Plantation shutter installation on the Sunshine Coast
Shutters are made to the millimetre for one specific opening, so the install is where a good product either becomes a good result or does not. This is exactly how ours runs, start to finish, including the parts that occasionally go wrong.
- Measure to install in 4-6 weeks
- We install, we do not subcontract
- Workmanship warranty on every job
Typical timeline
4-6 weeks
From measure to installed, for a standard timber or PVC order. Shaped panels, custom colours and large outdoor aluminium jobs run longer, and we tell you which yours is at the quote, not after you have paid a deposit.
StageTypical
Free measure and quoteIn your home~30 min
Order to manufactureAfter you acceptSame week
ManufactureMade to your openings3-5 weeks
InstallationAverage homeHalf a day
We book the install date when the panels land, not before.
No subcontracted sales territory, no third-party fitter meeting your shutters at the door for the first time. It matters because the installer already knows what was decided at the measure and why, and because there is nobody to point at when something needs sorting.
You get a quote with a stated lead time, and the install date is confirmed when your panels arrive rather than promised optimistically at the point of sale. A date we cannot hold is worse than an honest range.
The process
What actually happens, in order
- 1
Free measure and quote
About half an hour in your home. We take six measurements per window plus reveal depth and diagonals, photograph every opening, and work through which material suits which room. You get a written fixed-price quote against those measurements.
- 2
You decide, in your own time
No pressure at the table and no discount that expires when we leave. If the quote does not stack up, we would rather you say so than sign something you are unsure about.
- 3
Order and manufacture
Panels are built to your exact openings, in your chosen material, colour and louvre size. Three to five weeks for a standard order, longer for shaped panels and custom colours.
- 4
Install day
Frames fixed, panels hung, hinges adjusted, everything squared and tested. Half a day for an average home, a full day for a large or shaped job.
- 5
Walk through and handover
We show you how the tilt and any split tilt works, how to clean each material, and what to call us about rather than force. Five minutes that saves a service call.
- 6
The settling-in visit
Houses move and hinges bed in. If a panel starts to catch in the first months, that visit is covered - and it is a turn of a screw, not a problem.
On the day
What to expect on install day
We need clear access to each window, so anything within about a metre of the opening is worth moving beforehand - furniture, bed heads, plants, anything on a sill. If that is difficult, tell us and we will move it and put it back.
There is drilling, and it is dusty. Frames are fixed into the reveal or the wall face, which means masonry anchors in brick and block homes and a fair amount of noise for the minutes it takes per window. We drop-sheet and we vacuum before we leave, but a shutter install is not a silent afternoon.
Existing blinds, curtain tracks and pelmets come down first if they are being replaced. We take them away if you want them gone. What we cannot do is make good the paintwork where an old pelmet covered more wall than the new frame does - that is worth checking against the quote at the measure, because it is the most common source of a surprise at handover.
An average Sunshine Coast home - eight to twelve openings, standard shapes - is a half day. A larger house, shaped panels, or outdoor aluminium on a patio runs to a full day, occasionally two.
Lead times
How long different jobs take
| Job type | Manufacture | Install |
|---|---|---|
| Standard timber or PVC, rectangular windows | 3 - 5 weeks | Half a day |
| Waterproof PVC, wet areas only | 3 - 4 weeks | 2 - 3 hours |
| Custom colour or colour-matched | 5 - 7 weeks | As above |
| Bi-fold or sliding track panels | 4 - 6 weeks | Half to full day |
| Outdoor aluminium, alfresco or patio | 5 - 7 weeks | Half to full day |
| Shaped panels - arched, raked, gable | 6 - 8 weeks | Full day |
| Whole home, mixed materials | 5 - 7 weeks | One to two days |
These are the ranges we quote against and they are honest rather than optimistic. If a manufacturing run slips, you hear it from us when we find out - not on the day the install was supposed to happen.
Local conditions
What a Sunshine Coast install has to account for
Salt air on the coastal strip
Within a few streets of the surf, every external fixing has to be stainless. One non-stainless screw will rust and bleed a rust stain down a panel within a couple of seasons, and it is not something you can clean off.
Houses that have settled
Older Queenslanders on stumps and slab homes on reactive soils both throw openings out of square over time. That is a frame-type decision made at the measure, not a problem discovered on install day.
Bullnose rendered reveals
Rounded rendered corners are common here and a square frame against one leaves a visible gap. A bullnose profile follows the curve, and it has to be ordered that way rather than fixed on site.
Cyclone and wind ratings
Outdoor panels on an exposed alfresco need hardware and fixing specified for the wind loading, not for a sheltered courtyard. That is part of the quote here rather than an afterthought.
Afterwards
What the warranty actually covers
Workmanship on the installation itself, for the life of the installation.
Hinge adjustments, louvre tension and panels that start to catch - covered, not chargeable.
Manufacturer warranty on the panels themselves, in writing with the quote.
The settling-in visit in the first months, when the house moves around a new frame.
Colour and finish faults, where the fault is in the finish rather than in wear.
A named person to call, not a warranty claims address.
What it does not cover is honest to state as well: damage, forcing a binding panel rather than calling us, and material failure in a room the material was never specified for. If you put timber in a bathroom against our advice, we cannot warrant it - which is why we argue about material at the measure rather than after.
The quote
What is included in the price
Our quotes are all-in and fixed. That means the measure, the panels, the frames, all hardware, the installation, removal of existing blinds or tracks if you want them gone, and the settling-in visit. There is no separate installation line that appears later and no travel charge anywhere on the Sunshine Coast.
It is worth checking this specifically against any other quote you hold, because installation quoted separately is one of the standard ways a headline price looks lower than it is. So is a quote that covers panels but not frames, or that assumes standard hardware on a coastal job that needs stainless.
The full breakdown of what moves a price - material, panel configuration, window shape, colour - is in the cost guide, with per square metre rates and worked examples.
FAQ
Installation questions
How long does plantation shutter installation take?
Half a day for an average Sunshine Coast home of eight to twelve standard openings. A larger house, shaped panels, or outdoor aluminium on a patio runs to a full day and occasionally two. The manufacture beforehand is the long part - three to five weeks for a standard order.
How long from measure to installation?
Four to six weeks for a standard timber or PVC order. Custom colours run five to seven weeks, outdoor aluminium five to seven, and shaped panels - arched, raked or gable - six to eight. We tell you which range yours is at the quote rather than after you have paid a deposit.
Do you install the shutters yourselves or subcontract?
We install. The person who measures your windows is the person who fits them, which matters because the installer already knows what was decided at the measure and why, and because there is nobody to point at if something needs sorting afterwards.
What do I need to do before install day?
Clear about a metre of access in front of each window - furniture, bed heads, plants and anything sitting on a sill. If that is difficult, say so and we will move it and put it back. Existing blinds and curtain tracks come down on the day if they are being replaced, and we take them away if you want them gone.
Is installation included in the price?
Yes, and the quote is all-in and fixed - measure, panels, frames, hardware, installation, removal of your old blinds if you want them gone, and the settling-in visit. There is no travel charge anywhere on the Sunshine Coast. Installation quoted separately is one of the standard ways a headline price from elsewhere looks lower than it is.
Is the installation messy?
There is drilling and there is dust, particularly in brick and block homes where frames go into masonry. We drop-sheet the area and vacuum before we leave. It is not a silent afternoon, but it is a few minutes of noise per window rather than a day of it.
What happens if a panel does not fit?
We remake it, at our cost, because we took the measurement. That is the whole reason a professional measure exists - a made-to-measure panel that does not fit is not returnable to anyone, so somebody has to carry the risk and it should not be you.
What does the warranty cover?
Workmanship on the installation for the life of the installation, plus the manufacturer warranty on the panels in writing with your quote. Hinge adjustments, louvre tension and panels that start to catch are covered rather than chargeable. What it does not cover is damage, forcing a binding panel, and material failure in a room the material was never specified for.
Do you install in units and apartments?
Yes, and a lot of the coastal strip work is exactly that. The extra step is body corporate approval where the shutters are visible from outside the building. It is usually straightforward but worth starting early, and we can provide the specification the committee will ask for.
Will you remove my existing blinds or curtains?
Yes, on the day, and we will take them away if you want them gone. The one thing we cannot do is make good paintwork where an old pelmet covered more wall than the new frame does. Flag that at the measure - it is the most common source of a surprise at handover and it is easily planned for.
Ready to shutter your place?
Tell us about your windows and we'll book a free in-home measure and a fixed quote.
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