Shutter BoysUpdated
The short answer: yes, if you’re staying for a few years and want a covering you won’t replace, with no cords and a full view when you want it. No, if price is the deciding factor: stock blinds cost a fraction as much, for any length of stay. Shutters are worth it for what they do, not because they pay for themselves.
| Feature | Shutters are probably worth it | Shutters probably aren’t |
|---|---|---|
| How long you’ll stay | Several years or more | A year or two |
| Who’s at home | Young children or pets near the windows: no cords | Nobody it matters for, and cordless blinds would do |
| What you want | Light, privacy and a clear view from one control | A fully dark room and nothing else |
| The window | Living rooms, bedrooms, offices, kitchens away from the sink | Inside a shower, or a window you never look at |
| The budget | You can spend more now to avoid replacing it | The lowest price today matters most |
What they cost
Ours are priced as a range you can see before you speak to anyone. A 36 × 48 in window in American poplar with flat moulding and 3½ in louvers is $320 – $400 in the US ($460 – $570 CAD in Canada), before tax and shipping. A whole house is the sum of its windows: twelve windows of that size come to $3,880 – $4,760 ($5,570 – $6,820 CAD). Smaller windows cost less and wide ones more; price ranges for every size and the designer price your own sizes exactly.
Fitting them yourself takes the installation bill out of that number. That’s the reason DIY shutters exist: the shutter is made to measure; the labour is yours.
Against stock blinds, honestly
The usual pitch is that shutters “pay for themselves” because blinds wear out. Against the cheapest option, the numbers don’t support that, and we’d rather show you. On October 22, 2026, The Home Depot listed a white cordless faux wood blind with 2 in slats, 37 in wide by 48 in long, at $39.07[4]. Home Depot Canada listed a cordless 2 in faux wood blind, 36 by 48 in, at $90.98 CAD[5]. Those are stock sizes off the shelf, not made to measure, but they cover the same window.
| Feature | Our shutters, US | Stock blinds, US | Our shutters, Canada | Stock blinds, Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up front | $3,880 – $4,760 | $468.84 | $5,570 – $6,820 CAD | $1,091.76 CAD |
| Per year over 3 years | $1,290 – $1,590 | $156.28 | $1,860 – $2,270 CAD | $363.92 CAD |
| Per year over 7 years | $550 – $680 | $66.98 | $800 – $970 CAD | $155.97 CAD |
| Per year over 12 years | $320 – $400 | $39.07 | $460 – $570 CAD | $90.98 CAD |
The blind columns assume one set lasts the whole time. Replace them twice and the US set has cost $1,406.52; three times, $1,875.36. That’s still well below the shutters. So if the question is only “which costs less?”, the answer is blinds, at every length of stay.
The comparison changes when you’d otherwise buy made-to-measure coverings, which cost more than stock sizes, or when what you’re paying for is what blinds can’t do: swing clear of the window, run without cords, and be repainted rather than thrown away[3]. That’s the honest case for shutters.
What you get for it
- Light and privacy in one control. Tilt for daylight with privacy, close for more, swing the panels open for the full view. With a divider rail, the top and bottom work separately.
- No cords. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission advises families to “Buy and install cordless window coverings”[1], and Canada has regulated corded window coverings since May 1, 2021[2]. Shutters have no cords at all.
- Nothing to replace. There’s no fabric to fade or fray and no lift mechanism to wear out. Wood can be sanded and repainted when you redecorate[3].
Room by room
| Feature | Worth it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Living room | Usually | The room you look at most. Panels swing clear for the view; louvers tilt for glare on a screen. |
| Bedrooms | Yes, with a caveat | Closed louvers dim the room but don’t black it out. Add a blackout layer if you need full dark. |
| Children’s rooms | Yes | No cords at all, which is the point for young children. |
| Home office | Yes | Tilt the louvers up to send light to the ceiling and off the screen. |
| Kitchen | Yes, away from the sink | Wipe-clean and nothing to tangle. Keep wood back from a window that takes splashes. |
| Bathroom | Yes, unless it’s in the shower | Run the fan so steam doesn’t sit behind closed louvers. No wood shutter belongs in shower spray. |
| Basement, garage, rental unit | Rarely | Spend less where nobody looks, or where you won’t live long. |
For a window in the shower, the answer today is vinyl. Wood vs vinyl Our aluminum interior shutters, coming in 2027, are made for bathrooms and humid rooms. Join the aluminum waitlist
Are they outdated?
Some shutters date: narrow louvers, heavy ornate frames, and a builder-grade white that doesn’t match the trim. The versions that don’t date are simpler: wider louvers (we make 2½, 3½ and 4½ in), flat or lightly routed moulding, hidden tilt so there’s no rod down the middle, and colours that match the room, including black. Because shutters are fixed to the window, they read as part of the house, more like trim than a curtain. Choosing a louver size
Do they add value to a home?
You’ll see percentages quoted online. We haven’t found a reliable study behind any of them, so we don’t repeat them. What’s true: shutters are fixed to the house, they usually stay when it’s sold, and buyers see them in every listing photo. Whether that adds value depends on your market, not on a formula.
Do they pay back on energy?
Don’t count on it. When Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory modelled window coverings for the US Department of Energy, it left louvered shutters out, citing “the current lack of reliable simulation models”[6]. We don’t claim an energy saving for ours, and we’d be wary of anyone who puts a figure on one. What the research measured
Doing it in stages: a worked example
Most people don’t shutter a whole house in one order, and you don’t have to. Here’s a three-bedroom house done in three orders, priced from our live list in the basic build (flat moulding, 3½ in louvers, white), before tax and shipping:
| Feature | Windows | US | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| First: living room | One 72 × 60 in and two 36 × 48 in | $1,450 – $1,790 | $2,080 – $2,560 CAD |
| Next: three bedrooms | Five 36 × 48 in | $1,620 – $1,980 | $2,320 – $2,840 CAD |
| Last: kitchen and bathroom | One 30 × 60 in and one 24 × 36 in | $490 – $620 | $710 – $880 CAD |
Order the later rooms in the same louver size and moulding as the first, and they’ll match. Spreading the orders out doesn’t change what each window costs; it changes when you pay. If a room is only ever seen by you, it can wait, or take blinds.
What to check in any shutter quote
- What it’s made of, all the way through. Solid wood, MDF, foam-filled or hollow plastic. What “faux wood” means
- What’s included. Measuring, fitting, frames, hinges and shipping can each be in the price or not.
- The build. Louver size, moulding, tilt rod or hidden tilt, and colour all change the price. Make sure two quotes are for the same thing.
- Who owns a measuring mistake. If you measure, a wrong size is usually yours to pay for.
- The warranty’s exclusions, not just its length. Water, sun and repainting are the usual ones.
How to get the most for the money
- Start with the rooms you use most, as in the example above, and spend less where nobody looks.
- Fit them yourself if you’re comfortable with a drill and a level. How to install
- Measure carefully. Shutters are made to the sizes you give, and a wrong measurement isn’t a defect. How to measure
- Price the build you want, not the brochure. White on flat moulding is the starting price; a stain, colour match or moulded frame adds to it. The designer shows each change.
When shutters aren’t worth it
- You’re moving within a year or two. Buy something cheap you won’t mind leaving.
- Price is the only thing that matters. Stock blinds win, as the table above shows.
- You need a pitch-black room and nothing else. A blackout roller blind does that for less. How dark shutters get
- The window is in a shower. No wood shutter belongs there; buy vinyl for that one, or wait for our aluminum line.
- You change your decor every year. Shutters are a long-term choice. (Wood can be repainted, but it’s a job.)
Common questions
Are plantation shutters outdated?
The heavy, narrow-louvered look of the 1990s can feel dated. Today’s versions lean on wider louvers, flat or simple moulding, hidden tilt and darker colours, and read as part of the architecture rather than a window treatment.
What are plantation shutters called now?
The same product goes by plantation shutters, California shutters (common in Canada), interior shutters and louvered shutters. Some sellers avoid the word plantation; the product is the same.
Do plantation shutters add value to a home?
We haven’t found a reliable study that measures it, and we’d be wary of any fixed percentage. Shutters are fixed to the house and usually stay when it’s sold, so buyers see them; what that’s worth depends on the market.
How long do plantation shutters last?
There’s no published lifespan study. Well-made wood shutters kept dry and indoors last as long as the paint is maintained, and wood can be repainted. Compare warranties to see how long each maker stands behind theirs.
Are shutters cheaper than blinds in the long run?
Not against stock blinds. On October 22, 2026 a cordless faux wood blind about 36 × 48 in was listed at $39.07 at The Home Depot in the US. You could replace a houseful of those several times for the price of shutters. Shutters are worth it for what they do, not because they save money.
Should I buy shutters for a house I’m about to sell?
Only if the listing photos need help and you’d buy them anyway. Nobody has measured what shutters add to a sale price, so treat them as something you buy to live with, not as an investment.
Sources
- Go cordless with window coverings to avoid risk of strangulation to infants and children (2021), US Consumer Product Safety Commission (government)
- Notice to stakeholders: new requirements for corded window coverings, Health Canada (regulation)
- Real vs vinyl shutters: which is best?, The Shutter Store (retailer’s own claim)
- Home Decorators Collection white cordless faux wood blinds, 2 in. slats, 37 in. W × 48 in. L (checked Oct. 22, 2026), The Home Depot (retailer’s own claim)
- Home Decorators Collection 2-inch faux wood blind, 36 in. W × 48 in. L (checked Oct. 22, 2026), The Home Depot Canada (retailer’s own claim)
- Energy savings from window attachments (October 2013), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, for the US Department of Energy (government)