How to Design House Shutters

Functional rustic-style shutter

Shutters are used primarily as decorative fixed panels to bring an accent color to windows. In most modern applications, shutters are used on the front of the house to enhance curb appeal. Heavier shutters can be used during during storms to protect the windows from flying objects. Older homes are more likely to have functional shutters, although some people are taking a look at this older form of shutter as costs from storm damages have brought a greater awareness of the simplicity of this traditional home feature.

Things You'll Need

• Photographs of house
• Photocopies of the photographs
• Tracing paper
• Clear tape
• Mechanical pencil
• Straight edge
• Measuring tape
• ½-inch-scale graph paper
• Ruler

Instructions

Designing House Shutters

1. Take photographs of the house on every side where shutters will be installed. Enlarge the photocopies so that each side of the house fits on an 11- by 17-inch sheet of paper. This should make the windows large enough to see easily and still allow for the whole elevation of the house to be visible at the same time. When designing shutters, a cohesive and pleasing look is the goal.

2. Place tracing paper over the photocopy and tape it down. Lightly sketch shutters next to each window. Traditional or functional shutters measure half the width of a standard window. For wider windows, shutters might be double-hinged so that the same visual width is achieved. Modern shutters tend to be standardized widths from commercial vendors. In general, the modern shutter is often more narrow and the width of both shutters on a window will be less than the actual width of the window. By drawing shutters on the tracing paper, it becomes possible to determine which look is more suitable for the house.

3. Measure the typical window on the side of the house that will get shutters. Transfer these measurements to graph paper on which the scale is ½ inch to 1 foot. Draw a box representing the full height and width of the window. Be sure to include the exterior molding or wood surrounding the window. Compare this measurement with the visual scale of the tracing-paper shutter to determine the probable width of the shutter. Draw a rectangular box on the graph paper to represent the typical shutter size.

4. Adjust the shutter/window drawing so that the shutter is 3 to 4 inches shorter than the window. Most shutters mimic traditional or functional shutters by looking like they should be able to be closed, making them smaller than the window trim. On the drawing, the shutter should be 1 1/2 to 2 inches above the bottom window trim and below the top window trim. This should give you the visual size of the finished shutter. For unusually shaped windows, a shutter may arch to match the unusual feature or it may ignore the upper part of the window.

5. Determine if any of the shutters will touch other shutters or other parts of the house and will not lay flat. If the deficiency is minimal, less than 2 inches, reduce the size of the shutter width to overcome the problem. Shutters that cannot be placed should be left off. This can make an elevation look awkward, so it must be done carefully. Shutters should produce an appearance of symmetry and should not crowd the front elevation of a home.

6. Place tracing paper over the graph paper and tape it down. Use the straight edge to sketch several shutter styles. Traditional shutters were of two primary forms, paneled and louvered. Specific home styles departed from these forms with cutouts in the shutters or by following the arched tops of adjacent round top windows. The third common style used primarily on country-style homes is three boards with two cross boards and perhaps a cross brace. This is designed to look like a rustic shutter. By drawing several different designs, it becomes easier to create a shutter with a visual appearance suited to the home.

Tips & Warnings

• Many modern homes have windows placed too closely together to support shutters without causing a crowded appearance. Often, the objective of shutters can be achieved on this type of home by installing wider trim boards and painting them in an accent color. Consider functional shutters in areas with significant storm activity. Install shutters using traditional hooks and hinges for a more authentic look and to bring an extra detail to the house design.

References

• Estate Millwork