Working house shutters

quote:

---

Used Spanish cedar,

---

That would be my wood of choice also. Can't trust new growth cypress or treated as it will almost always twist and warp, especially when it is in direct sunlight.

quote:

---

I’d recommend using at least 5/4 for stability.

---

Again, great advice. Wood 3/4" is less stable.

Where are you getting the hardware?

I’m pretty sure I got some for mounting in brick at the hardware store by the Perkins road overpass. It was years ago. New Orleans style, I believe.

I have a house that was made for functioning shutters and this is how they work if you are inside the house.

There's a large dual sash window 36" x 60" of single paned glass in a heavy duty wood frame. The window screen is only a half screen that can be moved up or down and it located inside the house and is held in place by metal spring-like tracks that ride on the wood window trim.

To access the shutters I first have to unlock the window in he middle of the upper and lower sashes, raise the screen to access the lifting point of the bottom window to open it. Once opened, I can reach outside to either unlock the shutters to open them or reach around to the sides of the window to pull them shut.

The shutters are held closed with a heavy duty flat slip latch and by 2 hooks that hold them in place to the window sill

When they are opened, the hinges are made in such a way that they will remain open due to how the shutter slightly raise as they go over a point in the hinge and settle back down to basically keep them open with no mechanical means to secure them to the house. Basically held in place by friction.

quote:

---

When they are opened, the hinges are made in such a way that they will remain open due to how the shutter slightly raise as they go over a point in the hinge and settle back down to basically keep them open with no mechanical means to secure them to the house. Basically held in place by friction.

---

Sounds like an Acme hinge, which will mount into a mortise along the edge of your 5/4 exterior window casing. Great design, but unless there are framing mods, you won’t likely be able to use them on more newly constructed homes.



The newer homes that are brick, or have aluminum or vinyl windows would likely have to use some type of face mounted strap hinge with an offset to account for the recess (brick) or the window standing proud of the casing (aluminum/vinyl), and would need to be held open with shutter holders/dogs.

I have wood windows, inset into a brick opening. I built some wood windows out of 1x4 lumber and they weigh about 40 lbs. I’m a little nervous about mounting them to working hinges affixed to the wood frame. Will it be strong enough?

The shutters I’m replacing were non-functional.

Maybe I’m not looking in the right place, but I cant find hinges that seem to be made for that application. Are you thinking of the face of the brick or or the inside edge?

search hardware solutions out of houma and look at the #103 hinge and #104 holdback

I’d look into getting some tabbed out of aluminum. Can powder coat. Light and don’t have to worry about warps or rot.