You might have shutters for a variety of reasons – privacy, light control, weather protection, or just because they look nice. Whether your shutters are functional, decorative, or both they will eventually need some form of repair. The term ‘window shutter’ includes both interior shutters, used on the inside of a house or building, and exterior shutters, used on the outside of a structure. Regardless of the type of shutter, below are some things that will affect the cost of getting your shutters repaired.
Since outdoor shutters are continuously exposed to the elements, they may be more difficult to repair. Sometimes it’s a matter of finding matching hardware or materials. Other times it’s due to greater damage caused by harsh weather. Outdoor shutters have a tendency to warp and become chipped or broken more often than indoor shutters.
You need to think about materials – the type of wood, metal, hardware, etc. Also whether that material is stained or painted a specific color to match your home. Non-standard colors are always more expensive to replace.
If you have storm shutters because you are in a violent storm prone area, you will have to worry about any electrical components they might have. If you have remote controlled operated shutters – these can have electrical components and those parts can increase the cost of your repair.
You might have to pay more for hard to access shutters – a good example is third story windows. The extra cost is because of the additional risk a repair technician will have to incur to reach them. If your shutter is situated in a complex window structure or is a custom design, it might be a bit more expensive to repair because your contractor will need to search for a match. Or one will have to be custom built for your design.
Simply replacing hardware is relatively inexpensive as long as it’s standard or easy to find. Some of things you may need to replace are rods, pins, catches, knobs, springs, etc. Fixing a loose frame or adding new hinges, while time consuming, can be less of an expense than you think.
If your shutters are in good shape – meaning no pieces are missing and they’re not broken in any way – you might only need to have them refurbished, which is often cheaper than a full repair. Refurbishing would entail fixing your existing shutter as well as refinishing it, painting or staining it so that all louvers match, replacing old hardware and the like. Refurbishing is a much less expensive way to make your shutters look brand new than it would be to replace them completely.
However, if you require shutter repair, it’s best to have all of the information you can find about your existing shutters so that the technicians can find the perfect solution to make your shutters look like new.
