I was involved in a project where I insisted that if they put shutters on that they be hung the right way and that they at least look functional, and it did add to the expense compared to just tacking them on the house. 1) The louvers on correctly hung shutters face UP when they are open. This is so when they are closed the louvers face down. Most people get this upside down and we are so used to seeing it this way that it looks more natural the wrong way. 2) Operable shutters require sturdy hinges let into the frame of the window, shutter dogs to hold them open, and it is recommended that there be a bullet catch on the back of operable shutters to hold them more firmly against the house than shutter dogs do, or they rattle in high winds. Then they need the bolt hardware to hold them closed. This is a lot of hardware for something that will generally stay in the open position, but it's all necessary if you are going for realism. 3) Windows that are close together will often have shutters that overlap. Or if the window is close to the corner the shutter will not lay flat because a downspout is in the way. This does not look pleasing to most people so sometimes you end up cheating the shutter a bit narrower to show tiny bit of wall in between. This is a fine line, it still has to Look wide enough. But on a historic house the shutters are whatever size they need to be and they fall where they may when open. Shutters were also used for security and this is why you will see them on areas protected from the weather like porches. The reason you only see them on the front facades is because people want to save money.

One of the better videos. Here is a link that might be useful: Shutter video

I really waned to use them on the back of my house, but it's too windy here in Austin~just something you need to take into consideration, too. ;o)

Thanks for the reply, good to know. I was told by a company that they will also act like my clamshell aluminum awning at keeping the rain out of the porch because of the angle of the slats, is what the guy told me.