How Window Shutters Can Add Value to Your Home

When thinking about increasing the value of their property, many consider loft conversions, kitchen refurbishments or painting the house. One of the most underestimated but most effective ways to enhance the value of your home and make it more appealing is the use of window shutters.

Having been working for years with our clients at Jasper & Finch, we saw how a set of beautifully designed shutters changed the life of our customers and increased the value of their houses. This article will tell you all you need to know about the matter.

Shutters Are Fixed into Window Frames, Not a Movable Part of the House. One of the most important things to understand here is the difference between shutters, curtains or blinds. While moving house, shutters remain fixed into the window frames, becoming a part of the house and not an object to be removed, like any curtain or blinds would be. This makes shutters a valuable advantage of your home since a potential buyer sees them as a fixed element of the interior which does not require additional expenditure. According to estate agents' feedback, quality window dressings, including shutters, become a valued feature and may significantly increase the cost of the house.

First Impressions Do Matter, and Window Shutters Help You to Make Them. The value of your property is formed not only due to its interior but starts the very moment your prospective buyer parks near your house. Shutters are among the few interior items that can be seen from the outside. When fitting plantation shutters into your front facing windows, you instantly create an impression of luxury and care. Among the line of identical houses, one with shutters in its windows always looks more premium. Buyers perceive such house as a place that has been treated and taken care of, and it matters a lot when forming their opinion.

Luxury Perception Without a High Cost. There is a reason why shutters are widely used as the decoration of show rooms, boutique hotels and homes described in prestigious interiors magazines - shutters have an innate elegance that is hard to imitate by any blind or curtain. Compared to larger home improvement projects, installation of shutters costs less, but the effect they produce on the appearance of the room is impressive. Buyers cannot always figure out what makes the room so luxurious, but shutters are definitely one of these factors.

Practical Advantages that Prospective Buyers Love. Besides the aesthetic value of shutters, there are some practical advantages of installing them that significantly increase the appeal of your house for future buyers.

Energy Efficiency. Due to the fact that shutters form an additional insulation layer at the window, they can retain heat in winter and protect from overheating in summer. With the current rising energy costs, any element of the house that contributes to the energy efficiency of it is definitely an advantage. Our Hardwood+ shutters have excellent thermal performance due to the natural density of the material used.

Light and Privacy Control. The possibility to control the level of light coming into the room and the degree of privacy from the outside is one of the advantages of shutters. It is especially important for houses located in cities or on the busy roads. Buyers, who experience such living conditions, prefer houses with shutters.

Low Maintenance Requirements. Contrary to curtains that should be washed or blinds that collect dust and become sagged or faded over the years, shutters do not require any special maintenance: a wipe with a damp cloth is enough to keep them clean and fresh.

Noise Reduction. With shutters, buyers get the possibility to decrease the noise from the outside, which is one of the major advantages of shutters. It becomes especially important for those buyers who live in houses near the busy roads or in the noisy city centres.

Versatility of Usage Makes Shutters a Valuable Feature for Any Home. What makes shutters unique in terms of their ability to increase the value of the house is their versatility. In contrast to many home improvement elements that can benefit only one area of your home, shutters can be installed in all rooms of the house, including living room, kitchen, bedroom and even bathroom or even on the doorways. Houses, where shutters are installed everywhere, look cohesive, finished and thought-through. It is one more item to be done, and its removal from the buyer's shopping list increases its value.

And How Much Value Will Be Added with Shutters? While each home is individual and its value depends on many factors, according to estate agents' experience and industry experts, the use of quality window dressings, including shutters, can add from 1% to 5% to the value of your home. This means that, having shutters in the windows, you can increase the cost of your house from £3,000 to £15,000, if you sell your house for £300,000.