Adding motorized shutters home is a great way to add style from the inside, boost your curb appeal, increase property value, add even more convenience, increase safety, and even lower energy consumption. However, some homeowners are put off from motorized window shutters because they have to get the correct window measurements to install their shutters.
This shouldn’t be such a cause of worry, as measuring for motorized shutters isn’t as tough as it seems. The following are frequently asked questions and their answers to give you guidance on measuring for your new motorized shutters:
- Where Do I Start? – Your first step should be deciding if you’re getting inside mount or outside mount shutters, as this will determine how you measure. If your window has a recess that can fit a shutter frame, you can have an inside mount. If your windows have minimal depth or any kinds of obstructions like crank handles, you need an outside mount.
- What Do I Do About A Sill? – A protruding sill or ledge at the bottom of your window doesn’t change anything if you’re going with inside mount shutters. However, if you want outside mount shutters, you do need to add the width of the frame once to your height (as opposed to twice to your width) to get an accurate measurement.
- How Do I Handle Historic Windows? – A lot of historic windows have a colonial trim, making them hard to fit for a shutter. Hard, but not impossible. You can use an inside mount L-frame style shutter to fit your historic windows.
- How Do I Measure Oddly Shaped Windows? – There is a shutter for every window, even oddly shaped ones. If you have bay, bow, circular, or another kind of window shape, get measure the height and width, and then take a picture of the window to send to your shutter manufacturer.
- Can I Use a Laser Measure? – While new gadgets are cool, they are not always reliable. It’s a better idea stick with a standard measuring tape to measure your windows for your shutters. This is especially true because laser measures are not great for measuring small, confined areas like window openings. However, if you want to use your new laser, just double-check the results with a tape measure.
- What About Windows That Tilt For Cleaning? – If you have windows that tilt in for cleaning, you should go for an outside mount, as it will not block the window from tilting. However, if you really want the look of inside mount shutters, you can order them as panels only so you can still tilt the window as needed. Another option is to get an inside mount frame and ditch the tilt.
It will be easy to measure for your new motorized shutters if you follow the advice of McNeill Palm. You can stop by and visit us or give us a call to get any of your window shutter questions answered.