Building Your Own Bahama Shutters? Consider This First
With their stylish, louvered design, Bahama shutters are a popular project for ambitious DIY enthusiasts. Online plans and tutorials make it seem like a straightforward woodworking project. And for a simple, decorative shade awning in a non-coastal area, a well-built wooden shutter can be a beautiful addition to a home. However, for anyone living in the hurricane-prone regions of the Carolinas, there is a vast and dangerous gap between a DIY Bahama shutter and a professional, hurricane-rated system.
At American Hurricane Shutters, we are passionate about the science of storm protection. We want to arm homeowners with the critical information they need to stay safe. Before you head to the lumberyard, this guide will walk you through the complex engineering, testing, and materials that go into a truly protective Bahama shutter—elements that a DIY project simply cannot replicate.
The Critical Difference: A DIY Shutter is Not a Hurricane Shutter
A homemade wooden or PVC Bahama shutter may look the part, but it has not been engineered or tested to withstand hurricane forces. In a storm, it is likely to fail and become a large, dangerous projectile, posing a significant risk to your home and your neighbors.
What You Get with a Professional, Rated System (And What a DIY Project Lacks)
Let’s break down the key differences between a homemade shutter and one of our professionally installed **ASSA/Bertha HV** or **Town & Country** rated systems.
1. Engineered Materials vs. Standard Lumber
A DIY shutter is typically built from wood. While beautiful, wood is heavy, prone to rot in our humid climate, and has inconsistent strength. Our rated shutters are built from **heavy-duty, extruded aluminum**. This material is chosen specifically for its incredible strength-to-weight ratio and its natural resistance to corrosion, making it perfect for the coast.
2. Over-Engineered Hardware vs. Off-the-Shelf Parts
The hardware is where most DIY shutters would fail. A homemade shutter uses standard hinges and support arms from a hardware store, which are designed only to hold the shutter’s weight. Our rated systems use:
- Continuous Heavy-Duty Hinges: These run the full width of the shutter and are anchored deep into the structural frame of your home.
- Telescoping Storm Bars: The support arms are not just for propping the shutter open; they are robust, telescoping bars designed to be locked into heavy-duty brackets, creating a rigid and incredibly strong connection.
This purpose-built hardware is designed to handle thousands of pounds of force. Standard hardware is not.
3. Certified Lab Testing vs. Hope
This is the most important difference of all. A DIY shutter has never been tested. You are simply hoping it will hold. Every rated shutter system we install has a **documented history of passing grueling laboratory tests**. It has been shot with a 9-pound 2×4 to test its impact resistance and then blasted with cyclic wind pressure to prove its structural integrity. This certification is your only true assurance of performance.
4. Professional Installation vs. Guesswork
Our professional **installation** is a science. We know how to anchor the shutter securely to your home’s specific structure, whether it’s brick, siding, or block. We ensure the installation is fully permitted and code-compliant. A DIY installation relies on guesswork, and a single misplaced anchor can lead to total failure.
An Investment in Proven Safety
The cost of a professional, rated Bahama shutter reflects this immense difference in engineering and quality. Our systems are a long-term investment in your home’s safety.
- Fixed Blade Rated Bahama Shutters: Approximately **$56 per square foot**.
- Articulating Blade Rated Bahama Shutters: Approximately **$64 per square foot**.
When you consider the potential cost of damage from a failed DIY shutter, the value of a professionally engineered and installed system becomes clear.
Don’t Risk Your Home on a Weekend Project
While we admire the DIY spirit, your family’s safety in a hurricane is not the place to experiment. A beautiful, stylish, and, most importantly, *safe* Bahama shutter is a job for the experts.
Let us show you the incredible difference in build quality and engineering. Call American Hurricane Shutters today at (910) 256-1288 or email the owner, Matthew Burns, at matt.burns@ahscarolinas.com for a free, no-obligation consultation.
