The short answer
Short answer: one free home survey of about 40 minutes, a written quote, then a single fitting visit of roughly two to four hours for a typical room once the shutters arrive. The same company measures, makes to order and fits, so nothing is handed to a subcontractor in between.
- Survey
- Free, about 40 minutes, no obligation
- Fitting a typical room
- Two to four hours
- Who fits
- Our own fitters, not subcontractors
At the survey: what we measure and why
We take three widths and three drops on every opening, because almost no reveal in a real house is square. The smallest of each set governs the panel, since a shutter has to pass through the tightest point of the opening.
We also check reveal depth at the shallowest corner, the position of handles and trickle vents, whether the cill is level, whether the plaster is sound enough to take a fixing, and where the light falls at the time of day you use the room. That last one changes louvre size recommendations more often than people expect.
Decisions taken at the window, not on a laptop
Configuration, louvre size, frame type, hinge finish, tilt rod position and colour are all agreed while standing at the window with samples in hand. It is far easier to see whether a 63mm or an 89mm louvre suits a small terrace window when a sample is held against the glass.
Handle clearance is the classic detail that decides the frame. A tilt and turn or a chunky uPVC handle often needs a spacer or a Z frame to give the panel room to close, and that is spotted at survey rather than discovered on fitting day.
Between survey and fitting
Your measurements go to production and the shutters are made to order for those exact openings. Standard lead times run around eight to ten weeks, with shaped work such as arches and circles at the longer end because the carcass is hand built to your curve.
We check every panel against the survey sheet when it lands, before we book your fitting date, so a discrepancy is found in the workshop rather than in your living room.
Fitting day, in order
The sequence is the same in every house: dust sheets down, frame offered up dry and packed level, frame fixed and the fixings capped, panels hung, hinges adjusted, louvre tension set, then a walk round with you operating every panel yourself.
- Drilling is into the reveal or the wall face, with dust extraction on the drill
- Frames are packed and levelled rather than forced to the plaster line
- Louvre tension is set panel by panel so blades stay where you leave them
- Offcuts, packaging and dust are taken away with us
- You get the aftercare notes and the warranty details before we leave
Common questions
Do I need to do anything before fitting day?
Clear the windowsill and give us about a metre of working space in front of each window. Curtain poles can stay up unless the shutter frame clashes, which we will have flagged at survey.
How messy is the installation?
Modest. There is drilling, so there is some dust, but we use extraction and dust sheets and we take everything away. Most customers stay in the house throughout.
Can you fit into plasterboard or a tiled reveal?
Yes to both. Plasterboard takes specific fixings which we carry as standard, and tiled reveals are drilled slowly with the right bit to avoid cracking the glaze.
What if a panel does not sit right after a few months?
Call us and we come back. Hinges occasionally need a small adjustment after a heating season, and that visit is part of the service, not a chargeable callout.