I am just now researching this same thing. I just ordered faux wood 2" blinds for two bedrooms from J.C. Penny. Really good sale. But the shutter prices were to much $$$$$. I think they quoted me $141.00 per window. I have found some good pricing at netshutters.com around $65.00 for the same window. These are in my kitchen are I need the cafe shutter 19 1/2" wide & I need 26" high. That is just beyond the sash. Now in the master bath I am also doing the cafe shutter and I have three windows mulled together. I need the shutter to be 75" long and 32" high. Again, netshutters had the best price. I asked on this forum about blinds and shutters and someone on here said she got some from this company and was happy with them. They are not the same quality as hunter douglass but lots less $$$$$ Does anyone know where the top of a cafe shutter should be? I thought that it should just about cover the window latch. So I figured 1 inch above the window sash!!

If you have the choice, go gridless. It definately looks better. In our previous home the grids were removable. So it wasnt a problem. However, in my current home the grids are built in on the double hung windows:( But I wanted shutters.

Ours are 3" blinds, split down the middle vertically. The louvers in each quadrant of the shade work independently, though. For example, we can close the bottom of both panels and leave the top blinds open. So we have a lot of flexibility on how we use the shutters. This works especially well in the bathroom, where I keep the top 1/3 of the blinds open and the bottom 2/3 stay shut. I have to say, though, that we rarely open any of the panels vertically--only when we dust the windows.

Plantation shutters can certainly be used on french doors. People do it all the time and it looks awesome! You may want to check out www.horizonshutters.com to view their products and ask any questions that you may have. Also, that site has pictures of installed Plantation shutters so you can see exactly how great they look on windows and doors. Good luck!