Installing Cedar Shutters with Hinges
Installing Cedar Shutters with Screws
Measuring Windows for Exterior Shutters First
The First step before you even measure your windows is to decide
whether or not you want standard generic size shutters or custom
shutters for your window. The difference is as follows (read and see
diagram):
1.
Generic Sizing: Simply going with the same width shutter on every window, typically 14.5"
2.
Custom: Getting shutters to match the size of the window or in
instances where the window is too large you will simply get
proportionally larger shutters for larger windows (See diagram below)
Nowadays, windows are made so custom that many times they can be 6', 8', 10 foot long and even longer. This just was not the case in the old days. For this reason it is common practice to simply get proportionally larger shutters for instances of windows exceeding 4 feet wide. It's usually not practical to put 5 foot wide shutters on either side of a 10 foot window.
Our recommendation for custom sizing is to put 18.5" shutters on windows sized 4 foot wide and wider than that. For windows smaller than 3 feet we recommend 14.5" wide shutters. This will give the look of the shutters in the diagram on the top right. For non-custom generic measuring you will only need to measure the height of the window to get the sizes you need and you will pick a width that you feel best matches the windows on your house, most typically 14.5" wide.
To measure the width of the window, simply take a tape measure from one end to the other. Do not include any trim around the window in your measurement. You want to imagine that your shutters could close and cover the window up. The parts of the window that you are logically covering up are what you are measuring.