Our windows are almost all tinted in addition to the wood plantation shutters. But even if they werent tinted we still would have chosen wood. All of our plantation shutters in the house are wood except the pool bath door. There is something about the wood that has a richer look to it. A neighbor used the polywood which is probably what you are referring to as faux wood. You notice the difference up close, I cant tell from the street. Close up on her shutters I can immediately tell its not wood. I dont like the vinyl shutter on our pool bath door, it looks cheap up close. It also doesnt move as nicely as the wood. I am very glad I didnt use that on any other window. Several friends choose the vinyl for their garage when the garage windows faced the front of the house and they want a uniform look. Maybe someone with the faux wood will comment. Most friends I know with shutters all told me ahead of time to only get wood, I went with their recommendation and I am very happy...no regrets. I think the tinting will help prevent my shutters from warping or whatever else the Florida sun could do to the finish. Ours are only 18 to 6 months old so I cant tell you much about those "opinions". Maybe faux is the best of both worlds, but I think the wood is manufactured and protected better these days than it was 15 years ago. Todays shutters are usually guaranteed for several years. I know ours are.

You might want to see how the mechanism is attached. Sometimes, you have to remove part of the sill to reach the screws that hold the operator in place. I think that you should also check building codes in your area because windows may be the only point of egress for a room and would have to remain operable. They do make a smaller T-shaped crank that can replace the longer handle, but it still protrudes a bit. Here is a link that might be useful: T-shaped Handle

Our house is now 29 years old. We have had Pella windows since then....metal outside but wood on the inside. There are 21 double hungs. All of my window treatments are attached to the wooden window trim. I have never lived anywhere that it was done differently. We have cellular shades in the bathrooms. They are up all day and are pulled down at night. When they are up they are covered by the curtains. I have no other shades. We recently purchased a second home. There was a 2 inch brown wooden blind at the large master bedroom window. I could not get it down fast enough!! I abhor those blinds!! Since we needed privacy at night, I got a decorative rod and grommet topped blackout panels. They are so simple to open and close...they work/look great!

That is not correct unless I am missing something. First of all, they are available only on the casements with an operator (not push out). The shade and screen (behind it) are in one unit that sits in the same slot that houses a screen only on the interior. I would do a couple of things: use the dealer locator on the website and find a dealer in your area that has them on display. Have in hand the serial number from the glass (usually upper right corner from interior). It should be a ten digit number beginning with a letter and then 16..., 17...,18.. (the year of manufacture). Have a magnifying glass and a step stool and the easiest thing to do is to read to someone else to transcribe and then have them read it back. This will give Marvin "all" the information on your window(s) and a shade can be ordered. You will need a new screen if you now have one as it is a different size. The interior wood of the shade will match your window and there are fifteen different fabric choices (including some blackout) to choose from. These are all Hunter-Douglas quality fabrics. The shades are not inexpensive but competitive with after market choices without some of their drawbacks like you are experiencing. Good luck and let us know if this works.