by Colette Georgii

Created on: June 09, 2008   Last Updated: March 05, 2009

You will probably come up with a myriad of questions once you decide on installing exterior window shutters. Typical questions would be about style - what is the best style for your specific landscape, community, and architecture? Should you choose wooden shutters and if you do, what type wood is best? Should you measure for your shutters and how do you do this? How can you prolong the life of your shutters once installed? Where is the best place to buy your shutters?

Here are a few excellent tips to help you answer your shutter questions and choose the best exterior shutters for your home:

1) SHUTTER STYLES

Exterior shutters come in a variety of styles. It is important to know which style will be best for your climate and location; and what type and style will best suit your architecture.

If your home is a home with many windows or a mansion and you also live in a stormy winter region you may want to choose the Louvered Shutter. This shutter is good for protecting your home from wind, snow, and hail. It is most often used for the Northeast Colonial home, but however is also used in second level Southern homes. This shutter is usually made of pine or vinyl.

If your home is fashioned in the older Colonial look of the 1800s, the Board and Batten shutter is an excellent choice, giving both shade and protection from heat and humidity.

Victorian, Gothic, Queen Anne, and Tudor style architecture call for Raised Panel Shutters - a shutter that grew out of old European Royalty. The raised panel shutter offers more security than the louvered shutter, providing both protection and privacy. They are often installed on the first floor, with louvered shutters on the second floor.

The combination of two louvered panels and two raised panels are traditionally used on the Brownstone, townhouse, or row home.

If you live in a tropical, coastal, or desert region, the Caribbean styled Bahama or Bermuda shutter is your best bet. This shutter offers cool breezes, diffused light, privacy, comfort, and sun protection for your indoor furniture and furnishings. It is made of wood, fiberglass, or aluminum.

Bahama shutters work best on tall, slender buildings. Bahama shutters swing up and away from the building and are suspended with top exterior hinges. They can be quickly closed for thunderstorms and hurricanes and can protect against strong wind gusts and heavy rain.

Another shutter good for high storm areas is the Rolling Hurricane Shutter, also called the Accordian Hurricane Shutter. It is

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