Pittsburgh Window Shutters

Pennsylvania and shutters go back a long way. Whether they are plain (like those found on many central PA houses) or ornate, interior or exterior, shutters just look right on a Pennsylvania home. If you're looking to build a new home or remodel an old one, shutters provide an interesting and classic look, and in some cases, they can provide much more.

Interior Pittsburgh Window Shutters
As a window covering, interior shutters can do everything that blinds, curtains, or shades can do, all the while creating a unique and desirable look that you can't get with anything else. Today, like their predecessors, interior shutters are most often made of wood. They can of course be painted, but many feel that a truly beautiful set of indoor shutters should be stained and sealed, leaving the natural grain of the wood to shine through.

In Pittsburgh, interior window shutters are a particularly good choice because, in addition to looking good, they provide a certain amount of insulation from the cold. By creating a formidable barrier between the window and the rest of the house, interior shutters create a buffer zone of air that inhibits heat transfer. Since they are wood, they can also do a pretty good job of blocking drafts, as well. This quality of indoor shutters will also work to your advantage during the summer by keeping heat from entering and, if you're running an air conditioner, slowing the escape of cool air, as well.

Along with their insulate qualities, interior shutters also block light when you want dark, let light in when you want sunshine, and provide privacy when it is wanted. When fully opened, they allow for a lot of ventilation and are great when you want to let some fresh air come into the house, or when you want to get the stuffy air out.

Exterior Window Shutters in Pittsburgh
In places like Florida and Louisiana where storms with high winds are a threat, exterior shutters are definitely made for function rather than form. They are built to protect the glass they cover from flying debris and, while some still look pretty good, it is much more important for them to be strong than it is for them to be attractive.

In Pittsburgh, window shutters on the outside of a house don't always close. They are installed for looks and are not meant to serve any practical purpose other than making your home look good. There are certainly functioning shutters on some homes in southwestern PA, but the need isn't there for them to be built tough. While this might be taken as bad news, the upside is that exterior shutters in Pittsburgh have the luxury of looking incredibly ornate without the worry of whether or not they can block a flying piece of whatever the wind decides to pick up.

Prices of Pittsburgh Window Shutters
If you want to accent the look of your home with some exterior window shutters, Pittsburgh installation prices should be in the area of $1,200 or so, and the job shouldn't take more than a day or two to complete. To install some interior shutters, prices are slightly higher and average about $2,100. Installation is also a bit longer and can take over a week. Security and storm shutters, though rarely installed for residential use in the Pittsburgh area, come in at slightly less than $3,000.