Shutters


 

As you look around at the pictures around here, you'll notice the barren nature of the house (the same opening as is used in the Picket Fence story). When we built it, we had our choice of shutters or "cool wood accents" - builder's words. Well, after a few years, it became clear that we needed to liven it up. Thought we'd do it with some fine, real wood, custom made shutters on working hinges. They were only $350 per window and we only had 17 windows. Then we thought that artifical shutters would be better in the kinds of storms we have (none). So we went with fakes.

 

  The lay of the land before the fence and shutters. The first shutters will go on the windows in the narrow windows right in the middle of this picture. By the way, this pic was taken before the massively inept Village Garden Center built the boulder walkway and I built the picket fence. Land Lay

  Trial Shutters On a pretty day in July 2005, the test shutters complete - both a top and bottom one. I had to drill a hole into the walls and hammer these little plastic anchors through the shutter into the wall. To get them off, the plastic anchors must be cut. That assumes you can get a plastic anchor cutter between the wall and the shutter.

  Moving around to the windows on the front. I had to schlep the shutters up the ladder onto the porch roof. Then, not tumbling off into a heap on the boulder walkway, afix them next to the windows. In this view, you will note I afixed the left upper shutter by drilling and hammering from the window, thereby reducing the risk of halving myself on the Little Picket Fence should the ladder fallen from the side of the window. Porch Schleper

  Ensuring Perfection Here, I balance precariously between windows. Turns out that I had to remount Shutter #2 (from the right) as it was a bit too low. Perfection is a science and I am a scientist.

  Aligning another shutter. My assistant had a 900mm telephoto on this camera which is why I look so close. It was really about 78' up to this window - but I wasn't scared - I had my arm hooked through the ladder to keep from falling. Afixing

  Acsension Here's the drill (ha - get the pun!) - I shove the level in my pants, put the drill into my tool belt, put some plastic anchors for afixing in my shirt pocket, grab a predrilled shutter, and start my climb up to the window. When I get there, I fumble around for about five minutes trying to figure out how not to fall off.

  Then I move the shutter in place and level it. Then I realize the drill is on the wrong side for me to get it with my free hand. So I spend about two minutes trying to swap hands. Right as I get my hands swapped, the shutter slips. So I try to hold the shutter with my other hand first and level and drill with the other. Course then I find out I left the level on the top of the trim so I can't reach it anyway. Hand Swapping and Aligning

  Complete Finished - all the shutters tight and level. Makes the house different. The added protection afforded by the shutters will be well worth it when we get a storm that trys to attack the siding to the left or right of any of the windows with the shutters.

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