Mistakes: Exterior Shutters Today vs Historic Shutters –
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Shutters are an important feature on a house. The goal of this website is to enable readers to make their house architecturally correct which would then be aesthetically pleasing. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of correct exterior window shutters.
Think of the windows as the eyes of the house and the window shutters as the eyebrows (although to the side) to understandthe impact. If the shutters are the wrong type or mounted incorrectly, they can ruin the appearance of the entire house.
Yes, the money you spent on restoring that new front door or painting with authentic Victorian colors will be wasted if your window shutters are incorrectly hung (mounted).
Most people look at exterior window shutters as a decorative feature with no further thought. The decorative shutters are installed and the mission is accomplished. How dreadfully wrong!
The following is what you need to look for and, once you see the difference, you will pick it out every time. There are a number of points you need to understand about exterior window shutters in order to make your house look great.
On historic louvered shutters (historically called Blinds), the louvers were either Fixed Louvers or Operable Louvers. Each type represents a different period in history and provides a slightly different look.
Fixed Louvered shutters are appropriate for buildings built prior to the Civil War. Operable louvered shutters grew popular quickly although fixed louvered shutters remained in builders catalogs into the early ’s.
There is an important aesthetic benefit with louvered window shutters. The louvers create shadow lines which provide texture and interest. Shadow lines are most important on a house for they create the character that bring buildings to life.
Purchasing a Fixed Louvered shutter with flat closed louvers (10 degrees) as sold in home improvement stores results in a flat artificial appearance due to the lack of shadows.
A historic operable louver shutter with louvers completely closed would never display the flatness fake plastic shutters have. Unfortunately this is the type of shutter you see on all houses today, no matter what the period architecture.
Some shutter companies manufacture quality wood window shutters with louver’s that resemble plastic shutters. Be careful! While the shutters may be well made with quality wood the design is wrong and you will be wasting your money.
Operable Louvered Shutters were first used around -. Operable louvered shutters can be adjusted by a Tilt Rod to regulate air-flow and light. Shutters with operable louvers and a tilt rod create a shadow pattern providing the best depth, contrast, and character.
If your goal is decorative window shutters they must still appear as if they are operable. A “fake” plastic shutter from a home improvement store has louvers that are fixed in a tightly closed position than they normally would be if they were to actually operate. The amount of space opened would not need to be as great as 50 percent as Fixed Louvered shutters (as explained above), but should NOT be totally flat either in order to look real.
If your house was constructed after the Civil War, there should be a tilt rod on your window shutters. This is an important feature that is always overlooked and greatly affects its appearance. In this case a false Tilt Rod should be attached to fixed shutters to appear operable. Failure to achieve this look will greatly sacrifice the appearance of the house.
When historic shutters are in the closed position, the louvers should be angled pointing downward and away from the house to shed water away from the window it is covering.
When shutters are in an open position, the louvers will be angled pointing downwards toward the house. Water will be shed to the back of the shutter towards the house; but, no need to worry, there will be air space from the hinge offset for runoff and drying.
If shutters are closed the louvers direct the rain-water out and away from the window. While this may sound wrong, it is beneficial because it deters critters: bats, bees, etc. from nesting there because it exposes this hiding place to the elements.
This is the correct way install shutters decorative or functional. If you prefer the opposite – incorrect way, I promise I will not yell at you so don’t be frightened! The most important thing about the louvers is the shadow line you get from louvers that are NOT flat.
Probably the most prevalent mistake made is improper shutter installation. This makes a beautiful house look cheap, ugly, and bland. Sadly almost all shutters are mounted this way and the public has evolved to accept this look. There are two parts to this error.
The first part of the mistake is that shutters mounted directly on the facade/siding of the house, appear banished off to the side of the window as if the window wants no part of the shutter. Visually, it MUST appear as if the shutters are mounted directly ON TOP OF the window casing, next to the window opening. Failure to do this looks ridiculous and drastically changes the appearance of the entire house. You are confusing your subconscious mind as it tries to interpret patterns and make associations. What is this rectangular shape doing all by itself out there?
Another common mistake is mounting the shutters flat against the house. Here you lose your shadow lines which result in a bland, uninteresting house. When shutters are mounted directly to the face of a house, there is no room for ventilation between the shutter and the house. This results in heat build up from the sun that can cause damage to siding and painted finishes behind the shutter. A correctly mounted shutter should APPEAR to be attached to a hinge, protruding from the house.
There are a few technicalities in properly mounting shutters depending on your window and the type of hinge used. However, the shutters should still have the same appearance as in the examples of GOOD Shutters on this page. When open, shutters should be located tight to the window covering all or part of the window casing and projecting outward at the window edge.
Architecturally, it is not necessary for a feature to actually be functional; however, it must always appear functional. Please understand, I think it is wonderful to have historic, functioning shutters, but the goal here is appearance. That said, you may not need or want your shutters to open and close, but they MUST appear as if they do. This is explained more in the next section on Exterior Shutter Hinges.
Historic shutters were mounted on hinges. There are two parts to a shutter hinge. One part is attached to the house and the other part is attached to the shutter. The part of the shutter hinge that is attached to the house contains a Pintle – a pivot point for the shutter hinge to rest on. This part of the hinge can either be mounted to the house on the face of the window casing OR on the inside edge (jamb) of the window. Each of the two mounting types provides a different appearance.
There are many types and sizes of shutter hinges you can use. A lot depends on your window and how much space you have to mount the hinge. These details and customizations you should discuss with the shutter manufacturer. Here, on OldHouseGuy.com, you will learn what you need to know to get the proper look.
If you think your house originally had shutters, you can check to see where the original hinges were mounted by looking for “ghost marks”. Even after years of painting, you should still be able to see these marks. You may even see them in both places (edge and face) – this means your shutters and/or hinges were replaced. Most likely, old face-mounted strap hinges were replaced in the late 19th century with newer hinges mounted on the inside edge.
One of the most important things to understand when ordering shutter hinges is a term called “THROW”. This is the space between the pivot point of the hinge and the inside edge of the shutter when the shutter is open.
This is very important because if there is a large THROW, or large swing, there will be more space between the shutter and the hinge pivot point. In other words, the shutter will be farther to the side, away from the window opening, exposing more of the window casing. This large THROW will make your wonderful historic shutters appear just like all the fake plastic shutters you see mounted off to the side of the window.
As I stated earlier, each window is different and there does need to be some THROW for your shutter to work. Do not get a hinge with a larger throw merely for the purpose of being able to see the wood casing. Sadly, this is becoming the standard of the best quality shutter manufacturers. And why? Because the consumer is accustomed to the wrong look and that is what they want to buy.
Below are examples of shutter throw and the type of shutter hinge used to get the right look.
Here the shutter is tight to the window because a Jamb hinge (Butt hinge) is used. This look is correct for a house built to present. It is also correct for shutters using surface hinges after . Surface hinges can also be attached tight to the window.
This shutter is off to the side because the hinge is mounted on the surface of the window casing. This look is correct for a house built before . It is also correct for a shutter with surface hinges after .
NEVER mount a shutter this way on any house. This is where homeowners, builders, and architects fail today.
Exterior shutter hinge offset and stand off is the distance a shutter projects from facade and angle of shutter
I think it is wonderful to have operable shutters but there are technicalities specific to your windows that you should discuss with the shutter manufacturer. My objective on OldHouseGuy.com is to educate you on how your home can have the best appearance. Once this is understood, and if you prefer operable shutters instead of merely decorative, the next step of mechanics can be addressed with the manufacturer.
This information is important even if your shutters are strictly decorative. The next thing you need to understand is the term hinge OFFSET. OFFSET and STANDOFF are important terms in assuring your shutters will not only look good, but also open and close properly. These terms are sometimes used interchangeably.
The Offset and Standoff of the hinge pertains to the part of the hinge that is attached to the house. This part of the hinge has a point or Pintle – a pivot point where the shutter is connected.
The Offset we will discuss here is the distance the hinge extends your shutters AWAY from the window casing. An OFFSET of about 1/2 to 1.5 inches is usually recommended, although each window casing is different.
The Offset is important because the space provides necessary ventilation behind the shutter and creates additional shadow lines which make your house come alive with interest. Shutters you see today are flat against both the window casement and the facade, without shadows, making the house look bland.
The outer edge – opposite edge of the shutter, away from the Offset hinge, should rest closer to the facade of the house. The fully opened shutter can be secured with a Tie-Back attached to this outer edge (without this Tie-Back your shutters will flap in the breeze). The final result will be a shutter that is angled in appearance.
There is a difference when mounting a shutter on a wood sided house compared to that of a house sided with Brick or Stone. The window is constructed the same but instead of being surrounded by a wide casing, the window is surrounded by a brick molding which is narrower than a casing.
On a WOOD sided house, the siding does not project beyond the face of the window casing. Surface Mounted or Edge Mounted hinges can be used and the offset needed is minimal.
On a BRICK or STONE sided house, the brick or stone projects beyond the face of the window casing. The window and casing are recessed. Here, a surface Mounted hinge MUST be used and, depending on how deep the casing is recessed, a greater OFFSET will be required. This will allow the shutter to clear the brick/stone siding when swung open (if operable) or fixed in an open position.
Again, please do not mount the shutter dog to the side of the shutter. This is ridiculous! These dogs are weighted and if mounted to the size you will not only be advertising your stupidity but the shutter will not be held in place. Those that like this side-mount seem to gravitate towards a more tacky house in favor of doing “something different”.
This latch was screwed into the back of the shutter and would clip on to the catch (shown in white) that was attached to the house.
While this type of a latch was very popular, it is difficult to find today. Of course your first option should always be to restore the hardware. If you do need replacement there is a manufacturer to purchase this from.
Click here to order this shutter latch kit at Ricca’s.
There is a large selection of shutter hardware to choose from as you will see on the recommended shutter sites. There are locks, bolts, pulls, tie-backs, etc. These items will add additional visual interest to your shutters and house.
Strap hinges are only seen when the shutters are closed. If you are looking for hardware to be seen on your shutters when open, consider Zimmerman Fasteners if your house was built after .
Check out info on Shutter Dogs here.
And more info on Shutter Hardware here.
Need help deciding if shutters work on your home? Here are some before and after photos of reader-submitted homes along with a few design guides to help you decide on shutters or not.
Wow, I received a lot of photos when I made my request last week! Thank you so much for responding. My readers are the best!
Contact us to discuss your requirements of arched window shutters. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Once again, shutters look the best on windows where it looks like they can close over them.
However, there are exceptions to this rule. And shutters need to be considered on a case-by-case basis, so hopefully, my commentary on the following homes will help you make a confident decision if your house didn’t make it in this roundup.
First, let’s consider if my house is the exception to the rule of ‘shutters should look like they can close over the windows’.
This is what it looked like after we removed all the old shrubs right after we took possession.
If I was just staring at my naked house with zero landscaping (above) I might have thought the windows on the right needed shutters. The wall looks a bit empty, especially when compared to the much larger windows on the left side.
This is also the time when bad stone or brick gets installed along the waterline of the house as well. When we don’t realize how much of our yard can be transformed by landscaping. That’s when we think the house needs an added stone detail.
Landscaping is decorating for the exterior after all. I have two video modules about this topic in my Exterior Masterclass.
Just like, if you are looking at your bare kitchen without any styling, you might decide it needs that snappy accent tile after all.
Read more: Dos and Don’ts for Installing Accent Tile
Here’s my house with landscaping:
Does my house still need shutters? Well let’s find out, shall we? Here’s a look at some shutters photoshopped on my windows.
There are a few reasons I don’t think this is the best look for my house. Not only do they look wrong because they aren’t visually wide enough to actually close and cover the windows (which is a key design feature you need to consider – even if you never intend to close them).
But also, I think this added detail looks like too much. Here’s the other thing – they can’t be white to match the trim because then you end up with a cottage look. So I photoshopped them in taupe to coordinate with the roof.
And here it is with them removed. Better. I think we can safely conclude that the landscaping won in this case.
Let’s look at some reader homes to see if they work with shutters or not:
Shutters or not? Exterior #1:
“My husband and I recently built a new home on a large parcel of land in the country. As providence would have it, I discovered your color wheel and paint boards well before we broke ground, so those proved very helpful during the grueling process of choosing fixed elements and paint colors for interior and exterior. The house is sort of a hybrid craftsman/farmhouse. The brick used for the foundation was produced just down the road at Pine Hall Brick and captures the hue of the rich red soil in these parts. Front door is fiberglass stained to give the appearance of stained wood. The porch rails are black and I’ve struggled with whether or not to add black shutters to some of the windows (garage in particular) in order to break up all the white. On one hand, it has a crisp clean look; on the other hand, it looks like it needs something. The picture I’ve attached is fairly recent so the immaturity of the landscaping is apparent. But I hope this will help in developing your article on whether or not to add shutters (and if you have any suggestions, I would be greatly honored to receive your feedback!).”Does this house need shutters or should we add some additional landscaping instead?
What do you think? Better or not?
Personally, I like this home better without shutters. It’s just too many shutters (and in the end they should have been slightly skinner) However, we do need additional landscaping – perhaps a tree or two out front. And that’s what I would focus on here.
Shutters or not? Exterior #2
“Maria, I know for sure that I don’t want to replace the shutters on the 3 living room windows (to your comment that two shutters won’t cover three windows) but I don’t know if I should replace the shutters on the rest of the windows. I’m thinking about painting the house blue and the shutters white but still undecided about color.”
You know, I love the idea of a blue and white house. This definitely has a cottage feel to it! However, I agree it does not need shutters as you’ve said.
Many people talked about the back of their house and let me reassure you there. Unless you want it to be prettier FOR YOU, it’s not part of the curb appeal and doesn’t need shutters.
Shutters or not? Exterior #3
“I’m so glad you asked for pics because I have been wondering this. You can’t tell, but the existing shutters are wood and several of them are very warped and need to be replaced. The house faces west, so I’m afraid any shutters we’d replace them with will fade and look terrible from all the sun exposure here in the hot Tennessee sun.
I’d love to go without, but don’t know if will be too much orange brick and not enough architectural interest. I do have climbing roses starting to grow up the brick on the right wing. And the trees next to the porch are leafed out now, burgundy-colored Japanese maples.
I’d love any thoughts you have! If you do suggest shutter, is the current good?”
So, in this case, I didn’t need to photoshop the house without shutters. It looks perfect with them and in addition the shutters on the second floor definitely help visual balance the wider windows below on the first floor.
Shutters or not? Exterior #4
“Maria, I think my house would look crazy silly w/o them?! Now you have me questioning it :)”
I agree, this house needs shutters and it looks good the way it is. However, perhaps what bothers you about your house are the two random arched windows, especially the one positioned in the centre of the facade. Unfortunately, an architect got creative here.
Shutters or not? Exterior #5
“With shutters” is the before photo showing the house as originally built.
Two years ago when I was educated as to how shutters are supposed to look, we removed them and “no shutters” is a current photo. Now I’m wondering if “no shutters” looks OK or if I should add shutters to the top floor middle window and the two windows on the bottom floor left and maybe bottom floor right window as those could look as if they can cover the windows. Would love your opinion, Maria, it has served us so well so far!”
I like this house without shutters. They bother me in the image with shutters on ALL the windows. And I don’t think adding them just on the skinny windows does enough to the curb appeal.
Also, I believe this house needs to be painted a colour instead of white. Even adding a tree or two would be add some visual interest to the exterior and take the attention away from the naked windows. However, in this case, I prefer them naked.
PS. this reader sent a photo of a better picture that did include trees and here it is:
Shutters or not? Exterior #6
This simply stated, “No shutters and I like it!.”
And, I would agree. It would look really busy otherwise with each of the shutters butting up to the next one.
At first I thought maybe the dark trim around the front door would look better painted white but when I photoshopped out the screen door and added a colour, I changed my mind.
Shutters or not? Exterior #7
“Thank you for looking at this photo of my house. I think I made a classic mistake with the shutters when the house was built 22 years ago but I’m worried it will be like eyes without eyelashes if I remove them. There is a third window with shutters, obscured by the Japanese Pine. The door and the shutters are all painted in BM Essex Green. I have to say I’ve learned so much from your blog and e-books, and I love my new undertones wheel!”
Well what do you think? Shutters or no? Let’s see what this house looks like without shutters:
I have to say I prefer the house without shutters. Maybe because so much of the black roofline is visible and when combined with the black shutters on the too-wide windows, it doesn’t work. I’m not a fan of so much black, especially when combined with orange brick on the house (it starts looking halloween after all).
I do like that they matched the orange colour of the brick for the gable with stucco, you don’t even notice it until you start looking.
Also the Japanese pine is getting large out front, but see how pretty it is in front of this home?
This is what some of these other homes need – a tree to distract from architecture that might be less-than-amazing.
Shutters or not? Exterior #8
“Maria, I was just wondering if shutters would work on my house! I need to repaint this summer and thought to add shutters BUT a shutter won’t fit on the window to the left of the side door where the exterior light fixture is. Is it ok to add shutters to only one side of a house?”
This house definitely would not look better with shutters. This is a perfect example of where landscaping is what we need. However, she brought up a point I want to make and that is this:
If a passerby can see both sides of your house from the street (like this above) and you decide to add shutters to the front of your house, you would also need to add them to the side you can see from the road as well.
This is another exterior detail you need to consider when deciding on shutters. How many sides of your home are viewable by the street?
Shutters or not? Exterior #9
For more information, please visit Basswood Plantation Shutter.
“We moved into this house last year, and I’ve always wondered about the shutters. I know they’re too skinny, but I think it might look too stark without them? I would love to hear your thoughts! My house is on a steep wooded hill, so it’s hard to get great photos. I did my best! I attached the real estate photo too in case that helps. There are windows above and below the deck with shutters as well.” At first I looked high and low for the front door but this does appear to be the front of the house. And it does not need shutters on these too-wide windows. Shutters or not? Exterior #10 NOTE: Painting the sidelights to match the door is also something we suggest on a case-by-case basis in eDesign. It doesn’t work on every house. I received this photo without comments. Even though the windows are a little wide here I think the shutters look good on this elegant home with beautiful landscaping. It feels balanced. And last, here’s a before & after of an eDesign project we did last year: This client has a cottage style home so the white shutters work on this home. The shutters just needed to match the style of the home. We also confirmed that a pergola over the garage was a great idea. And, in this case, we cannot add shutters to the windows on the right side of the home, even though we can see them from the street. However, I advised her to beef up the trim around the side windows, which help balance the front. So there you have it! I hope this helps your decision making, if you need help with making this decision or with colours on your exterior, see my exterior eDesign packages here. And if you’ve decided landscaping is what you need, contact my Landscape designer MaryAnne White here.I just want to tell you, I am so thankful I took your class. Not just because it helped with understanding colour but it also put a lot of renovation choices into perspective. The whole concept of renovation budget; I have an entirely new opinion on where I want to spend my money. Prior to your class, we were almost ready to commit to adding on a dormer/porch to the front of our house for $40K. We don’t gain much because we aren’t finishing out the extra square footage this time. We also wanted to dress the front of our house up for curb appeal, but that can be achieved with adding shutters, new exterior doors and a new garage door which is a far cry from $40K and that money didn’t include all those things I just mentioned, which if I don’t do those, then the new dormer/porch would look blah because it’s not decorated! I was so nervous to spend the money on the class, but immediately I have saved myself well over 10x the class in thinking differently about renovations as a whole. Thank you again!!There’s so much to learn in my virtual workshop but learning to spread your money around so that you’re spending it on the most important areas FIRST is a big one. Then I recently received this photo from a follower: Her question is whether we should paint the left side to match the right because the lighting makes them different. We will get this flat in the workshop as well. Is it the lighting or is it the wrong colour? We will find out. Related posts: