Frequently Asked Questions About Selecting Shutters

Installing new shutters is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to give your home a fresh, new look. However, selecting the right shutter type, the right dealer and manufacturer can be a daunting task. With so many choices available, it can be difficult to decide what will work best for you.

At ShutterSmart, we like to make things easier for our customers, so we're pleased to offer a few tips that will help you save time, money-and headaches!

Why Shutters?

Shutters are the most commonly ask for window covering. And there's good reason for this. There is no window covering that can enhance the beauty of your home and give you light control as elegantly as shutters do. They combine beauty, elegance and function, allowing small changes in your view, privacy and light control.

Shutters are typically treated like fine furniture and unlike other window coverings will never go out of style. They are the most beautiful window coverings that you can place in the front windows of your home and will enhance your homes curb appeal. Inside your home, shutters can deliver a distinct high end look with a beautiful louvered view through your windows. The result is that shutters increase the resale value of your home and maintain their value better than any other window covering available.

From a functional perspective, they are easy to maintain and durable, especially if you buy poly shutters. And they are the most energy efficient window coverings you can buy, saving you thousands of dollars on your heating and cooling bills in the years to come.

And if you want to add fabrics into one of your living spaces, accent your Shutters with rich drapes to combine beauty, and functionality with soft fabrics.

It's little wonder that shutters are the most popular window covering and today's homeowners #1 choice.

"Where Should I Buy Shutters?"

With so many choices of where to buy shutters, it can be confusing for consumers to know where to go for the best value. If you consider the issues involved in the buying process, a clear choice emerges.

Online retailers are popular with many window coverings but not with shutters. The challenge is two-fold: The first is the cost of packaging and shipping shutters via UPS usually drives the selling prices way up. The next is that shutters are more involved in design, measure and installation than most other window coverings. Homeowners typically prefer to leave it up to experienced professionals to do shutter installations.

Big box stores tend to give most of us a sense of security and offer low prices on in stock shelf products. But when it comes to custom made products with in home services, they are one of the most expensive ways to go. Big box stores contract with and pay 3rd party subcontractors to install shutters and that's a costly service that many homeowners just can't afford. Plus, the big box in store staff typically has little knowledge when it comes to answering your specific questions on shutters or your purchase.

Imported Shutter Dealers buy imported shutters made in overseas factories and install these in your home. While they may seem to be shutter specialists with competitive prices, the greatest challenge is that the overseas factories they buy from change all the time. Many overseas factories are in business only a few years and then they're gone. And who knows which factory will be there to support warranty issues a few years after the sale is completed. An easy way to find this out is by asking who the manufacturer is for each product. Often times you'll find that they have a variety of overseas factories they use.

Window-covering dealers generally provide the best products and service at the best value to you. Their representatives come to your home to show you samples, measure your windows and install turnkey products. When you're selecting a window covering dealer, consider the size of that company and the number of years they've been in business. Window covering dealers can be competitive on price, but always ask about where they are sourcing their shutters. They may be selling you imported shutters from unknown overseas factories and who knows if the factory will be there to support warranty issues a few years after the sale is completed. If you can find a competitively priced US manufacturer, that's always a plus.

Window covering dealers provide the best source to the consumer for convenience, price, quality and selection. But make sure you know who the manufacturer is that's going to warranty and stand behind the shutters.

Does It Matter Who Manufactures The Shutters?

When you're making an investment in shutters, you want to make sure that you can count on the manufacturer to stand behind their product even after the dealer or contractor who sold you the product is long gone.

All manufacturers do not build the same shutters. The quality of the shutters from the manufacturer has a significant impact on how well your shutters will operate and how long they will last in your windows. In addition, how well your dealer services you is based on how well the manufacturer can service your dealer. To make your shopping experience simpler, consider and look for these 5 important criteria in the manufacturer building your shutters:

The manufacturer should be a large established company building shutters for at least 10 years. If they haven't been around this long, you can't trust their warranty as they have no track record or experience. In addition, the more years they've been building shutters, the greater the expertise and reliability with construction, surfaces, finishes and overall smooth operation and performance of your shutters.

Is the manufacturer located in the US or overseas and how will they be able to service you when you need them? As a rule of thumb, it's easier to work with manufacturers located in the US when it comes to customer service or warranty issues.

The manufacturer should have a website describing who they are, what they do and how they will take care of you and their products.

A manufacturer that builds quality products that can easily be demonstrated in the samples. Look for construction and finishing techniques used by the manufacturer. The more open and detailed the information they provide, the more they know what they are doing and the more consistent their processes

The manufacturer should have an 800 consumer number you can just pick up and call when you need them.

If you find a manufacturer that meets the above 5 criteria, then the odds are pretty high that you will not have problems with the shutters you buy for years to come.

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