"mm" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 20:16:49 -0800, "Eigenvector"
wrote:

Right now my windows have those premade slatted window shutters that nail
on
to the siding. I hate the ones that are on there right now, they aren't
proportional to the window size and attract wasp nests like magnets.

Why will real shutters attact fewer wasps?

Yes I believe so. The slatted style gives those buggers a place to crawl
into to hide behind. With fence style shutters the wasps would only have
the sides to get into and making a nest would be a little less obvious. Of
course I could be fooling myself here, after all I get wasp nests in my
mailbox (*******s).


I don't really like the phony ones either, especially as you say, when
they aren't wide enough to shutter anything. But I try to ignore all
that and consider them decorative. It's something like the gold braid
on one shoulder of fancy uniforms: It once had a function.

So I'm looking at replacing them with functional (not that I'd actually
use
them mind you - unless there are legitimate reasons to do so) cedar
shutters.

So here is my question, my windows are 72" wide, 48" tall, which means the
shutters would have to be ~35"x50" each. If I had those on the side of my

About 37 inches wide.

house, attached using hinges and eye hooks would they look way out of
proportion to the rest of the house or am I too used to seeing the skinny
premades already on? Another question, assuming I want to actually use
them

This is the kind of question I've been known to ask, if not here,
friends. Something like, Would I be happy if I married that girl?

And you don't include a picture of your house. I'll say this, if like
someone I know, you have a series of 72" windows with 6 inches between
them, you won't like the look of shutters.

( we get high winds here in Seattle where I live ) what would be the
appropriate way to secure the hinges to the window frame? I'm envisioning
using long screws into the window framing but is that necessary or are
there

I don't think they go into the window frrames. I think you should
find some real shutters and look at them.

We had real shutter until I was ten. I don't remember remembering
details from then, but I've to others and I've seen the shutters
attached to the mortar on the face of the brick house.

Knock on the door and ask the owners if you can measure the windows,
the shutters. There may be a good reason not to, but if not, thye'll
probably say yes.

better ways? The siding frame around the windows is basically cedar
strips - nothing structural.

Basically my design that I have in my head is 9 or 10 1x4 cedar planks
secured to 2 1x3 cedar arms, with hinges on each arm. Nice
straightforward

You keep saying hinges. I've only seen heavy duty eyes and hooks for
hinges.

How would the shutter swing shut? They would have hooks on the ends to
attach them to the siding and each other, but wouldn't a hinge be necessary
to open and close them?


Of course, your style of shutter has to go with your style of house.

simple design. An eyehook on the last plank would secure the shutter to
the
siding or each other when closed.