Friday, September 26, 2014

Plantation Shutters- 21 Year puzzle Solved

The picture window in the foyer was like an annoying splinter under the skin.
It wasn't a big issue except in the summer.


I tried various things over the years to solve the problem of the big window at the front of the house. Morning sun poured into it, heating up the house during the brutal Texas summers. It always felt like the air conditioner spent the rest of the day cooling the house back down. 


I thought new air conditioning units would fix the problem. 
It helped but it didn't entirely cool during July and August. 
Our energy bill was outrageous during those two months.
The looming expense of trying to cover the huge window was always hanging over my head. This window is actually three smaller windows with an eyebrow at the top.


In our early years in the house we had no money to cover this window and I only needed the covering in the summer.
I love the Mrs. Kravitz like view from this window but I would literally wake up thinking about the problem on hot July mornings. A curtain wouldn't work because I wouldn't be able to get 20 feet high to open a drape. I thought about one of those remote control shades but I figured it would cost a fortune. We priced venetian blinds at Home Depot and Lowes but they had nothing this big. The adjustments were also at the top. During one particularly brutal summer I took a king size sheet and nailed it across the cat walk upstairs to keep the heat out of the game room.



 I actually thought that this was an unsolvable solution and that we would have to live with it. A friend of ours was laid off after many years with a well known company. He decided that he wanted to be self employed and bought a Budget Blinds territory. Mark asked us if we needed blinds. I said the only place that drove me nuts was the big picture window. We talked about a battery operated blind but the battery pack is... at the top. There is no way we are climbing up on a ladder to change a battery. He asked me what I thought of a plantation shutter. I can open the shutters by climbing on an 8 ft. ladder and grabbing the bottom of them. 
After I Googled images of plantation shutters in atrium picture windows, I felt confident it would look good. 
He came over to measure. I was able to pick out the molding and the color.
After a long trip over from China, they are here and installed.



He rented a huge ladder from Home Depot. It was two sided so he and my husband could lift the frame into place. I don't like heights so I was trying not to pay attention but the frame just snapped together and went in with a few screws.


I love that they have molding around the outside.
The window is framed and looks finished.
I'm enjoying it closed for now because I waited 21 years for this. 



Bill is thrilled because he said now he can run naked (neked in Texan) across the catwalk. 
Why, I don't know.



I wasn't compensated for this post by Budget Blinds however we were given the blinds at a little above cost. 



I will recommend the company. 
It wasn't a quick process because this is a custom item coming from China but it was worth the wait.
It wasn't an inexpensive solution either. We have that silly eyebrow and the window is so large. We talked about doing the whole front of the house but we won't for now. 
Three out of the four remaining windows have an eyebrow. It would cost a small fortune. 



I hope this will help keep our heating and cooling bills down a little. In the long run we should see some savings. I'll let you know if we do. 
Google Budget Blinds for a dealer near you. 
Have a fabulous Friday!
Katie   
Linking with,
From My Front Porch to Yours


6 comments :

  1. They look beautiful Katie! And your house is amazing! I'm glad you found a solution.
    Have a great weekend!
    Sherry
    xoxo

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  2. It looks so good! Like it was always meant to be there! I'm sure that will help with the heat and sunlight a lot! Way to go Katie!

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  3. it looks super great. I am sure you won;t regret spending money on the shutters....

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  4. Wonderful solution! We have plantation shutters on many of our windows and we love them~

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  5. That looks wonderful! We had plantation shutters across the front of our last house. I loved them so much!! That is such a timeless look and they are easier to clean than anything.

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  6. Ugh. This is my second attempt to leave a comment (ongoing blogger issue for me)

    I love the way your plantation shutters look, Katie! We've installed them on the bottom half of most of our double hung windows for the privacy they provide. We live on the main street of our town, so privacy is a must! I hope you see some savings on your utility bills and have fun running around neked!

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