About a month ago, someone provided a list of tips on this site re: how to add curb appeal to an old house that had been on the market for much too long. Among other things - she suggested shutters. After adding this feature, window boxes, and lots of flowers, I suddenly got an offer, and FINALLY sold, " the cottage that no one seemed to notice or want."

Maybe it was just luck, but upon asking some of the neighbors what new features they thought had added the most appeal, they all said that (besides the flowers, of course) it was the high quality wooden shutters and the new front door I had installed - ( at a very high cost).

So, here is my question:

Since good quality louvered shutters are very expensive - and I plan to be using lots of them in the future - does anyone out there know of a good source to get them at a reasonable price? Many thanks!

PS I have been looking at vinyl, but was warned that, "although they are much cheaper than wooden, they occasionally crack and can even melt of shape on a southern exposure...."

Mark,there is nothing wrong with vinyl,they're reasonable and if one or two do go bad they can be replaced easily.If you don't like the colour,there are many choices in the spray can aisle....

Your experience reminds us of the importance of a fresh set of eyes looking at something, from a different perspective. When we see/do the same thing for a while, we stop noticing things that others may see/think of.

Congratulations on your willingness to apply a suggestion you received - I am glad you got good results.

Among my circle of associates who restore old houses up here in Olde Massachusetts, putting vinyl (vs wooden) shutters on an antique house would never "fly."

Besides their all too obvious lack of authenticity, vinyl shutters often bend or warp out of shape after being (sometimes improperly) attached to the irregular surfaces on many very old and charming houses.

I also agree vinyl shutters. For the price they make a huge difference.

Dont think the high maintenance wooden ones add any more curb appeal. I think the difference is just adding any shutters.

We have used the ones from local supplier where we get our vinyl siding and windows. And from the box stores. Both had a lifetime warranty.

save receipt. A few times have had them fade real bad after 10 years. Was easy and no hassle to get them to send complete sets to replace at no charge.

Only thing to mention. Older virgin vinyl ones could also be painted. Most now are recycled plastic which does not hold paint well.

If you are selling, how much difference does it make that vinyl shutters won't last as many years?

If you have even slight building talent, barn style shutters will look just as good on most houses. They are much cheaper, and a heck of a lot easier to paint and maintain. Painting louvers is a real pain.

The shutters probably added curb appeal - looks. But I think new vinyl would have done the same. If you are selling, who cares if they don't last, if you are keeping, who wants to maintain and paint shutters?

I'm betting the vinyl will work well for getting a house sold. Another thing that makes a big difference, but is very inexpensive is to use more paint colors, just a shade or two down the color swatch.

For instance, I have a house with tan vinyl siding, and it had faded shutters a sad blue, so two colors, both fairly faded tones.

I painted the shutters, front door, and side door a slightly carribean/peacock blue, and the brick moulding around the windows and doors one or two shades lighter off of the same carribean/peacock blue color swatch. Just that subtle difference in darker/lighter blue really made the house a stand-out. Now the tan doesn't look faded and sad either. Yet, I didn't go nuts with all kinds of colors, just added high-lights, only cost two quarts of paint.

Since most sellers of VINYL shutters offer them in only a half dozen or so colors, how does one property prime and paint them to get the colors one wants?

Larry,

Check Mid America Co.

Mark,

Unless you are restoring for historic authenticity it’s the LOOK from the curb that makes the difference.

Wifey likes shutters sonwe ALWAYS put them up. In neighborhoods where houses are very similar ours look nicer than the others with shutters.

We have plastic shutters that have been up for 40 years and still look fine. We buy them at Lowe’s.

The prices have come down enough that on a recent project it was cheaper to replace the shutters than to repaint them.

Larry, I guess I didn't know vinyl shouldn't be painted. I just took the old ones off, scrubbed them up a bit, primed and painted.

And they had previously been painted that sad blue ( I think they were green originally.)

Very informative postings!