What we have found over the years is that every door or window in a house typically measures differently even if they are suppose to be the same. While you can buy stock sized doors and shutters and build new jamb frames around them for the right fit, there is a substantial difference in a “made to fit” and a “make it fit” scenario if your jamb is already finished out to size. In the “make it fit” application the shutter or door’s outer frame, the rails and stiles, are cut down which can skew the frame dimensions out of proportion. There can also be a loss of joint strength when top and bottom rails are trimmed. In most cases customers are remodeling or fitting openings that have already been finish framed and really do need a made to measure or “made to fit” product and this is why:

What you think you won’t notice usually does pop out like a sore thumb if it is not proportioned right. There are good ratios to size combinations that just look more comfortable then others and this is one of our goals in making each order. My company looks at these ratios in the preliminary stages rather then just loading widths and heights and cutting wood and then trimming the door or shutter down to size disregarding symmetry and balance.

With quick sketches produced by the help of Computer Aided Drafting, simply known as CAD, we as well as the customer are able to see what the end result will be before we even cut any wood. Knowing room locations and usages we are then able to scale in proportions through the varying widths and heights of each opening. This way there is a perfect frame fit both visually and structurally from opening to opening, room to room, that is pleasing to the eye. It’s the difference in buying a true millhouse wood product like ours vs. the production line cookie cutout.

We made these Plantation Shutters out of White Oak and they were installed inside the lounges of a cruise ship that is currently under construction in the Mediterranean. The louvers are tapered and include our signature brass eyelet, tilt bar to louver, linkage.

Did you know? When reviewing line sketches that are supplied by manufactures make sure that they are actual take offs from your measurements. Many drawings are only line sketches showing strictly style types and are not meant to be an actual scaled drawing.

Note: If you do need scaled drawings from the manufacture do keep in mind that they may be billable.