Custom plantation shutters
Every shutter we make is built to one specific opening, so "custom" is the baseline rather than an upgrade. What varies is how far past a rectangle in white the job goes - and that is where the interesting work is.
- Made to your exact openings
- Any shape, any colour
- Nothing off a shelf
The standard
Every one
There is no off-the-shelf plantation shutter in our range and there is no such thing as a stock size. Every panel is manufactured to millimetre measurements taken at your window. What people mean by custom is usually shape, colour or configuration.
What can be customisedAvailable
SizeTo your exact openingAlways
ShapeArched, raked, angled, roundYes
ColourTo a paint or powder codeYes
Louvre size63mm, 89mm, 114mmYes
ConfigurationHinged, bi-fold, sliding, fixedYes
The measure is free and it is where all of this gets decided.
Some suppliers sell stock-width panels trimmed on site and call it custom. It is not the same thing - a trimmed panel has a cut edge, altered proportions and no factory finish on the cut. Ask whether the panel is manufactured to your measurement or cut down from a standard size, because the answer changes the result.
The baseline
What made-to-measure actually means
Your window gets measured in six places for width and height. The smallest of each becomes the working dimension, the diagonals get checked for square, the reveal depth decides the frame, and those numbers go to manufacture. The panel that comes back fits one opening in one house and no other.
That is the whole reason shutters cost what they do, and it is also why an error is expensive - there is no adjusting a panel that came back wrong, only remaking it. It is why we carry the measurement risk rather than asking you to.
So when a supplier advertises custom shutters, the honest reading is that they are describing the industry standard rather than a feature. The question worth asking is what happens past that - shapes, colours, configurations - because that is where suppliers genuinely differ.
Shapes
Windows that are not rectangles
The part of the job most suppliers would rather not quote, and the reason a lot of people end up calling us.
| Shape | What is involved | Typical location |
|---|---|---|
| Arched head | Curved top rail, radius cut to a template | Front elevations, entry windows |
| Raked or angled | Angled top rail matched to the roof pitch | Gable ends, stairwell voids |
| Gable triangle | Fully triangular panel, operable louvres | High vaulted living areas |
| Circular or porthole | Round frame, radial louvre arrangement | Feature windows, bathrooms |
| Bay - angled or square | Multiple panels meeting at a mitred post | Living and dining rooms |
| Corner windows | Two runs meeting at a corner with no mullion | Contemporary builds with corner glazing |
A shaped panel takes longer to make - six to eight weeks rather than three to five - and it costs more per square metre because the frame is templated rather than cut square. Both are worth knowing at the quote, and both are stated on ours.
Colour
Custom colours and colour matching
Timber panels can be painted to any colour code and aluminium can be powder-coated to one. That means matching your existing architraves, your kitchen cabinetry, your window frames, or a colour from a paint fan rather than choosing from a shutter range.
It adds to both the price and the lead time - five to seven weeks rather than three to five - and it is genuinely worth it in two situations. The first is where your trim is a strong or unusual colour that no standard white will sit beside comfortably. The second is where the shutters are meant to disappear into joinery rather than read as a separate element.
Bring the paint code if you have it. Matching from a physical sample is possible; matching from a code is exact, and on a whole-house job that difference is worth finding the tin in the garage for. Waterproof PVC is the one material with a limited range, which occasionally means a bathroom stays white while the rest of the house is matched - and nobody has ever noticed.
How they move
Configuration is the other half of custom
Hinged panels
The default. Panels swing open on a frame. Cleanest look, simplest hardware, and the right answer on most standard windows.
Bi-fold
Panels concertina back against each other so a wide opening clears almost completely. The usual answer for stacker doors and wide alfresco openings.
Sliding on track
Panels slide past each other on a top track. Suits wide openings where there is no wall to fold panels back against.
Fixed with operable louvres
The frame does not move, the louvres do. For high windows, gable panels and anywhere access is not required.
Configuration is decided by the opening and by what is around it - a hinged panel needs somewhere to swing to, and a bi-fold needs wall to stack against. That is a conversation at the measure rather than a catalogue choice, because it depends on furniture that is already in the room.
Money
What custom work adds to the price
| Custom element | Effect on price | Effect on lead time |
|---|---|---|
| Made to your measurements | None - it is the standard | None |
| Non-standard louvre size | Minimal | None |
| Custom or matched colour | Moderate increase | +2 weeks |
| Bi-fold or sliding hardware | 15 - 35% over hinged | +1 week |
| Arched or raked panels | Significant - templated frames | +3 weeks |
| Circular or fully shaped | Significant | +3 weeks |
The full per-square-metre rates by material, whole-home figures and worked examples are in the cost guide. What is worth saying here is that shaped and custom work is quoted as a fixed price like everything else - we do not price a shape on the day and adjust it later.
FAQ
Custom shutter questions
Are all plantation shutters custom made?
Ours are - every panel is manufactured to millimetre measurements taken at your window and fits one opening in one house. There is no stock size in our range. Be careful with the word on other quotes though, because some suppliers trim stock-width panels on site and call that custom, which leaves a cut edge with no factory finish on it.
Can you make shutters for an arched or raked window?
Yes, and it is a large part of what we do. Arched heads are cut to a template, raked panels are matched to the roof pitch, and gable triangles are built as fully shaped panels with operable louvres. It adds about three weeks to the lead time and costs more per square metre because the frame is templated rather than cut square.
Can I get shutters in a custom colour?
Timber can be painted to any colour code and aluminium can be powder-coated to one, so matching your trim, cabinetry or a paint fan is straightforward. It adds around two weeks. Bring the paint code if you have it - matching from a code is exact where matching from a sample is close. Waterproof PVC is limited to whites and neutrals.
How much more do custom shapes cost?
Shaped panels - arched, raked, gable, circular - carry a significant increase over rectangular because the frame is templated rather than cut square, and they add about three weeks to manufacture. Custom colour is a moderate increase and two weeks. A non-standard louvre size costs and delays essentially nothing.
Do custom shutters take longer to make?
It depends what is custom. Made to your measurements is the standard and adds nothing. A custom colour adds about two weeks, bi-fold or sliding hardware about one, and a shaped panel about three - so a shaped custom-colour job runs six to eight weeks against three to five for a standard order.
Can you match my existing shutters?
Usually, if they were well made and the colour can be matched to a code or a sample. What we cannot promise is an exact match to a finish that has aged in sunlight for a decade, because the new panels will be the original colour and the old ones will not. We will tell you honestly whether the difference will be visible before you commit.
What is the largest shutter panel you can make?
There is a practical width limit per panel before it needs an extra stile for stiffness, and it differs by material - timber spans wider than PVC, and PVC needs a concealed aluminium insert on taller panels. Wide openings are covered by multiple panels on a bi-fold or sliding track rather than one enormous one, which is a better result anyway.
Can you do shutters for a corner window with no mullion?
Yes. Two runs meeting at a corner is a configuration question rather than a shape one - it needs the panels to close cleanly against each other at the corner without a post, and it needs planning at the measure. It is common enough on contemporary Sunshine Coast builds that it is a familiar job rather than an unusual one.
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