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We recently caught up with local customer, Nicola Younger from West Wickham, who came to us during our 2022 early bird winter sale looking for interior window shutters for the front windows of her three-bed semi, plus a large bedroom window at the back. Being a light sleeper, Nicola also wanted to add an integrated blind to her bedroom shutters to maximise room darkening. We asked Nicola to share her entire customer experience with us in her own words, and this is what she told us:
‘I’m not going to lie, until recently, window shutters were never on my home improvement list. I have always been a traditional kind of girl that just loves a pair of curtains, and I have always felt that you need curtains to ‘dress’ a room and create that cosy, homely feeling. How wrong I have been all these years!
Like so many people, the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 made me very home conscious. Spending so much time at home, coupled with welcoming a puppy into our household and bringing up two young children, has meant the wear and tear of our home has progressed much quicker than expected in recent years! On top of that, the cost-of-living crisis and hike in energy prices has urged our family to investigate ways of improving thermal efficiency at home in a bid to keep our heating bills as low as possible.
Our house is also south-facing, which we love because our living room gets flooded with natural light. However, this did bring its challenges, particularly with young children who constantly close the curtains to keep the sunlight from obscuring their much-loved electronic devices! Plus, it meant that during summer the living room was sweltering and we were only able to improve this by closing the curtains, which meant losing the light and restricting air flow. The sunlight also took its toll on our furniture and soft furnishings too.
Lots of our friends, neighbours, and work colleagues have had window shutters installed in recent years and, having seen how fresh and homely they look first-hand, we decided to research further. ShuttersUp were recommended to us by several friends and, after I saw a Facebook post from them at Christmas time about how shutters are the best window dressing for reducing heat loss, I made the call.’
‘My initial call was answered by Danielle who listened to my requirements and suggested that she arrange for their Sales Operations Manager, Ben, to come and visit me for an initial chat and an obligation-free quote. We arranged a date and time that suited me and within an hour of getting off the phone Danielle emailed me through a confirmation of the agreed consultation appointment.
Ben rang me the day before our appointment to check everything was still ok and on the day he arrived promptly with a big friendly smile in tow. Ben took me through all the different shutter styles, materials, opening possibilities, finishes, and colours. We discussed what would work for my requirements and budget. He also brought lots of samples with him so he could demonstrate how the shutters operate and allow me to consider the different materials and colour options that were available to me.
20 contemporary integrated blind colour options to choose from
Shutter samples
Information pack
Ben answered all my questions (and there were quite a few!) and he was polite, courteous, and genuinely engaged throughout. Once we had discussed everything thoroughly, he measured all the windows and put together a written, obligation-free quote based on my initial thoughts and preferred options. The quote was clearly broken down so I could see itemised costs. He also gave me a comprehensive pack that detailed everything we had gone through, making it easy to share (and discuss) with my husband later that evening when he was home from work. Ben also left me with his full contact details so I could follow up with any questions I might have later, and we agreed that I would be in touch if and when I wanted to progress further.’
‘After deliberation, my husband and I decided to opt for full height shutters with a mid-rail from the Cuba range. The Cuba range is a mid-budget range where the frames are made up of robust MDF and the shutter panels are made from real hardwood (Basswood).
We opted for 89mm slats and hidden tilt rods because we wanted more of a seamless, minimalistic look. We chose Pure White for the shutter (and hinge) colour as it matched our window frame, ledge, and room finishes perfectly.’
‘Ben explained in his consultation with me that, once the shutters have been painted, the last layer to be added is a UV lacquer to protect the shutters from the sun, ensuring that my white shutters wouldn’t turn yellow overtime. The lacquer also protects from condensation, as well as heat rising from radiators. No more faded sofa or interiors for us!
We chose to install shutters to all the rooms at the front of our house as well as the top floor back bedroom. We also opted for an integrated blind for our bedroom in the front. As very light sleepers, this means that the room is as close to complete room darkening as can be. I would say the bedroom is 96% room darkening now. My husband suffers from migraines and a dark room is important for his recovery. Plus, the sun no longer wakes us up at 4am during summer!’
‘It was very easy to order the shutters. Once we had digested all the information and finalised all our chosen requirements, we gave Ben a call to let him know. He explained that Danielle would send a ‘confirmation of order’ to us in due course. This arrived in my inbox the next day and we were able to read through and sign the document electronically to guarantee all the details of our order were correct. Danielle then went ahead and placed our order. We knew that from this point our shutters would take between 12 to 16 weeks to arrive. Danielle explained that she would contact us to arrange installation once the shutters were ready. We then arranged a date for one of the team to come back and measure all the windows one more time to ensure all measurements were correct and precise. The final measure took place within the week.’
‘The shutters do take a while to arrive, but this was made clear to me when I ordered them. The standard lead time from order to installation is 12 to 16 weeks. During that time, I received a lovely, personally written card to thank me for choosing ShuttersUp, and two emails. One email was just to touch base with me and let me know the shutters were on their way and that they would be in contact shortly to arrange installation. The other email was to arrange installation.’
‘The total of our order including VAT and installation was £5,020.70. This included a 20% early bird discount that was running at the time (Feb 2022). For a full breakdown of this quote and the prices quoted for other ranges based on these specific specifications and requirements click here.
We paid our deposit (50%) upon ordering and the final balance was paid two days prior to installation.’
‘On installation day, Rob the Fitter arrived punctually and didn’t hang around. He was finished by 3pm and, considering he installed three large set of shutters (one with integrated room darkening blind) and a small set of shutters, I thought that was super-efficient. There was no rushing though. Rob was thorough and precise and took the time to tell me all about the shutters, how they operated, and how to look after them before he hoovered up and loaded his van with all the waste for recycling.’
‘With ShuttersUp you really do get what you pay for. My whole experience was worth it. They did exactly what they said they would…made my shutters and my experience bespoke to me.’
We’ll be happy to pay you a visit so we can offer tailored, personal advice about all your shutter options.
