Plantation Shutters?

[Jeffrey]

Hi,

We're thinking about installing plantation shutters in our new house. Does anyone have any experience (opinion) with Budget Blinds?

Budget Blinds has quoted us a price of $20 per sq. ft. for 3.5" composite plantation shutters installed and $24 per sq. ft. for 3.5" painted wood plantation shutters installed. Which is the better bargain? Which would you choose?

Thanks,
Jeffrey

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

We used Budget Blinds a few years back when installing plantation shutters in an apartment for our daughter. No problems and they were less expensive than anybody else. Later, we used a local decorator and went with really high quality wooden ones in another condo. They were nice, but I sort of wished I hadn't spent so much. If you are doing a high end house, go first class, but if you are doing an apartment or first house I don't think you can beat Budget Blinds. As for the composite or the wood, can you tell much difference in the weight and quality?

Love, Ima

[-jk]

No idea about that particular company, but make sure you have clearance for all your furniture.

My mother put some up. (The hardest part was matching the stain on the old chestnut windows.) A few pieces of furniture had to be moved to be able to open the shutters all the way. They probably took 20 to 30 sf off the usable space of the living room.

-jk

[Johnboy]

Hi,

We're thinking about installing plantation shutters in our new house. Does anyone have any experience (opinion) with Budget Blinds?

Budget Blinds has quoted us a price of $20 per sq. ft. for 3.5" composite plantation shutters installed and $24 per sq. ft. for 3.5" painted wood plantation shutters installed. Which is the better bargain? Which would you choose?

Thanks,
Jeffrey

We have plantation shutters in our house and love them. Ours are not Budget Blinds (Lord knows - ours apparently came from "Budget Buster Blinds"). I'd definitely choose the wood ones over the composite. Composite are not going to impress a future buyer, and you deserve better in your own home anyway (regardless of future value).

JMO.

[Jeffrey]

We used Budget Blinds a few years back when installing plantation shutters in an apartment for our daughter. No problems and they were less expensive than anybody else. Later, we used a local decorator and went with really high quality wooden ones in another condo. They were nice, but I sort of wished I hadn't spent so much. If you are doing a high end house, go first class, but if you are doing an apartment or first house I don't think you can beat Budget Blinds. As for the composite or the wood, can you tell much difference in the weight and quality?

Love, Ima

Hi Ima,

Thank you for describing your Budget Blinds experience. That's just what I needed to know.

I cannot tell much difference in the weight/quality of the composite vs. wood shutters. The B.B. representative said the painted wood will fade from direct sunlight and may also warp over time. Surprisingly, my wife likes the white composite and thinks it looks nice.

Thanks,
Jeffrey

[Jeffrey]

No idea about that particular company, but make sure you have clearance for all your furniture.

-jk

Hi -jk,

Thanks for the advice. We'll heed your advice when setting up our furniture during the move.

Best regards,
Jeffrey

[Jeffrey]

We have plantation shutters in our house and love them. Ours are not Budget Blinds (Lord knows - ours apparently came from "Budget Buster Blinds"). I'd definitely choose the wood ones over the composite. Composite are not going to impress a future buyer, and you deserve better in your own home anyway (regardless of future value).

JMO.

Hi Johnboy,

Very glad to hear you love your plantation shutters. We've never had any before.

What (other than resale value) do you not like about composite shutters (quality, weight, etc.)?

Thanks,
Jeffrey

[Johnboy]

Hi Johnboy,

Very glad to hear you love your plantation shutters. We've never had any before.

What (other than resale value) do you not like about composite shutters (quality, weight, etc.)?

Thanks,
Jeffrey

We have some DIY composite shutters (regular, not plantation style) from Lowe's. They work OK for us, but have their drawbacks. They don't stay closed very well, I don't think they look as nice as the wooden ones, and they just look and feel cheaper to me. They are actually more durable, but there's just something about the look that's not as nice as wood - they look plastic. It's kinda like comparing plastic cups to glasses - cups work fine and are suitable for many occasions, but to me, glass is more enjoyable to look at and use even though it's not as durable.

I would choose whichever shutters look better and perform better (even if the composite is more durable), and not mind the price difference. You'll be living with these things as long as you have the house.

Again, just my opinion. Good luck with whatever you decide. I hope you'll post an update to let us know what you think after you've lived with them for a while. We may have more shutters to install, and I'd be interested in hearing about your experience with this company.

[ras]

If you are getting Norman Shutters for those prices you are getting a good deal. The composite shutters are significantly heavier than the wood ones, but the durability and no color change guarantee are hard to beat. I believe that Budget Blinds businesses are some of the few that deal directly with the factory and not through a wholesaler.

Make sure that you do think about your room layout and your furniture like the prior poster mentioned. Also, have them show you the hidden tilt bar. We used that feature in our great room and love the wide open look you get. We had it split so we could open up the top for light and leave the bottom closed for privacy.

End of my rambling. Good luck.

[JulesInLA]

Also, have them show you the hidden tilt bar. We used that feature in our great room and love the wide open look you get. We had it split so we could open up the top for light and leave the bottom closed for privacy.

I concur with this feedback about different settings for top and bottom. We also keep the bottom closed and the top open. It does give more privacy, but even more importantly - it keeps my beagle from being able to SEE every person/car/gardner/mailman/etc. who goes by!

This cuts down on the howling/baying!

We have real wood and like them a lot.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Hi -jk,

Thanks for the advice. We'll heed your advice when setting up our furniture during the move.

Best regards,
Jeffrey
In my previous home there were rooms where the furniture arrangement would be compromised if plantation shutters were used, so I chose to have plantation blinds put up. The wide louvers gave almost the same effect when open as do the shutters and there's no problem with where the furniture is located. When I moved into my current home, I found plantation blinds already installed on all the windows..... and I love them because they allow the windows to create a more open, airy feeling, not boxed in as they might seem with shutters!

[Jeffrey]

I would choose whichever shutters look better and perform better (even if the composite is more durable), and not mind the price difference. You'll be living with these things as long as you have the house.

Again, just my opinion. Good luck with whatever you decide. I hope you'll post an update to let us know what you think after you've lived with them for a while. We may have more shutters to install, and I'd be interested in hearing about your experience with this company.

Hi Johnboy,

That sounds like very good advice. We're going to go to the showroom tonight after work to see and test the shutters in person. I agree that price should not be the determining factor.

I'll gladly report our experiences on this thread after we've experienced these or other shutters.

Best regards,
Jeffrey

[Jeffrey]

If you are getting Norman Shutters for those prices you are getting a good deal. The composite shutters are significantly heavier than the wood ones, but the durability and no color change guarantee are hard to beat. I believe that Budget Blinds businesses are some of the few that deal directly with the factory and not through a wholesaler.

Make sure that you do think about your room layout and your furniture like the prior poster mentioned. Also, have them show you the hidden tilt bar. We used that feature in our great room and love the wide open look you get. We had it split so we could open up the top for light and leave the bottom closed for privacy.

Hi ras,

Yes, these are Norman Shutters and they're made in Mexico specifically for Budget Blinds.

Thanks for the advice. My wife likes the idea of double-stacked shutters in order to only open the top shutters in our bedrooms.

Best regards,
Jeffrey

[Jeffrey]

In my previous home there were rooms where the furniture arrangement would be compromised if plantation shutters were used, so I chose to have plantation blinds put up. The wide louvers gave almost the same effect when open as do the shutters and there's no problem with where the furniture is located. When I moved into my current home, I found plantation blinds already installed on all the windows..... and I love them because they allow the windows to create a more open, airy feeling, not boxed in as they might seem with shutters!

Hi,

I like this idea and previously mentioned it to my wife. She gave me the look. Guess, that idea is out. :D

Nevertheless, thanks for a different (and more affordable) alternative.

Best regards,
Jeffrey

[Jeffrey]

I hope you'll post an update to let us know what you think after you've lived with them for a while. We may have more shutters to install, and I'd be interested in hearing about your experience with this company.

Hi,

Here's the requested update:

The quality of Budget Blinds' shutters is satisfactory, the durability (went with composite) appears excellent, the look is nice, and the cost was satisfactory. We were given the option of Norman or their own company shutters and went with their own company shutters since they offer a one-time (free) damage replacement on all shutters. We've found that the downside is their own company shutters are not manufactured as exact and have required 15% of the shutters to be replaced. We were told replacement shutters would be received/installed in two weeks or less. The original replacements took three months!

Best regards,
Jeffrey

[summerwind03]

Very interesting. Thanks for the update, Jeffrey.

I've been meaning to get plantation shutters for our family room for 5 years. I'm not sure I entirely get the tilt thing, so I'll have to ask about that. Fortunately, there is no furniture near the two windows in our room, so we don't have to worry about that. I really like the idea of being able to close the bottom and leave the top open. In fact, would we even need the top? Would it look really weird if there were only shutters on the bottom half.

[Johnboy]

Hi,

Here's the requested update:

The quality of Budget Blinds' shutters is satisfactory, the durability (went with composite) appears excellent, the look is nice, and the cost was satisfactory. We were given the option of Norman or their own company shutters and went with their own company shutters since they offer a one-time (free) damage replacement on all shutters. We've found that the downside is their own company shutters are not manufactured as exact and have required 15% of the shutters to be replaced. We were told replacement shutters would be received/installed in two weeks or less. The original replacements took three months!

Best regards,
Jeffrey

Thanks so much for the update, Jeffrey. We're getting ready to put more shutters up in our house, so I immediately checked this thread. I'm going to see what Budget Blinds has to offer.

Thanks again, and Happy New Year!

[dukestheheat]

Jeffrey,

I have a bunch of the painted wood plantation shutters; they look great in the windows around the home and I'd recommend them! Just get a little whiffer feather cleaner tool type of thing (I don't know what they're called as you can tell) to insert between each level of the blind to clean them.

Good luck and shoot for the best when it comes to the home!

dth.

[Jarhead]

If I had noticed your post when you first poated it in July, I would have recommended window shadings from HunterDouglas (http://www.hunterdouglas.com/hdg_product_category.jsp?id=1). My wife and I were having a home built fifteen years ago in Southern Pines. We had noticed the Silhouettes in a Northern Virginia department store, and we asked our builder to check them out. He installed them in all of our 25 windows and doors. They were a bit expensive but didn't really hurt our construction budget. We have been exceedingly happy with them ever since. We still have them and they have not needed a stitch of repair. If, and when, you move, give them a shot.

[Jim3k]

When I remodeled the house and pushed it out, I got rid of the plantation shutters as I thought they didn't provide sufficient light. I then put in some ceiling-floor duo-pane glass and used mini blinds.

Later, when the windows needed replacing with (far better) duo-panes, we went to window shadings and have been much happier with them. Bought the type you can raise or lower depending on what kind of light you want to keep out or in. I agree with Jarhead.