hardware
    is on the house, just need to put the shutters on, I was hoping the
    get the moveable louvre type, or perhaps raised panel...
    
    Deb

    Re: .13
    
    I could use the info too. I have original shutters....circa 1830's.
    They work, but, sure need a lot of painting/cleaning.
    
    Marc H.

    I called Shuttercraft in Guilford CT, they are sending me a brochure.
    They make the shutters from white pine, which is supposed to be
    durable.  They also sell the holdbacks and pins.
    
    They make the louvred type, slat type and raised panel.  They also
    ship.
    
    I left the number at home, but if you call CT information, I'm
    sure you can get the number, I'll try to remember to bring it in
    tomorrow and post it.
    
    Deb

    I said I'd post this about a month or so ago...sorry!
    
    Good source for real wood shutters, for outside or inside the house.
    
    Shuttercraft
    Guilford CT.
    
    (203)453-1973
    
    I've spoken with them on the phone, very nice and very helpful.
    
    Give em a call.
    
    Deb

Has anybody looked into Plantation Shutters?  These are basically your plain old
wooden shutter with moveable slats in it (tied together with a vertical bar).
The slats are typically 1-1/2" wide though some are wider and some narrower.

Here's the gottcha - these suckers are BIG $$$'s.  For example to cover a 4X8
picture window (basically we're looked at 4 shutters, each around 2 feet wide)
we're in the $1500 ballpark which to me is insane!  I managed to find a shutter
shop down south where I could get some unfinished/unhung shutters for around
$500, but that's still a lot of $$$.

Anybody got any alternatives?  Anyone ever try making these themselves - they
don't really look all that complicated...

-mark

>    <<< Note 4797.0 by ASDS::SEGER "this space intentionally left blank" >>>
>                            -< Plantation Shutters >-

>Anybody got any alternatives?  Anyone ever try making these themselves - they
>don't really look all that complicated...

    I doubt they are simple to make....Fine Woodworking did an article a 
few years ago on a guy who ran shop that did these regularly. First, you 
need to create a nice frame, but with dozens of holes down each side, plus 
all the slats with pins on the ends to fit in the holes. The glue up is 
about 40 hands worth of effort! I suspect it is something you create jigs 
to hold everything in place while you glue and clamp.

    Don't forget to make them out of rot resistant wood, southern yellow 
pine or similar to make them last longer than 5-6 years outside. paint on 
all sides is essential but don't mess up the movable joints with it...

    Vic

    
    You may be able to get them from a salvage operation  - TOH recently did
    an article on a big operation based in New Orleans, but I can't
    remember the name of the company?  Anyone remember it?
    
    Regards,
    
    Colin
     

    
        In one of the earlier "This Old House" episodes they
     did a spot on a guy in NH that bought an unused shutter
     factory, complete with old machines, and started building
     shutters again. The mill was situated on the Green River
     (I think) and he used water power to run the machines. He
     even installed a good sized generator and started selling
     power back to the grid. Maybe this will jog someone's 
     memory and they can fill in the details.
    
    
                                                 Steve

I remembered the location of the water-powered shop as being in Connecticut.  
There's a recurring ad in the back of Fine Homebuilding for "real wood" 
shutters made in Connecticut.  I don't know if it's the same place.

To find out for sure where it is, call TOH at WGBH-TV in Boston: 617 492 2777.

-Chris

    I believe that the "This Old House" program that did the segment on the
    shutter maker was located in New Hampshire, while the reoccurring ad
    that appears in "The Old House Journal" is located in Connecticut I
    think.
    
    Best bet is to pick up a copy of the Old House Journal and call the
    vendors listed.

From Old Home Journal:


Maple Grove Restorations
PO Box 9194 
Bolton, CT  06043-9194
203-742-5432
Color Brochure $1.00

Shuttercraft
282 Stepstone Hill
Guilford, CT 06437
203-453-1973

American Heritage Shutters
2345 Dunn AVenue
Memphis, TN  38114
800-541-1186

Shutter Depot
Rt. 2  Box 157
Greenville, GA 30222
706-672-1214

I called the following:

	Shuttercraft
	282 Stepstone Hill
	Guilford, CT 06437
	203-453-1973
	
	American Heritage Shutters
	2345 Dunn AVenue
	Memphis, TN  38114
	800-541-1186

American Heritage would only sell me shutters THEY painted and they wanted $1K
for a 4X8 setup.

Shuttercraft on the other hand would sell me what I need (4 - 2'X4' shutters)
for about $300!!!  The only catch is that these are exterior shutters which the
salesperson seemed to think would be fine internally if painted (which I intend
to do).  Any thoughts?

For this price, I'd be willing to drive down and physically look at them, but if
I could save myself the trip that would be better...

-mark

    
    One note about Shuttercraft being in CT.  You will pay big sales
    tax if you physically go and buy them there.
    
    I just bought some exterior shutters from them, which are being
    shipped.  I haven't recieved them yet, so I cannot tell you much
    more.
    
    As for using outside shutters inside, why not?? Who would know
    except you?  I think this is a fine alternative to the $$$ you
    mentioned in your base note...
    
    IMHO
    
    Deb

    
    
    One other thing I forgot to mention, Home Depot sells interior louvred
    shutters.  I'm not sure of the size you'd need, but I think you can
    custom order these, just ask a sales person at HD.  
    
    Deb

>    One note about Shuttercraft being in CT.  You will pay big sales
>    tax if you physically go and buy them there.
    
good point.  I suppose I could always look at them there and if I liked them
place a mail order (though I suppose you'd then get caught for shipping, 
wouldn't you?)

>    As for using outside shutters inside, why not?? Who would know
>    except you?  I think this is a fine alternative to the $$$ you
>    mentioned in your base note...
    
when I talked to the woman on the phone she implied that these shutter were not
of the same level of quality as something made specifically for the inside.  for
example she mentioned that the sanding was not necessaruly all that smooth 
everywhere.  I'm hoping this isn't that big a deal (she didn't seem to think so)
but it did at least get me thinking about it a little more.

-mark

    
    
    RE: .10
    
    If you ship the shutters to Mass, you don't pay tax...so not to
    worry about that.
    
    Check out Home Depot though.  The interior shutters they have are
    nice, and I was told I could custom-order sizes if I wanted to...
    might be cheaper or the same as Shuttercraft, but they are intended
    for indoor use, so I would say to take a look...
    
    FWIW.
    
    Deb

    
    I have a 3 story Victorian home, that was vinyl-sided before I
    purchased it.  It needs shutters desperately for a little
    ornamentation.  I think of it as a face with no eyebrows.
    
    In addition, the house is up for sale, and thus we need to get this
    done ASAP.  Is it possible to install vinyl shutters from the inside of
    the house, as opposed to getting a ladder and messing with slate porch
    roofs, and 3rd floor windows.......  My thinking is that they are light
    weight, have no working function, and a couple of screws on each
    shutter would hold them in place.
    
    rke
    

    Probably, if your windows are big enough that you can work out of them. 
    I took my shutters down for painting working partly from inside the
    house (in areas where there was no real good place to put the ladder
    because of the front steps, etc.).  It will be real awkward, though -
    it might actually be easier to do it from a ladder, if you don't mind
    working on ladders.
    
    /Charlotte

	It can be done. The hardest part will be holding the shutter in
    position while you get the first screw in. Also, if you're right
    handed, doing the right side is a pain.
    
    	If you're going to do a bunch of windows this way, you'll want to
    pre-drill the holes in the shutters and use something to hold the shutters 
    in place for you. A pipe clamp may work and you may want to use a piece
    of wood as a small spacer between the outside of the moulding and the
    shutter.

    	Ray

    
    Thanks for the advice.  I do have about 10-12 windows that face the
    street.  I thought I might also tie myself to a door to keep from
    falling out the window. (We don't have radiators)
    
    rke
    

If you're selling the house, I wouldn't worry about the lack of shutters. They
are a relatively small expense that a buyer won't think much about (IMO).
Concentrate more on the condition of the things that are already there. And
things that a prospective buyer would touch like door hardware (old worn out
doorknobs are a real turn off) and things like that.

Why make improvements that you won't enjoy unless you REALLY think that the lack
of shutters will turn off prospective buyers (YOU bought the place without them
didn't you?). I can think of a LOT of other things that would turn me off...

Steve B.

    
    I agree with you, however, I think the problem with the house is
    getting someone beyond the ugly exterior.  The inside has been
    restored and looks great, HOWEVER, if we have an OPEN HOUSE, I think
    the shutters will help someone slow down and bother to come inside.
    They did an awful job with the vinyl siding, and cut off all of the 
    window trip, thus the vinyl goes up to the edge of the hideous storm
    windows.  Like I said earlier...a face with no eyebrows. 
    
    So, why did we buy it....well we saw the potential inside and restored
    it.  Eventually we would have tackled the porch and added shutters. 
    With the work we have done, and the price we are asking, we need to get
    someone to slow down and come inside.
    
    rke
    

    If you want to do this, why don't you make a jig to hold the
    shutters?  

    Something like two 2x4's, the outside one as wide as
    window-plus-shutter, and the inside one a bit wider than the
    window.  Just clamp this in place, through the window, and
    you'll have a 'shelf' to rest the shutter on while screwing it
    to the house.

    
    Another point, you want to make the pre-drilled siding hole slightly
    elongated to allow the siding to move under the shutter.  If the screw
    pins the siding to the sheathing, it could buckle under temperature
    changes.

Are you planning Wood or Plastic shutters?  I assume plastic since it'll 
save you money and won't look that much different from a buyers 
perspective.  

If so, many of them have clips that are attached to the back of the 
shutter.  You measure where the holes will line up, predrill hopes, screw 
in the shutter screws, and then hang the shutter on them.  If you use a 
lightweight cordless screwdriver it should be pretty easy to install the 
screws from the window and hanging the shutter is a matter of lining them 
up pulling down.  

    
    Thanks for all the advise.  We used a clamp to hold the shutter in
    place.  Finally invested in a cordless drill/driver and pre-drilled the
    top, hard-to-hold-screw-and-drive-at-the-same-time locations.  My
    spouse held on to me as I stood on the window sill.  House looks great.
    We'll see how the OPEN HOUSE goes this weekend.
    
    rke
    

    Anybody have any new info on shutter hardware?
    
    I want to hang my shutters on the old kind of shutter hinges, but I
    cannot find them anywhere!  I want them to look more authentic than
    just screwing them up, and I want to be able to take them down easily
    when I need to stain my house. My shutters are wood.   
    
    One possible solution is to use a right angle hook, screw it into the
    house.  Then, into the shutters I'd put a (like a cup-hook, but the
    hook part is a full loop), and hang the shutters on the right angle
    hook.  Anybody have any other ideas?  I looked at hinges to see how I
    could modify them and I didn't have any other ideas.
    
    Thanks!
    --Becca
                                                          

    re: .6
    Have you actually asked at a real local lumberyard (as opposed to a Home
    Depot/Sommerville Lumber kind of place?  I've found that my local 
    lumberyard (I use Coldwell's in Berlin, Mass.) can and will order all 
    kinds of offbeat stuff.
    
    If you're near Maynard, try Butler Lumber in Maynard.  They have the
    most incredible collection of hardware I've seen around this area.

	Check out Yankee magazine or The Old House Journal.
I've seen ads for traditional shutter hardware in both, I
think.  If that doesn't work, call me - I can dig something up.

	They won't be cheap, though - you'll pay for realism.
Note that for the authentic look, you can't have external storms,
the shutters must be properly sized to the windows, the windows
have to be far enough apart to fit all the shutters when open, 
and you've got to mount the shutters 'backwards' so that when
closed they'd work properly and shed water, as opposed to doing
that when open.  A long list, tricky to do properly on anything
but a house that originally had and was built for shutters.

	But don't let that stop you...I'm all for authentic
accurate realism.  On most houses, especially the vinyl hack
jobs, the shutters look ridiculous to me - just a left-over
token detail, like the fake buttons and pockets on jackets...

    I called Butler Lumber in Maynard and they have the hinges!  $12.14 a
    pair, which I guess is reasonable unless somebody here wants to sell me
    their old ones!  6 windows (12 hinge pairs).  
    
    I want the look to be 80% realistic - no nailing up, no plastic. My
    storm windows will stay.  So the shutters won't close.  
    
    Still, if I'm never going to close them, should I put the slats up
    (won't shed water when open)?
    
    Thanks for all the input!!
    Becca

>    I want the look to be 80% realistic - no nailing up, no plastic. My
>    storm windows will stay.  So the shutters won't close.  
    
>    Still, if I'm never going to close them, should I put the slats up
>    (won't shed water when open)?
 
	If you install them so that the louvers shed water when open
(as they'll always be) both the shutters and the wall behind will last
longer - both paint and wood.  Do you want your 80% of accuracy to
include the pain of refinishing the things regularly ?  :-)

	Oh - with the shutters properly hung, the space behind makes
ideal bat housing, so you'll have fewer mosquitos, too!

	Don't forget the latches as well as the hinges.

    
    
    Need some advice on shutter installation.  First, they'll be vinyl, and 
    just for show.  I need to know opinions on what size (height-wise) to get.
    By that, I mean, do I include the trim (3.5") in the height measurement or
    not?  It's an older house, stained cedar shingles.  The windows and trim
    are like so:


               |-----------------|    -------
               |-----------------|       |
               | |             | |       | 
               | |             | |       |
               | |             | |       |
               | |             | |       |
               | |             | |      57"  
               | |             | |       |
               | |             | |       |
               | |             | |       |
               | |             | |       |
               | |             | |       |
              ---------------------   -------

Simply put, do I get 57" shutters or 54" shutters?  Thanx for any advice.

    

I guess it's really personal taste, but since the original intent of shutters is
to close up *inside* the casings, I'd go with the shorter size myself...

Drive around and look at other houses, that's what I do.

-mark