Bahama ShuttersWilmington, NC

Wilmington, New Hanover County

The difference between $55 and $60 Bahama shutters, and why it matters more than the price

Bahama shutters in Wilmington start at $55/sq ft for the decorative version and $60/sq ft for the rated fixed-blade, installed. Articulating blade systems are $70/sq ft. The five dollars between the first two is the entire decision on this page, and it buys nothing you can see.

The rated fixed-blade is certified to ASTM E1886/E1996 and counts on a wind mitigation form, which is where the money comes back. The decorative version is a shade device. It will improve the look of a house and do nothing for it in a storm, and it earns no insurance credit. From the sidewalk the two are indistinguishable, which is exactly why people buy the wrong one.

What makes Bahamas worth considering here at all is that they work on the days there is no storm. A top-hinged louvered shutter over a south or west window shades the glass before the heat reaches it, and in Wilmington that is most of the year. Every other product on our price list sits idle between June and November and then earns its keep in a weekend. This one is doing something every afternoon.

They also tend to survive review. A Bahama reads as part of the architecture rather than an addition bolted to it, which is a different conversation from the one an accordion housing starts on a downtown elevation. We prepare and submit the documentation, and we will tell you before you order if we think a particular front is going to be a problem.

Where they are not the answer is everywhere else on the house. At $60/sq ft rated, this is the most expensive way to get an ASTM rating onto an ordinary bedroom window. Put them on the openings you want shaded and protect the rest with something built for the job.

Color matters more here than on any other product we fit, because unlike a housing a Bahama is meant to be looked at. Standard RAL finishes are included in the price and we can usually match a trim paint closely enough that nobody looks twice. A genuine custom blend adds $1,500 and one to two weeks to the job, and it earns that far less often than people expect.