Does your House have Shutters?
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382068)
Rockingham, Australia
November 5, 2015 9:38am CST
Shutters are virtually unknown in Australia. I loved the wide window-sills and the wooden shutters which we saw throughout our travels on the continent. Perhaps no-one else really notices them but because they are foreign to us we were forever remarking on them. When the days were so long, the wooden shutters in our son's house did a great job of keeping the room dark when we wanted to sleep.
Many of the houses are built right on the edge of the road so you step out your front door virtually onto the street. This made it easy to take photos of the some of the door handles and shutter catches. I particularly liked this one of a little lady complete with bonnet. So does your house have shutters and do you have nifty little catches to keep them open or shut?
16 people like this
19 responses
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
5 Nov 15
In my part of California, only a few houses have shutters. They are only used for decorative elements and do not close. In other parts of the country, they are valuable protection against the elements.
3 people like this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
6 Nov 15
We don't have them on the home. Many shops have the electronic steel roller shutters which look horrible and create a terrible air of mistrust and urban crime
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
6 Nov 15
@JudyEv This is very old, but effective technology.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
12 Nov 15
Shutters on windows are rare these days and really belong to an earlier age. I suspect that some are still in use, but they will certainly not be a common sight.
The only time that I ever see these is in the Westerns shown on television which are used to stop arrows when the Indians attack.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382068)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Nov 15
We saw a lot throughout our touring but mostly on older houses. Our son's old farmhouse has them and they are functional.
@allknowing (153530)
• India
6 Nov 15
Our ancestral home had shutters but our house which I have designed has louvre glass windows with venetian blinds that play the role of shutters.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (153530)
• India
6 Nov 15
@JudyEv Yes. They are hard to clean but we get assistance here
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382068)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Nov 15
We used to have louvres years ago. Venetian blinds can be hard to clean, can't they?
@LadyDuck (502438)
• Italy
6 Nov 15
Wooden shutters with the little catches to keep them open or shut, still exists in very old houses, let say at least 60 years old. All our houses have shutters, but the modern houses have roller shutters, most of the time with an electric mechanism to close and open them. Some even have a sensor to shut down as soon as outside it is dark.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
5 Nov 15
Our home only needed shutters on the two garage windows in the front of the house - they called for shutters, so we put them on. This is the first house we've owned that didn't have shutters on all the front facing windows.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
5 Nov 15
@JudyEv Some areas in the US need those electric ones. Ours are ornamental.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382068)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Nov 15
@AbbyGreenhill Our friends have the electric ones on all the doors and windows. They've been broken into twice so are a bit paranoid about security - as they might well be.
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
7 Nov 15
totally don't have them, would be nice though, kinda wish we did
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
7 Nov 15
@JudyEv good point, didnt think of upkeep
1 person likes this
@marguicha (230350)
• Chile
7 Nov 15
Very old houses used to have shutters. They don´t anymore. There is a new concept of architecture with lots of light. The shutters were used then to keep excesive heat or cold out. Now that is done with double or triple panel glasses.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382068)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Nov 15
We rarely use double glazing in Australia as there are few places that get cold enough to need it.
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
6 Nov 15
I have shutters but they are totally decorative and don't open and close. They are very common here in the U.S.
1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
6 Nov 15
Yes we do...on some of the older houses, and some very ornate front doors carved in wood... very nice...
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (91086)
• United States
5 Nov 15
I like shutters but my house doesn't have any
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382068)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Nov 15
In all honesty, if you didn't need them they'd just be another thing to maintain. But they look nice.
@jillybean1222 (6406)
•
10 Nov 15
there are some decorative shutters on the outside of my living room, but they don't actually "shut"
1 person likes this
@vickyrose (2236)
• Cooma, Australia
6 Nov 15
I'm afraid that the windows in my flat are the standard Aussie ones. I'd like wide window sills. The shutters are getting trendy though but are pricey. Great to see you here, Judy.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382068)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Nov 15
I would love wide window sills so I could display my ornaments. Of course, opening and closing shutters would be difficult if the sill is cluttered up with 'stuff'. Good to see your name too :)
@JudyEv (382068)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Nov 15
I can imagine that shutters would be a big help in keeping the house cool. I always pull my curtains closed on hot days.
@JudyEv (382068)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Nov 15
If they're not needed, they'd just be another thing that needed painting regularly.
@JudyEv (382068)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Nov 15
I guess they were invented for a specific purpose like keeping out the light or strong winds or whatever.
@Sheilamarie78 (2586)
• Canada
5 Nov 15
We don't have shutters, but they'd have no purpose here. We enjoy the views from our house.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21845)
• Canada
5 Nov 15
We don't have shutters and I've never lived in a house that had them. (we moved around a lot when younger). I think it would be great to have them to keep the place dark but we have blinds on most of the windows for privacy they can be open or closed.
1 person likes this
