There is more than one way to dress up a window. Sure most people think of curtains and drapes because they are often ready made and easily hung. What they might not realize is that interior shutters are a beautiful, traditional window treatment that can be used with or without other types of window dressings.

Interior Shutters Versus Blinds & Shades

There are window coverings and window dressings or treatments. Both serve different purposes and add to the overall look of the décor. To the untrained in decorating (which may account for most husbands) a shade or blind that blocks out light and provides privacy may seem like a complete window treatment. There can be decorative blinds or shades, but their primary purpose is light control and privacy.

Window dressing on the other hand is what creates a complete look for the window and the entire room’s décor. A valance or curtain is the decorative element on top of the functional shade. With interior shutters you have a little bit of both – function and frill. Shutters will block out light, even act as an insulator for the window, but they are also quite decorative. The shutters are made of a variety of materials from wood to PVC, and act just as a metal or wooden blind would.

Interior shutters differ in purpose from exterior shutters. Originally shutters were used to protect a home’s windows from the wind of a hurricane or cold of a winter storm. Now most exterior shutters are purely decorative in nature.

Installing Shutters

If you can master home improvement projects of average difficulty then you can install your own interior shutters. This is a DYI project that can be completed in very little time and with basic tools.

If you are doing an interior mount – that is on the inside of a window box, then you are all set with secure 2×4 studs to securely hold shutter screws. Those that are hung outside the frame of the window may require drywall anchors or careful placement into a stud to ensure stability. Normal hinges are used to hand the shutter and can be screwed into place first. Then the shutter slips into the grooves of one side of hinge and a pin holds it all in place.

Finishing & Caring for Shutters

You can pre-prime and paint shutters before installing them. This makes it easy to finish the shutter with no mess inside the house. To clean the shutters, a duster or soft rag does the job nicely. Vinyl shutters never need painting, but a good cleaning with warm, soapy water from time to time in order to removed build up dust or dirt.

Interior shutters add a warm, traditional feel to any home. Large slated shutters, often called Plantation Shutters, get their name from the old southern plantations. The thinner slats are more commonly found inside and out of the old New England colonial style homes. Solid wood shutters also provide a decorative look consistent with our American heritage.

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Everybody would like to live in a mansion or a sprawling ranch but there are many factors to consider when choosing a house plan. There are also a few pitfalls that can be avoided by doing your homework and  making the right choices.

Before you commit to buying a stock or custom house plan, you should know how much of a house you can afford to build. A good place to get this information would be the bank that you might use to get your loan from.

Once you know what your budget is, you can determine how much house you can afford and pick a house plan that fits that budget. One way to accomplish this is to call several homebuilding contractors in your area. Ask them what the building costs per square foot are. Not all contractors are willing to volunteer this information, but you will find enough of them that are willing to help at the prospect of gaining a customer.

With this information you will be able to determine the square footage of a house plan you can afford. If your budget is $200,000 and the cost per square foot is $100, then a 2,000 square foot home is in your budget($200,000/$100= 2,000).

Another consideration is the size of the lot you intend on building your home. You don’t want to invest in a blueprint for a house that won’t fit on your lot. Check with your municipality or county on the distances you must have between the building and the lot lines. Most have  rules on how much backyard you must have and how much your house must be set back from the street or building line.

Some towns and subdivisions also have what are called covenants. These are rules that dictate what you can and cannot build. Some of these covenants might include the minimum square footage house you can build, brick or frame construction, minimum roof pitch, and types of building materials you are allowed to use.

These are some of the important things you must consider. Building a new home the biggest investment you’ll ever make. Doing a little homework will keep you from getting an unwanted surprise and wasting time and money on a plan you can’t use.

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