Shutters are the most expensive of the common window coverings, so "cheap shutters" is doing a lot of work in that search. In Auckland it usually means one of four different things, and only two of them are actually shutters. Knowing which one you are looking at decides whether the price is a bargain or a false economy.
The four things sold as cheap shutters
1. PVC or thermopoly plantation shutters
The budget end of the real thing, and the option most people mean. A synthetic louvre in a fixed or hinged frame. Good in a bathroom, a kitchen or a rental, because it does not care about moisture. The differences that matter between one brand and another are how thick the louvre is, whether the frame is hollow or solid, and whether the tilt is a rod or a hidden gear.
2. Timber shutters
Basswood and similar. Warmer, heavier, and a step up in price. Not the one to put in a shower, but the one people want in a lounge or a main bedroom.
3. Aluminium or security shutters
A different product wearing the same word: slats in a security frame, for a shopfront, a bach or a window you are trying to protect. It is not a plantation shutter and it is not priced like one.
4. "Shutter look" blinds
A wide-slat venetian dressed up to look like a shutter. Much cheaper, and honest if it is sold as a venetian. It is not a shutter: no frame, no fixed louvres, and the slats are lighter.
Where cheap shutters actually fail
The louvre pins
The small pins that hold each louvre are the first thing to go on a cheap panel. Once one pops, the louvre hangs and the panel is never right again.
Hollow frames
A thin hollow frame looks the same in a photo and moves differently once it is screwed to a wall. It is also what makes a shutter feel cheap when you open it.
Panel width
Wide panels in a thin profile rack and rub. A wide window handled properly is more panels, not wider ones, and that is part of what the price is doing.
UV and heat
Cheap synthetics go brittle on a north or west window where the sun hits the louvres directly. In a bathroom out of the sun they last far better.
What to check before you buy any shutter
Ask four things: how thick the louvre is, whether the frame is solid or hollow, whether the panel widths were measured for your window or pulled from a standard list, and what the warranty covers — the louvres, the pins and the frame separately, or the whole panel. A shutter is a fitted product, so the answers to those four questions are what you are actually buying.
Shutters versus a blind, on price
There is no version of this where shutters cost less than a roller blind on the same window. A standard roller starts at $175 fitted; a plantation shutter on the same opening is materially more, and a wide window is priced per panel, so it multiplies.
What the money buys is a fixed product with no cords, nothing to fray, and control over light in both directions — which is why they end up in street-facing bedrooms and on doors, and rarely in a room nobody sees.
When the cheaper option is the right one
A rental where you want the look without the outlay. A child's room that will be repainted in three years. A window that is going to be replaced when the kitchen is done. In those cases a PVC shutter or a wide-slat venetian is a sensible answer, and we will tell you so rather than quoting the top of the range.
Questions about cheap shutters
What are the cheapest shutters?
PVC or thermopoly plantation shutters in standard sizes, and wide-slat venetian blinds sold as a shutter alternative. Be clear which one you are being quoted for, because they are different products with different lifespans.
Are cheap shutters worth it?
In a bathroom, a rental or a room out of the direct sun, often yes. On a hot north or west window, a thin synthetic louvre will go brittle and the pins will fail first, and that is when cheap stops being cheap.
How much do shutters cost in New Zealand?
More than a roller blind on the same window, and priced per panel and per frame rather than per square metre of fabric. The free in-home measure gives a fixed per-window price, and we quote the shutter alongside a blind for the same opening so you can see the difference before deciding.
Can shutters go in a bathroom or over a bath?
Yes in PVC, which is what it is for. Timber in a wet area will move. We check what the window is exposed to before recommending a material.
Do shutters add value to a house?
They photograph well and buyers notice them, so they help a listing. Whether they return their cost depends on the room and the buyer, and anyone who tells you a number is guessing.
Shutter and blind prices for your windows
Free in-home measure and quote, five coverings minimum, GST inclusive. We quote both so you can compare.
More on choosing
What blinds cost in Auckland
$175 for a standard window, and the five things that move that number.
Read it →Cheap blinds: what the price buys
The three things sold as cheap blinds, and what fails first.
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