Hurricane Shutters

im not sure what colonial style implies? hurricane shutters are generally put up as a hurricane is forcasted or approaching. then they are removed when the all clear is given. they are not a fashion statement ...and i hope mine remained unused and stacked next to my home for a long time... if ya get my drift. : )

On our home in Florida, we have Bahama Shutters like the one you see on this web site http://www.decorativeshutters.com/fiberglass_shutters/bahama_f_shutters.html
These shutters do allow light into the home when extended out - which fortunately they were all the way thru last hurricane season! You still have a view but as you can imagine, you're looking out thru the shutters. We did shop Colonial shutters (like you see on this web site http://www.stormshutters.com/bahama-colonial-shutters/bahama-colonial-shutters.html ) but ended up with Bahama shutters to cut down some of the UV and heat coming into the house.

Either way you go, both types are very decorative, add a nice look to a home, are easy to install and easy to "lock down" if necessary.

Well actually LIP many of us have permanent attached shutters that we just need to close in case of a hurricane.

my neighbors are split about 50/50 attached vs temporary.

I can't tell you much about styles.

For Water Island, we shopped the accordion, roll-down and panels. If you're thinking of one of these options, here's my humble opinion:

Roll-down - More pricey but the convenience, the benefit and ease of rolling them down or up, no storage requirements for when not in use.
Accordion - Less pricey than Roll-down and not that much more $ than panel. Convenience, benefit & ease of accordian shutters similar to Roll-down, as well as no storage requirements
Panel Shutters - The cheapest option but they're a hassle. When they're not on the windows/doors, you gotta store them. And, you need to store them somewhere where no one is going to slice their foot open while around them. You got those wing nuts (a bazillion of them) that you keep in an old glass peanut butter jar and hope the heck the gremlin in your house doesn't move the jar to a "better place" where you can't find them when you need them and all sorts of shouting goes on as a result (translate: more stress when you don't need any more stress). Then, you got the hassle of putting them up and taking them down. You can buy one of those wing nut "put-'er-on/take-'er-off" things that fit on your electrice or cordless drill....makes it a lot easier......if you can find the handy-dandy thing when you need it. (We must have a half dozen "somewhere" in the house.)

If you do it yourself or hire someone to install make sure:
o They fix any cracks or holes that might happen in the mortar if your house is masonary.
o They install the blasted things far enough away from the window/door opening so that your screens will actually shut/open even with the shutters on.
o They use freaking stainless steel or other screw material that won't rust in a month's time.

Thanks everyone for the info. FL Barrier... Thanks for the web sites! They helped tremendously.

We were quoted for the panels and for the accordion styles. We didn't like the panels because we have zero storage space and a young child (also after the funny story we definitely thought "no way'). We didn't like the accordion because they were unattractive, and yes, Lip, if it comes down to it, I know that hurricane protection is more important than style, but why can't someone try to have both if possible?

The web site showed me, however, that Colonial style is out of our price range, but it did give me some other great ideas. Thanks again!

You don't say which island, but on STX try Komono's, They are at 5 corners.

hmmm you learn something new everyday... i hope my wife doesnt read this thread because i have a feeling she would embrace the idea of decorative hurricane shutters..."gulp"

Oops, sorry....Yes, I'm on St. Croix.

We got the strongest accordian shutters that were made after Marilyn. They're in tracks drilled into the concrete floor & are seriously heavy duty. Sure don't want to go through that again & IMO, unless they're as strong as the strongest of any type, I'd go for function over form.