IMO those shutters you show are totally inappropriate for those windows and to be honest most shutters that are fake are the wrong size too. I would need to see your home to advise about any shutter.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting -- the shutters I show are merely an EXAMPLE of a traditional raised panel shutter. They are not the shutters that would be installed on our house.

My question was about manufacturers in general, not about how shutters were implemented on a particular project or shutter sizes...

Was your house deigned to accommodate shutters? I would hate to advise on shutters that would be inappropriate for a house and be an accomplice to poor design. I have never needed to be a fugitive from the shutter police and I do not intend to start now.

Well real wood would mean a lot of maintenance, so PVC for sure.

@Mark Bischak, Architect

Our architect didn't give us a lot of room for shutters (even though we indicated that we wanted shutters!). The front elevation looks as follows:

Here is the as-built:

Here is a crude mock-up of the house with shutters:

And, here are the important measurements:

Long story short: we're trying to improve the look of the front of the house and thought that installing high quality shutters would be a way to do so. That said, we don't want to spend $5,000-$10,000 to make the house look worse.

Note that there will be a 12" lantern (similar to the following) hanging from a chain under the front entry portico:

Thoughts on shutters? And, if shutters wouldn't work, thoughts as to how we might improve the house?

Well, it appears that not all of the windows are appropriate for shutters. Imagine that you were to close them, each shutter should be 1/2 the width of the window. That said, for the shutters you DO install, I think composite is the way to go from my reading last fall to help a friend. Vinyl shutters tend to bow in the hot sun (happened to us and we are now “shutter-free”). Also, look for hardware to enhance the authentic feel.

Other than the new light, I don’t think your home actually needs any adornment; it’s quite lovely, congratulations. The only thing I would suggest is some flowering shrubs. My oak leaf hydrangea “Ruby Slippers,” has flowers that shift from white to a deep pink. That may be a pleasant addition.

In either case, I would be proud to drive up to this at the end of a long work day!

@Anna (6B/7A in MD)

We would need a 17" shutter to be historically accurate. There's no way a 17" width would work on our house (not sure if we even have the space for 14" shutters).

As for material, vinyl is off the table. We would either use Western Red Cedar of PVC (the latter of which looks exactly like real wood and comes with a 10-year warranty on the finish).

The elevation shows a poor application of shutters. You may have to install bi-folding shutters in some areas if you decide to have shutters.

@Mark Bischak, Architect -- I don't think the bi-fold shutters would look good in this application.

Let's assume that we wanted to install the regular shutters (we do if, any only if, the house will not look worse). In this case, could we install the 14" wide shutters? Or, would everything look too "cramped"?

Is there anything else we could do to the front of the house to improve it?

Thanks!

Honestly, your house is gorgeous both ways! That being said, I think putting that money towards landscaping would make a greater impact on the appearance of your house! Good luck.

Shutters on a house should be sized to be functional.

Shutters look great on some houses and 99% of people could care less if they are not functional. Probably 99% of the shutters are not functional. I would make sure they could be easily removed for maintenance.

@Mark Bischak, Architect -- yes, ideally our shutters would be 17" wide and therefore "historically accurate". We can't do that. Are you saying that we shouldn't install the shutters if they are not 17" wide? Or, don't install the shutters if they are not mounted on plate pintels and strap hinges, with shutter dogs?

Timberlane makes very high quality shutters. I’ve had mine now fir 17 years and they look like new.

A little info on shutters or shudders may help you.

http://architecturalobserver.com/shutters-or-shudders/

You have a lot of details that most houses don't have: crown molding on windows, dentil work, panels on dormers, wide window moldings so I think adding shutters would be over dressing

We used Shutterstile for our shutters, in cedar. Love them. Still look great 10 years later!