How To Measure For Exterior Shutters - Yankee Shutter Company

Required Information

To order shutters, you will need to specify the width and the height, as well as your preference for cross rail placement.

Factors to consider

Ultimately, shutter size is a matter of personal preference. If your home is in a historic neighborhood, it may be best to size the shutters so that they have the aesthetic of functionality. If your home does not have a lot of room and you would simply like some color or contrast to add curb appeal, then a narrower shutter will accomplish that.

As you are measuring, be aware of obstructions such as downspouts, light fixtures, electrical panels, et cetera. If there is an obstruction near one window that requires a smaller shutter be used, it is best to use that same size shutter for all windows on your home rather than mixing sizes.

Shutter Height

Historically, functioning shutters would have closed into the window opening. To look the part, do not include the frame when measuring for shutter size. The shutters should measure the same height as the inside of the window frame, with the bottom of the shutter installed even with the top of the window sill.

If measuring for a door shutter, measure inside of the frame from the top of the threshold to the bottom of the top jamb.

For brick homes, you may opt to order a bit taller on the height of the shutters, as an exactly-sized shutter for the window framing may look small next to the brick window or door opening when viewed from a distance.

Shutter Width

Since functioning shutters would have completely covered the window when closed, the width of each shutter should be half of the width of the window opening.

Smaller shutter widths can help to prevent the appearance of the house from looking small or too cluttered.

On the house pictured here, a 15″ shutter would have been historically more correct, but it would have filled all of the space between the windows and corners. The narrower 12″ shutter offered the decorative contrast without overpowering the home.

While there was plenty of room on the windows over the front door and on the garage to go with wider shutters, the mixing of widths would have been more distracting than shutters that are historically inaccurate.