Many years before blinds and curtains have been invented, shutters were used by many homeowners. Records show that they were initially used in Greece in the 1400s as a way to cover windows and to protect the interior of the houses from sun, rain and wind. Today, shutters are available in numerous variations including wooden shutters, marble shutters and plantation shutters; and are used by many people all over the globe.
Plantation shutters are probably the most commonly used type of shutters today. They are basically wooden shutters that have broad louvers and are mounted on a solid frame. The term plantation shutters came about back when shutters were introduced to the US. Back then, most of Southern America was still being colonized by Spaniards, and shutters were widely used by the mansions that were near the cotton and sugar plantations.
Plantation shutters are similar to the way blinds, curtains and other window coverings function. They can protect homes from different weather conditions brought about by rain and wind. They can also be used to regulate the amount of sunlight coming inside as well as to control the temperature and ventilation. They can also add more privacy to certain areas of the house and add style to the façade of a structure. Because of the many benefits that they offer, a lot of homeowners are choosing to use them.
If you are interested in getting some for your home, there are a number of different plantation shutter types you could purchase. This would include interior plantation shutters, faux wood plantation shutters, café-style plantation shutters; tier on tier plantation shutters and full height shutters. Because you generally have plenty of choices which have their own unique features, you would have an easy time picking those which would fit the style of your home. For those who are on a budget, there are also a lot of discount plantation shutters which are offered by many retail shops.
Today, shutters are mainly used for their decorative value. Even though many homeowners prefer using glass for windows, there are a lot of instances when plantation shutters are still considered to be the better choice like for protecting homes from extreme weather forces like tornadoes and hurricanes and from corrosion and seawater.
As for the cost of plantation shutters, plantation shutter pricing really ranges all over the map. Hardwood shutters that are stained to match your interior are going to be on the high end of the spectrum and will cost about $500-$700 or more for a 3 ft X 3.5 ft shutter. On the low end of the scale, you can get polyvinyl plantation shutters or composite wood shutters in the same size and they might be in the $175 to $300 range. The best approach is to take the exact measurements of your window frames in advance so that you can compare different plantation shutters cost between multiple vendors.
A great place to start comparing prices if you are looking for these different varieties of plantation shutters, is to search online. Over the past few years a number of businessess have exclusively begun selling shutters online and can really help save you money. Of course buying local in your own community is always a good idea also and there are plenty of home furnishing stores and speciality retailers in most towns that sell various models that could instantly add beauty and function to your home.