Home made wooden storm shutters....

[Frank P]

I just complete building storm shutters for my house on the beach in Biloxi... they are made out of 5/4 in. by 5 1/2 inch treated decking boards... here are a few pixs of one of the shutters on my second floor of my house... this was a small one about 19 inches by 55 inches each side... I built a total of 30 shutters.... some as large as 22 inches by 75 inches... they had 5 hinges holding them up..

open shutter


closed shutter


hinge


tie down

[jes]

The shutters look great. You are so lucky ---- think how easy it will be to get ready for the next storm. She shutters really do look attractive.

[Frank P]

thanks jes, its as I almost want some kind of TC to come just so I can get a chance to close them, something weak of course.....

but the bottom line for me.... NO MORE PLYWOOD

they were pretty easy to make and hang if you got all the tools... they cost me about $125.00 per window... that includes all the wood, four coats of paint, all seams caulked with paintable silicon caulking, stainless steel screws and shutter hardware (hinges and tie downs)...

[CajunMama]

Nice!!!!!!!!!

[baygirl_1]

Frank,
Is your house wood frame? Or is that siding? We're trying to figure out if we have any other option than those very expensive hurricane shutters you have to order to fit. Our house is vinyl siding and the windows are flush-- no recess to use plywood and the plylox clips (as my sis and some friends can do at their homes, lucky ducks!). I was just wondering because, based on the pictures, it looks like your house could be siding. If so, did you add the wide window frames?

[Frank P]

yes baygirl that's exactly what I did

I completely remodel the exterior of my house using Aloca Grand Sierra vinyl siding... rated for 190 mph winds... however, I knew I was going to make storm shutters for my windows (I live on the beach in Biloxi MS and was fed up with installing plywood on 15 windows) so I framed all my windows (which were all replaced with insulated vinyl types) with a full 1 1/2 inch by 5 inch number 2 treated pine board... I did this so I would have a good solid surface to attach the storm shutters... all my windows and doors are framed with this size treated wood and painted.... everything else on my house is vinyl with the exception of metal facias..... to install heavy storm shutters you must have something to secure the shutters to, some of my larger shutters weigh in excess of 85 pounds (those that are 22 inches by 76 inches and a full one inch thick with three battens) as soon as I get a pix of these I'll post...

If you could send me a pix I might be able to come up with some suggestions for you...

Good Luck
Frank P

[baygirl_1]

Frank,
Thanks very much for the info. We may try something like that. Unfortunately, no digital pics because we are probably the only family in the 21st century without a digital camera! It's on my wish list. We're probably 10-15 miles inland in West Mobile, so we're trying to decide what is most feasible for us. A friend of my mother's got shutters on just the back windows of her house and it cost over $900. That's a lot of money when you translate that to an entire house--- hello home equity loan!! Decisions, decisions...

Thanks, again, for the info.

[Frank P]

actually you don't need a digital camera to get digital pixs... just take pixs with a normal camera and have wal-mart develop them on a disk (CD) for you ... only costs about 4 or 5 bucks... then you can download on your computer and wha-la... digitial pixs.... thats what I do... I use my 35 mm Nikon and just get them produced on a CD... BTW, I have a brother that lives in west Mobile... and that's where my Dad used to live also... good luck with the shutters.... I hate to think what it would have cost me if I had to pay someone to build and install them for me.... and I did a plethora of research before I came to my final design for my shuttesr..

FP

[EDR1222]

Those look good! Definately can save alot of time when a hurricane approaches.

[KeyLargoDave]

Frank -- Man, are those sweet! I've been wanting to do this for years with my house, but the main thing holding me back -- the hinges. What did you use and where did you get them, and what fasteners did you use to attach them to the shutters and the house?

Last time I was in New Orleans I noticed all the shutters had interesting hook-and-eye type hinges, but I've never seen the same thing in a hardware store in Florida, except maybe huge galvanized gate hinges, which are really too large and are meant to fasten to a fence post, perpendicular to the closed fence gate.

[Frank P]

Dave, the key is finding affordable hinges... and I found a little hardware store in Bay St. Louis MS that sells them for about $13.00 a set of four... the name of the hardware store is Hubbards.... they are located at 615 Nicholson Ave, Bay St Louis MS... phone number 228-467-4494, you can get them mail ordered to you if you have a credit card... if might just be worth your while to give them a call and get a box... they are galvanized but I still put a couple of coats of metal primer on them prior to the four coats of paint... first I bought one box to experiement to make sure they would work on my house, then I bought a case for about $335.00 (24 boxes, I have two pair left...

to fasten the hinges to the shutter I used 1 inch stainless steel screws, to fasten the hinges to the frame of my window on my house I used galvanized 1 and 5/8 inch metal to wood roofing screws.. the kind that is used to secure metal roofing to wood, it has a small black washer at the 1/4 inch bolt head, they are expensive but easy to install and remove.... the hinges come with screws but I would not recommend them as they are zinc coated...

[KeyLargoDave]

Frank, thanks for the detailed information. I just might get those to try -- the hinges are the key to the whole thing. I really appreciate you including the contact information.

I have a masonry house. I've thought of first framing around the windows with the same type of boards you used for the shutters, or attaching hinges directly to the masonry with long tapcon screws.

If I understand you right, for the hinge-to-frame fastener, you used galvanized hex-hed neoprene washer screws -- I have a metal roof and those are the screws used to fasten it down. Unlike a wood screw, the entire shaft is threaded.

One other thing I was wondering was whether the closed shutters fit entirely inside the framing you put around the window, or if they overlap (sit on top of it).

I'm going to print this thread -- it's the best shutter job I've seen. If there's anyway you can post a slightly larger detail photo, please do, the two little pictures are just a little too tiny.

Man, that must be some house. "On the beach in Biloxi" sounds so cool, and I've never even been there.

[Frank P]

Dave, send me your email address and I'll send you some larger pictures... I am also getting some more digital pixs this weekend. I also have some pictures from another person who built some similar shutters and I can send those to you to get a different perspective... he had a stucco house and his fits into his window.. we have been trading pixs since he saw my shutter info posted on another board... His shutters looks stained an has 1 in gaps between the boards... my were clamped tight to have no gaps, but his are nice too...

I did use the hex head screws and the shaft is entirely threaded... they were pretty stout and easy to install... I love em... and easy to remove too

My shutters overlap my window frame... if you notice on the pixs the window frame is 5 inches in wide... all my shutters overlap the frame by 2 inches and sit snug on the frame itself .. I did not have enought depth on my window to have them fit inside... but they still work great and I think they are more protective having them sit on the window frames... my opinion only... however, I do believe they would look more classical if they were to fit inside the window from...

Dave let me know if you have any other questions, you can email me at fjpell2@bellsouth.net


Frank P

[Persepone]

I read Frank's post before running and errand and I looked more closely at some of the old houses (100+ years) around here that still have their working storm shutters. The ones that are solid boards (like Frank's) tend to OVERLAP the windows--not fit inside the frames. And, like Frank's, they have wide window frames.

The storm shutters that fit inside window frames seem to be generally for relatively small windows. They may be solid shutters or louvered shutters--but they are generally narrowish.

This is not scientific--based on driving around and looking at the shutters.

[Frank P]

Hey that's interesting.. I was trying to get that period look... but I wanted some beefy shutters too, I wanted functionality more that aesthetics.... but I think I got both...

btw, what city do you live in Persepone?

[KeyLargoDave]

Thanks for the added information . I see now that the shutters do overlap the frame; that makes more sense from a protection standpoint.

[Aquawind]

Those are some nice shutters Frank!
Unfortunately I would still be a storm casualty as most likely the the circular saw would end up cutting my jugular with my building skills.

Paul

[Frank P]

funny Aquawind and I know exactly what you mean....

thanks.....

[Persepone]

Frank, I'm on Cape Cod in Massachusetts...

We've got some really old houses here and I've seen a buch of shutters like yours in various cities/towns.... Saw some Friday in Chatham/Harwich area which triggered the posting...

My daughter's house is in New Hampshire. Her shutters are different (house built early 1800s--neighbor's house late 1700s... But have some similarities actually (although her outside shutter do fit inside window frames, her inside shutters are overlapping). But up there, too, I've seen shutters like yours.

[Frank P]

here is a pix with all the shutters installed on my house... house is on the front beach in Biloxi on Hwy 90 (vinyl siding)..... you can see the reflection of the sand beach and GOM if you look carefully at the front windows on the right of the house.... . now I'm just waiting for a chance to use them... I've been working on this house for 25 years... and I don't think I'll ever finish... but the shutters are complete...