Topsail Island, North Carolina

Colonial Hurricane ShuttersTopsail Island, NC

$60/sq ft installed, certified to ASTM E1886/E1996. The only rated system on our list with no track at all — which on an oceanfront island is a maintenance argument before it is an aesthetic one.

$60/sq ft

Rated Installed

Topsail Island NC

Location

No Track

Nothing To Clear

ASTM E1886/E1996

Certified

Any RAL Color

Finish

Topsail Island, Pender & Onslow

Colonial shutters on Topsail Island, and the case that has nothing to do with looks

Rated colonial hurricane shutters on Topsail Island are $60/sq ft installed and carry ASTM E1886/E1996 certification. They are the traditional louvered pair, hinged either side of the window, latched flat against the wall when open. To close, you swing the two leaves together from outside and bolt them at the center.

The usual argument for colonials is that they look like architecture rather than hardware, and on the older cottages at the Topsail Beach end of the island that is true. But the argument that matters more on a barrier island is mechanical: there is no track. Accordions and roll-downs both run in one, and on the oceanfront row those tracks take wind-driven sand continuously. Rinsing them out is a real recurring job. A colonial gives you nothing to rinse.

We build them in extruded aluminum, powder-coated in any standard RAL color. Salt air here is not seasonal and it is not gentle; a wood colonial on this island is a repainting commitment that most owners abandon. Aluminum holds its finish, does not swell and does not warp.

They also store nothing, which on a piling house means nothing to carry up an exterior staircase in a rising wind. On a rental where the ground level is open, that is worth more than it sounds.

Product	Rated colonial shutters, extruded aluminum
Installed price	$60 per square foot
Location	Topsail Island, NC — all three towns
Permitting	Pender or Onslow, depending where the house sits
Maintenance	No track, so no sand to clear out
Deployment	Swing both leaves together and bolt — one to two minutes
Finish	Any standard RAL powder-coat color
Rating	ASTM E1886/E1996 on the rated version only

Nothing for the sand to get into

Every sliding system on this island has a bottom track, and every bottom track on the front row fills with wind-driven sand. It is not a defect, it is where you live. A colonial has hinges and a latch and no track whatsoever, so the thing that needs doing twice a season simply does not exist.

When colonial shutters are the wrong choice on Topsail Island

The best-behaved product in this environment, and the fussiest about geometry.

Windows tight to a corner

Colonials fold back onto the wall either side, so an opening close to a corner or to its neighbor leaves the leaves nowhere to go. We measure that before quoting; it is the usual reason this product does not suit a house.

Wide ocean-facing glass

A wide opening needs several leaves a side and stops looking traditional somewhere around the third one. Past that width a roll-down at $52/sq ft is both cheaper per square foot and better looking.

If you want the cheapest rated protection

At $60/sq ft this is near the top of the list. Aluminum panels at $22 carry the same certification. You are paying for appearance and for having no track, and if neither matters to you, do not pay it.

Questions we get in Topsail Island

How much are colonial shutters on Topsail Island?

$60 per square foot installed for the rated version, including the permit and the design pressure analysis. A decorative version costs less and carries no certification at all.

Why do you recommend them on the oceanfront?

Because they have no track. Sliding systems collect wind-driven sand in the bottom track and need rinsing out a few times a season. A colonial has hinges and a latch, so that job does not exist.

Why aluminum instead of wood?

Salt air on a barrier island is constant rather than seasonal. Wood colonials become a repainting commitment owners give up on within a few years. Powder-coated extruded aluminum keeps its finish and does not swell or warp.

Do they need storage?

No. They latch flat against the wall and stay there year-round, so there is nothing to carry up the exterior stairs of a piling house before a storm.

Do they qualify for an insurance credit?

The rated version carries the ASTM E1886/E1996 certification carriers assess credits against. The decorative version does not.

Why Topsail Island homeowners call AHS

Founded in 2006 by Michael Burns. We fabricate and install ourselves — no subcontractors on your house.

OSHA-30 Certified

The only OSHA-30 certified hurricane shutter company in coastal NC and SC.

Design Pressure Analysis

Calculated per opening on your house, not to the county minimum.

7-Year Workmanship Warranty

If anything fails because of our installation, we come back and fix it.

Related Resources

Colonial Shutters →Bahama & Colonial Colors →North Topsail Beach Shutters →Surf City Shutters →Topsail Beach Shutters →Cost Calculator →

Colonial Shutters for Your Topsail Island Home

We measure the wall either side of every opening before quoting, because that is what decides whether this product fits your house at all.

(910) 256-1288

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Author
Recent Posts

Matthew Burns

President/CEO at American Hurricane Shutters, Inc.

Matthew Burns is President/CEO of American Hurricane Shutters, the Carolinas' rated storm protection specialists founded in 2006 by Michael Burns. OSHA-30 certified and specializing in Miami-Dade and TAS-approved hurricane shutter systems, Matthew has personally overseen the installation of storm protection on thousands of homes from Emerald Isle to Myrtle Beach. His expertise covers accordion shutters, rolldown shutters, Bahama shutters, colonial shutters, hurricane panels, and fabric hurricane screens. Based in Wilmington, NC.