Well-positioned shutters can add an elegant finishing touch to a home and increase curb appeal as well as value.
However, they can make your house appear disjointed and dismal if not chosen carefully. Therefore, it’s essential that you understand which factors determine whether shutters will fit with the style and design of your home before purchasing any shutters.
Curb Appeal
Shutters add an eye-catching feature that elevates a home’s curb appeal, particularly when they complement its color. When they make an impressionful first impression upon passersby.
Style should also be carefully considered when selecting shutters for a home, taking into account architectural style as well as visual illusion. Shutters should look as though they could actually close and cover windows; some savvy homeowners even use hardware (like hinges) to give their shutters an authentic appearance.
Paint can be an easy and affordable way to update the exterior of your home quickly and efficiently. Popular choices for exterior projects are glossy black and classic red hues; however, heritage colors such as sage green and duck-egg blue can add depth and personality.
Energy Efficiency
Shutters provide an effective barrier that keeps warm air inside while keeping cold air at bay, helping you keep more heat inside for longer while saving on heating costs this winter.
Shutters provide more energy savings by fitting closely against windows than curtains do, helping reduce energy loss by closing off gaps between their cover and the frame and the window’s covering material. Furthermore, shutters are often better at offering insulation than many other window treatments.
Plantation and traditional shutters feature louvers, or slats, that can be moved to regulate how much light enters your home. Closed shutters block out harsh sunlight and heat to help keep your home cool in summer and warm in winter. Like anything exposed to nature, shutters require some care – they should be washed regularly while shims may also be installed between moving parts and window casements in order to help immobilize them and shield against damage from wind, rain and sun exposure.
Privacy
Shutters provide excellent privacy by blocking views into your home from both street and sidewalk, blocking traffic noise and other noise from outdoors, while letting natural light in while protecting against nosy neighbors. They’re easy to adjust too – letting natural light come through but preventing nosy ones from peering in!
Reminding ourselves that shutters are meant primarily for practicality rather than decoration is key when selecting shutters for our home. They should blend seamlessly with the style of our house; hanging board-and-batten shutters on a traditional house, for example, would not look right. Hanging out-of-shape shutters may also pose problems; for instance, hanging out of-scale shutters over an oval-shaped window may look odd as well.
Too often contractors and homeowners forget this rule when installing shutters that appear functional but cannot actually move. This is a serious miscalculation because without airflow behind the shutters water will collect behind them and damage walls behind. Shutters should always be mounted away from walls for air and water flow.
Security
Residential shutters make it much harder for intruders to break into your home. Full height shutters offer the best protection as they fully cover windows when closed and can be locked securely – much more daunting to would-be thieves than curtains or blinds which signal that measures have been taken to secure property.
Shutters can help reduce noise pollution. They can muffle traffic noises, children playing or other children shouting in your neighborhood – something which is particularly advantageous if your home is close to a busy road or airport.
Blinds can be tedious to clean and feature dangling cords which could pose a danger to children, making them potentially hazardous for play areas and playgrounds. Shutters are durable and made with weatherproof materials – all qualities burglars look for when choosing which home to break into, so installing shutters could deter burglars enough that they choose another target instead of trying their luck in yours – saving both time and money in the long run.