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Started By
Message
Exterior shutters
Posted on 12/21/24 at 10:40 am
Posted on 12/21/24 at 10:40 am
Anyone built their own shutters for their house? If so, what style... material and finish did you use?
5
Posted on 12/21/24 at 2:11 pm to SouthernInsanity
My house has 12 functioning sets of shutters on the upstairs windows and came with the house.
In the past I have built louvered shutters for a couple buildings in the French Quarter for a contractor friend and initially did so out of cypress. They wound up having issues after he painted them that real dark green and hung them on the building. Some of them cupped due to the heat exposure of the summer sun and I had to rebuild them.
I then rebuilt them out of Spanish Cedar and never had an issue after that.
Lesson learned about newly harvested cypress. The only cypress I'd ever use for something like that in the future is old, reclaimed cypress.
In the past I have built louvered shutters for a couple buildings in the French Quarter for a contractor friend and initially did so out of cypress. They wound up having issues after he painted them that real dark green and hung them on the building. Some of them cupped due to the heat exposure of the summer sun and I had to rebuild them.
I then rebuilt them out of Spanish Cedar and never had an issue after that.
Lesson learned about newly harvested cypress. The only cypress I'd ever use for something like that in the future is old, reclaimed cypress.
This post was edited on 12/21/24 at 2:19 pm
Posted on 12/21/24 at 5:30 pm to SouthernInsanity
Posted on 12/21/24 at 5:52 pm to gumbo2176
Spanish cedar very good information thanks
Posted on 12/21/24 at 8:27 pm to Cracker
quote:
Spanish cedar very good information thanks
Just a heads up-----it ain't cheap.
Posted on 12/21/24 at 8:40 pm to KRS
Good find. I like the Bahamas shutter style. I’m looking to cover 6 windows on the man cave. $2,500 about matches what I’ve discovered so far. Ouch!
Posted on 12/21/24 at 8:44 pm to SouthernInsanity
I built the shutters at my front doors (2 pair) out of 1x4 cypress from Acadian in ponchy, they milled it for me. Stained and hung and they look great however they are under a porch so take that into account
I went 4 wide, batten top and bottom 16” from the ends then a Z board between the battens
I went 4 wide, batten top and bottom 16” from the ends then a Z board between the battens
Posted on 12/21/24 at 9:41 pm to SouthernInsanity
I has a guy build ours, I had 6 windows that I wanted to have functioning shutters on and I contemplated doing it myself but didn’t have the time. He did it for $2500. The only shitty part was he used MDF and every one of them cupped slightly. He said he had trouble with other woods cupping and the MDF was not giving him as much trouble. I’m no expert on wood types so I took his word for it.
Posted on 12/21/24 at 9:46 pm to gumbo2176
What about just making the louvers out of the cedar and the rails and stiles out of Cyprus
Posted on 12/21/24 at 10:53 pm to gumbo2176
quote:
Lesson learned about newly harvested cypress. The only cypress I'd ever use for something like that in the future is old, reclaimed cypress.
My best friend lifts Sinker Cypress logs out of the Atchafalaya Spillway. Most times he has 10,000 bf ready to sell. All are in rough cut sizes.
Posted on 12/22/24 at 1:07 am to Cracker
quote:
What about just making the louvers out of the cedar and the rails and stiles out of Cyprus
It was the rails and stiles that were the brunt of the warping when I used cypress, not the louvers
Posted on 12/22/24 at 7:28 am to LSUDad
quote:
My best friend lifts Sinker Cypress logs out of the Atchafalaya Spillway. Most times he has 10,000 bf ready to sell. All are in rough cut sizes.
In my way of thinking, sinker cypress is far too nice a wood to use for making shutters that will more than likely be primed and painted before being hung.
It is definitely old growth wood with long, tight grain, but with it being underwater for decades like it is, it will take a long time for that wood to dry out to use, but when it does, it is some of the most beautiful cypress you can find. It would be a pity to slap paint on it.
Posted on 12/22/24 at 8:17 am to SouthernInsanity
We used has aluminum bahama shutters built. Windows, and large section of our porch/carport area.
Our house is elevated, so access is a pain, so hopefully the aluminum will require less maintenance.
Shopped several manufactures, seems like all were in/near Florida, and chose from there.
Been installed for 4 years, so far so good. We'll see.
Our house is elevated, so access is a pain, so hopefully the aluminum will require less maintenance.
Shopped several manufactures, seems like all were in/near Florida, and chose from there.
Been installed for 4 years, so far so good. We'll see.
Posted on 12/22/24 at 8:18 am to gumbo2176
quote:
is some of the most beautiful cypress you can find
I've helped him cut up some logs at his mill. True on the grain and wood. He removes them from the spillway, leaves them on the bank, then it's a while before they are brought to the mill. The stories of what he finds while searching for the logs, is worth spending time listening. Old wooden hull boats, anchors, and other metal parts used in boats. Remember if a storm or hurricane came up, they had little to no warning. He has an old musket found years ago. His Dad worked in one of the original mills in South Louisiana.
Posted on 12/22/24 at 9:45 am to Grassy1
quote:
Our house is elevated, so access is a pain, so hopefully the aluminum will require less maintenance.
You should have no issues with aluminum shutters, especially if well painted, or even better yet, powder coated for a more durable finish.
They won't warp or rot and as long as a they don't suffer storm damage, they should last a lifetime.
Posted on 12/22/24 at 10:27 am to LSUDad
quote:
He removes them from the spillway, leaves them on the bank, then it's a while before they are brought to the mill.
Really?? He's lucky someone doesn't take them for themselves if they are just left on the banks of the spillway.
I know it takes specialty equipment to handle many of those large sinker logs because they are so heavy with being saturated with water, but it is sometimes surprising how things can disappear when a lot of money is involved------and sinker cypress is worth a lot of money.
Posted on 12/22/24 at 10:34 am to gumbo2176
quote:
Spanish Cedar
Last time I looked into spanish cedar for an outdoor project I was warned that a lot of what I'd find isn't wild-grown from South America but grown on African tree plantations. And of course with every fast-grown wood it comes with less stability and less rot resistance. So I guess verify where it comes from before writing a check.
Posted on 12/22/24 at 10:50 am to Turnblad85
quote:
Last time I looked into spanish cedar for an outdoor project I was warned that a lot of what I'd find isn't wild-grown from South America but grown on African tree plantations.
Thanks for the heads-up. With the cost of hardwoods today, I'd hate to pay top dollar for an inferior product, and fast-growing plantation trees make for an inferior product.
I still use cypress, but only for indoor furniture and projects. Kept out the weather and in climate controlled environments, it remains stable.
I once built several pieces of outdoor furniture out of cypress and many of them wound up with rot issues when exposed to the weather on open patios. The only piece I still have that is still very solid is a 4 ft. porch swing I built over 20 years ago, but unless it's a sideways driving rain, it never gets wet.
Posted on 12/22/24 at 10:59 am to gumbo2176
quote:
pay top dollar for an inferior product,
First I heard inferior SM was about an ornate antebellum style deck that rotted out within 10 years. Think it was like $30k of work and that was several years ago and probably $50k now. Not sure if if there was any recourse for the doctor that owned the house but I'm sure it sucked for most everyone.
Posted on 12/22/24 at 11:30 am to Turnblad85
quote:
First I heard inferior SM was about an ornate antebellum style deck that rotted out within 10 years. Think it was like $30k of work and that was several years ago and probably $50k now. Not sure if if there was any recourse for the doctor that owned the house but I'm sure it sucked for most everyone.
As a person who has built many projects for customers, I'd be sick if that was one of the jobs I did and that happened to a client. Only 10 years out of a $30K deck is unacceptable. Reputable contractors stand behind their work, but I don't know of a single one that does so for over a year or so at most.
Then going after the lumber supplier is not going to get any results with all the loopholes they can cite if it even got that far------lack of proper maintenance, not installed properly, etc.
Sucks for the homeowner though.
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