Colonial Hurricane ShuttersWilmington, NC
$55/sq ft decorative, $60/sq ft rated, installed. The system a preservation review is most likely to approve, because it looks like what was on the house to begin with.
Wilmington, New Hanover County
What colonial shutters cost in Wilmington, and the elevations they are for
Colonial hurricane shutters in Wilmington are $55/sq ft for the decorative version and $60/sq ft for the rated fixed-blade, installed. The rate covers the panels, the hinges, the stainless anchors, the New Hanover County permit and a design pressure calculation done on your openings rather than to a county minimum.
This is the product that exists for downtown. The Historic District, Forest Hills and Carolina Heights are full of houses that had operable wood shutters when they were built, and a colonial is the only rated system that looks like what was there. Heavy-gauge marine aluminum, styled to the period, engineered to a modern wind load.
Review is why people call us about them. What a preservation commission tends to object to is hardware that is visibly modern and visible all year: a head box above the window, housings at both sides of it. A colonial reads as a shutter because it is shaped like one. We prepare and submit the documentation, and we have been through the process often enough to say before fabrication whether a style is likely to come back.
The five dollars between decorative and rated is the same decision as on a Bahama, and people get it wrong the same way. The rated version is certified to ASTM E1886/E1996 and counts on a wind mitigation form. The decorative version is trim. From the sidewalk they are identical, which is precisely the problem.
The honest limitation is speed. Each pair closes by hand from outside, one to two minutes a window. On a six-window front that is nothing. On a whole house it is an afternoon, and if you are closing up alone with a storm two days out you will feel every minute of it against an accordion that does the same house in ten.
Color is included across the standard RAL range, and most Wilmington trim paints match closely enough that nobody looks twice. A genuine custom blend, for a historic paint with no standard equivalent, adds $1,500 and one to two weeks.
| Product | Colonial shutter, hinged marine-grade aluminum panels |
| Decorative | $55 per square foot installed |
| Rated fixed blade | $60 per square foot installed |
| Location | Wilmington, NC (New Hanover County) |
| Deployment | One to two minutes per window, by hand, from outside |
| Rating | ASTM E1886/E1996 on the rated version only |
| Review | Preservation documentation prepared and submitted |
| Included | New Hanover County permit and per-opening design pressure analysis |
When a colonial is the wrong choice in Wilmington
Right on a front elevation under review. Wrong in most other places, and we would rather say so.
Questions we get in Wilmington
Why Wilmington homeowners call AHS
Founded in 2006 by Michael Burns. We fabricate and install ourselves — no subcontractors on your house.
Related Resources
Colonial Shutters for YourWilmington Home
Send a photograph of the front elevation. If it sits in a reviewed district we will tell you what is likely to be approved before you commit to a style.