House shutters

[Jazzy]

The weight of snow/ice resulted in one of my house shutters coming off. I'll have it put back up in the Spring.

Anyway, do you have shutters on your house?

Are they functional or just for decorative appeal?

 

[Lamb]

We have shutters and just paid a fortune for some guys to rehang a couple (we have 2 stories or I'd do it myself!) as well as refasten the ones that were loose. Our shutters are just decorative and we can't just remove them because we have a stone facade and there are these concrete blocks on the stone for the shutters to screw into. Those can't be removed.

One thing the contractor told me is that the more the shutter keeps coming off, the bigger the hole gets. He said he had tricks to get the fastener in there tight, but I have my doubts that he told his team those tricks because 6 days later one of the shutters had 2 pegs popped off! grrrr

 

[tango]

No shutters for me. A few houses in my area have decorative shutters. I don't see the point in them - if you've got something that could protect the windows from a storm that's one thing but a decorative thing that clearly wouldn't even cover half of the window even if it would swing on a hinge just looks odd to my eye.

 

[Albion]

No shutters for me. A few houses in my area have decorative shutters. I don't see the point in them - if you've got something that could protect the windows from a storm that's one thing but a decorative thing that clearly wouldn't even cover half of the window even if it would swing on a hinge just looks odd to my eye.

I'd say that there is a point to having them as decor, and there's no question in my mind but that shutters often do dress up the looks of a house. Of course, it depends on the style of architecture of the house. Some are simply better off without shutters.

What I personally don't care for are shutters that are slats with spaces between them, OR ones that are solid but much narrower than would be needed in order to cover the window.

In both of those cases, the eye instantly "knows" that they could not actually be functional. Either way, that makes your house look cheap rather than neat or dressy.

 

[tango]

I'd say that there is a point to having them as decor, and there's no question in my mind but that shutters often do dress up the looks of a house. Of course, it depends on the style of architecture of the house. Some are simply better off without shutters.

It's a matter of taste. Personally I don't care for it but obviously others do or they wouldn't exist.

What I personally don't care for are shutters that are slats with spaces between them, OR ones that are solid but much narrower than would be needed in order to cover the window.

In both of those cases, the eye instantly "knows" that they could not actually be functional. Either way, that makes your house look cheap rather than neat or dressy.

I don't see it has looking cheap, to me it just looks odd and in that regard I don't see the point in them. But I guess if you think it looks nice, as presumably the people who have them installed do, then go ahead and enjoy them.

 

[Albion]

It's a matter of taste. Personally I don't care for it but obviously others do or they wouldn't exist.



I don't see it has looking cheap, to me it just looks odd and in that regard I don't see the point in them. But I guess if you think it looks nice, as presumably the people who have them installed do, then go ahead and enjoy them.

I said "cheap" because those styles are so obviously phony, not even looking like they could function as shutters, whether or not they would ever be put to that use.

Perhaps it would be better to say they look odd or silly, but I'm guessing that shutters that are manufactured using half the material that real shutters require do cost less, and that's readily apparent, even at a quick glance..

 

[Lamb]

Here is a snip of the shutters on the stone front of my home. They are decorative, but they could cover the windows if they could be converted to functional ones:

 

[Albion]

FWIW, those seem like the kind of shutters that look good, and your house is of a style that benefits from them...but wow, I never would have imagined that keeping them affixed to the wall could be the problem you described to us.

 

[Lamb]

FWIW, those seem like the kind of shutters that look good, and your house is of a style that benefits from them...but wow, I never would have imagined that keeping them affixed to the wall could be the problem you described to us.

Since there is stone behind them, there are gaps where the birds fly into and build their nests. Then they pop the shutters off! I'm so disgusted with them.

 

[prism]

We have indoor shutters...no birds, wind or snow...just blasting sun which dries and peels them. I tried covering them with stain but to little avail.

 

[Lamb]

We have indoor shutters...no birds, wind or snow...just blasting sun which dries and peels them. I tried covering them with stain but to little avail.

You probably need to use furniture wax on them twice a year. Our banister and newel post on our stairs, where the sun hits it, was weathered and the previous owners never did anything about it. I've been using furniture wax like Pledge twice a year and the wood shines now.

 

[prism]

You probably need to use furniture wax on them twice a year. Our banister and newel post on our stairs, where the sun hits it, was weathered and the previous owners never did anything about it. I've been using furniture wax like Pledge twice a year and the wood shines now.

That's useful, the problem is getting it to the same uniform tint without having to sand it all, especially the individual slats.

 

[Lamb]

That's useful, the problem is getting it to the same uniform tint without having to sand it all, especially the individual slats.

That's true! Those slats can be a pain.