Hmm... I have several of these Andersen doors, I wonder just what they mean by 'damage'. Obviously, if I put a screw in the wood, I can't then say 'oh look-- it has a screw hole, give me a new door...' But if I put a screw in the wood and the mechanicals fail [such as the top and bottom latches stop working], I wonder if the unrelated screws would give them an excuse to abandon their responsibilities. I have 7 of these total, and several have never latched well and leak air badly. The Andersen guys are coming by next week to take a look. I'm not terribly impressed with their quality so far. Should also mention I'm not sure the lever hardware I chose [you are pretty much married to Andersen's own products for entry sets] would leave enough clearence. The shutters would fit, but your knuckles would hit them every time you open the door.

This is a new (4 yr.old) house so the trees are only 4 yrs old also. May take a while to get them up enough to shade the house. Bonnie

When I bought a new home 3 years ago, I knew I wanted plantation shutters but worried about color and composition. I had a local vendor come to my home and he showed me actual shutters in place and that was so helpful. My walls are a creamy off-white and the shutters match beautifully. I got the poly design without handles. I love them!!! I keep all the lower ones closed the the upper ones open and angled up. My house is filled with light and looks classy because it matches throughout. Mine are inside mounted and I feel no need for drapes. I feel the shutters blend in so well they don't serve as decor, I am able to use accents in the rooms for decor. The shutters are easy to clean and really do a great job of insulating the house.

Typically, you can raise and lower the sashes, you just can't tilt them in for cleaning. There are shutters that are mounted on the wall, rather than inside the jamb that can swing clear, allowing the sashes to tilt in. If you haven't purchased the shutters yet, you just need to let the shutter company know that you want them to build the shutters to accommodate use of your double hung windows.