Checking for Home Depot plantation shutters on their own site revealed that they are suggesting that you have ‘experts’ install them for you. Of course that makes a lot of sense as they stand to make a considerable profit from it, and it is nice if you are able to afford it to have them take care of it from the beginning measuring stages all the way through to the actual installation.  They also offer payment plans if you are not able to pay for all of the installation of plantation shutters in all windows at the same time, which is a helpful option if you really can’t afford to pay for the installation at once but you aren’t able to install them yourself.

If you are not able, or willing to pay for Home Depot plantation shutters plus installation, there are a few other options available. Unfortunately, though, none are as well priced as ordering your plantation shutters from Home Depot and then putting them up yourself.

There are other options for ordering standard sized Plantation shutters online, and a quick and simple search online should turn up quite a few options.  The shutters themselves will most likely  be more expensive than what you would have paid for the same at Home Depot, but still considerably cheaper than ordering custom made and custom installed Home Depot plantation shutters.  Look for sales, and look for sites that offer free shipping in order to cut down your costs.

Alternatively, you may be able to negotiate to get the price down to something you can afford. For example, some people have offered to pay Home Depot to come and measure for the shutters, as that is the trickiest part of putting them up yourself–getting the measurements exact–and they have paid around $35 for that service.  The good thing about that is that if the shop itself gets the measurement wrong, then the fault lies with them and not with you and they will be obliged to fix the mistake they made.  Sure saves on you measuring wrong and then not being able to return your plantation shutters and get new ones.

In any case, if you are planning on re-doing several windows with Plantation shutters Home Depot may have the standard sized shutters available again at some time in the future. If they do, you may be well advised to buy them all at the same time, rather than planning on doing them one at a time, just in case they disappear off the shelves again! If you do buy Plantation blinds Home Depot is definitely a good place to check out first.

Lowes pricing for plantation shutters is based on grid measurements, as they offer preset standards for their shutters. Thus whether your window is 40 inches wide, or 46 inches wide you will be charged the same price for the shutter.  They do make allowances for the actual size of the shutter, meaning that they will customize your order to the exact size you want it, however because of the pricing structure you will basically be charged the same price for a 46 inch shutter even if you ask them to customize it so that it is only 42 inches wide. In effect, due to the pricing in place you actually end up paying more for a 42 inch window that you would were you to order to exact dimensions from another store.

This is where there is more flexibility when ordering Home depot plantation shutters. Unlike Lowes, they charge per square foot, with ever shutter perfectly custom made to your size window. In other words, you end up paying for exactly what you order with Home Depot. If you are installing many shutters or you have large windows, the saving made by having your shutters custom designed to the exact measurement and paying per square foot can be considerable, especially if you purchase the more expensive shutters. In summary, paying for your shutters by the square foot, rather than paying by the grid structure that Lowes use, is actually quite a bit less expensive even though at first glance it may appear that you are getting a better deal, or cheaper shutters, by ordering the standard sized plantation shutters.

For the best deal on plantation shutters, however, you may want to check out your local dealers.  They are often more flexible on their pricing, most will charge per square foot as Home Depot does, and they often do a much better job at tailoring the shutters exactly to your specifications. What’s more, they will also often send someone to take exact measurements and install the shutters for free afterwards.  Smaller businesses, knowing that they need to compete against bigger chain stores, offer something that the larger stores cannot really accommodate: Great customer service and genuine pride in their work.  This is especially important if you are planning on installing shutters throughout your entire house, or large sections of it. With so much more attention to detail and personalized service, you will probably find that the purchase and installation is much faster and that the shutters are custom designed to an exact fit, no matter how your windows are actually installed.

If you are planning on installing shutters on one or two windows and you are not going to be spending a lot of money on them, then by all means check out the options at Home Depot or Lowes. But remember, even though Home Depot only offers ‘customized shutters’ you can actually end up saving more money by purchasing from them, due to their pricing structure.  The plantation shutters Home Depot has to offer may not be exactly what you have in mind, if that is the case you will need to look elsewhere, with Lowes plantation shutters being a secondary option.

Low cost plantation shutters can be bought online at quite reasonable prices. The cheapest plantation shutters are those made from vinyl, and they are usually available in either white or a wood stain color. While they may not be made from wood, they can still look really great when added to windows in a kitchen, or even in a living room particularly if you have a modern décor.  They also have the advantage of not warping, scratching or getting damaged by the sun and they are also extremely easy to dust and clean.  Definitely a low cost and low maintenance blind!

Other options open to you include buying faux wood shutters. These are usually a little more expensive than the vinyl shutters but they look very much like real wood, especially from a distance. These look great in any living room or living area, and can really add to the overall décor. They also have the advantages of being easier to care for than wood, with no warping, twisting or getting bleached by the sun. They are usually easy to dust and clean, though you do need to make sure that you do not get them overly damp or wet.

Finally, you may also be able to afford unfinished wood shutters. These are designed specifically for the handyman or DIY home enthusiast in mind. They are basic, unfinished wood shutters that can often be made to size.  All you need to do is to finish them, and then assemble them and install them onto the window.  You can usually choose whether to have them prepared for painting or for staining. These are usually not made from top quality hardwood–that is reserved for the designer style plantation shutters–but they are made from a hardwood.

One other thing to note when shopping for plantation shutters is that they are much cheaper if you buy the standard sized shutters.  Custom sized shutters are naturally quite a bit more expensive, especially if you need a custom design added, such as an arch at the top.  But if your windows are standard sized you should be able to pick up fairly cheap shutters quite easily.

It is usually much cheaper to buy shutters online. Unfortunately you cannot find Home Depot plantation shutters any more, although I believe that when it comes to plantation shutters Lowes has some very reasonably priced ones.  Aside from those stores, there are many other different shops that are offering cheap prices for plantation shutters. You can also find many different shutters for sale on Amazon, for example.

Material They’re Made From

One way to cut back on costs is to order either plastic or polymer plantation shutters or faux wood shutters.  They are usually quite a bit cheaper than wood shutters yet for the most part they can look just as nice. They are also often more resilient when it comes to holding up in the hot sunlight and do not warp or fade like wood shutters can tend to.

Buy from One Retailer Over Time

While this may not actually save you money, it is a great tip. Sometimes people cannot afford to outfit their entire house with shutters all at one time (see, I knew it had something to do with money,) so one idea is to add them to windows as you can afford. The only drawback with this is that sometimes, if you buy them at Lowes for example, they may either run out of stock or no longer stock the exact type you bought when it comes time to buy some more.  So, if you are going to add to your windows over time, I’d suggest buying from a blinds retailer that deals only with blinds, and preferably manufacturers them themselves. That way you can try to ensure that they will always have something in stock.

If you buy Lowes Plantation shutters or Home Depot plantation shutters, and you plan on buying them over time, you may be disappointed when it comes time to buy your second or third batch and you suddenly find that the store is no longer carrying them. Or, in the case of Home Depot, they are now only selling custom plantation shutters which naturally cost a lot more than the standard sized plantation shutters that would fit most windows.

Make Your Own Using a Shutter Kit

If you have an experienced handyman in your family you can always buy your own shutter kit online, and then assemble and install the shutters yourself. There really is a lot of satisfaction to be gained from making your own shutters, and as long as you have some basic skills you should be able to do it yourself.  If you are careful, take the time needed and follow the instructions the finished product should look great!  And you will be able to tell everyone that you made the shutters yourself from a DIY Shutter Kit.

Check the Resale Lists

Every day shutters are returned to the stores they were bought from for various reasons, with the most common being that the measurements taken were wrong and thus the blinds did not fit. It happens to the best carpenter!  Once they are returned to the store, they cannot be sold for the original retail value so they are often offered for sale at a much cheaper price. You may not always find the exact size that you are looking for, but you would be surprised at how many homes have very similar sized windows installed. It is definitely worth checking the resale lists in most of the bigger home improvement type stores, or stores that sell blinds and window treatments.

Buy Online

It is usually quite a bit cheaper to buy your shutters directly online, in most instances. Of course you need to look for offers such as free shipping, and be sure to read the return policy carefully before placing your order.  You will need to be able to install the shutters yourself, or at least find someone who can install them for you, but if you can and you can benefit from free shipping and the often very competitive pricing that is online, you should be able to find the blinds you want at a really good price.

Small sized shutters, 24″ x 25″ are available for as little as $50 per shutter. This is a vinyl shutter, which is actually great to use in damp areas as it is guaranteed not to warp.

Their range of vinyl shutters are some of the cheapest you can find, yet they are extremely durable and long-lasting, and as long as you take care of them they look good for years.

The largest size of regular shutters they have measure 71″ x 41″, and they are available in a wood grain color or white, again made from hard wearing vinyl.

If you end up buying your shutters from Lowes they also offer to come and do the installation for you, for a price.  It is great to see that Lowes still offers standard sized plantation shutters as unfortunately Home Depot plantation shutters are no longer available, unless you order custom sizes–which of course ends up being quite a bit more expensive than the regular sized shutters are.

If you are interested in wood shutters or even faux wood shutters, you may have to shop somewhere other than Lowes for these. It seems that for now at least the only line that Lowes was selling, at least when referenced online, are the vinyl shutters. Mind you, many people are quite happy with vinyl shutters but if you are going for a more authentic wood look in your home, or living areas, you may want to check out places online that specialize in blinds and shutters only. They seem to have a much better selection of shutters, at pretty affordable prices too.

Of course, any shutters that are ordered online will need to be installed by either yourself or the handyman in your family.  If you really cannot find anyone related to you that can help you put them up, then you may need to hire someone to do it for you. They are not that difficult to install and providing you have measured your windows correctly they should pop into place fairly easily.

If you order online, not from Lowes or Home Depot, then try to wrangle free shipping from the company. They should be willing to offer this, especially if you are buying a number of shutters from them. In fact, as the whole window treatment industry is so competitive at the moment especially amongst online retailers, most shops that are selling online automatically offer free shipping at least within the State, or whichever country the online store is located in.

The reason that many online stores are able to see shutters at cheaper prices than even Lowes or Home Depot, is that with many stores they have very little overhead thus they are able to really slash their prices. Of course, some online stores also have a factory presence, but even so, if they do not have an actual brick and mortar shop somewhere you will find that their prices are usually very good.

Too often ‘discount Plantation shutters’  are lacking in their design, sometimes to the point that they don’t close or open properly.  Other elements that you may be missing out on, should you buy cheap Plantation shutters are the hand-sanded louvers, fine finish, and multiple finish coatings.  You may also find that the hinges or other parts to the shutters are of inferior quality, as often the way that retailers trim costs is by using inferior quality materials.

It is possible to get good quality Plantation shutters cheaply, or to at least trim the costs by following some of the subsequent tips.

Tip #1: Check Resale Lists

Builders or homeowners and DIY enthusiasts often return mis-measured Plantation shutters (and other blinds) to the store they brought it from.  It is amazing how often blinds are bought but then it is discovered that they don’t exactly fit, so they have to be returned and exchanged for another size.  In most stores, these items then have to be offered at quite large discount prices, even bigger discount prices if the packaging has been opened.

Tip #2: Research at a store, but buy online

Do all of your researching at a store, such as Home Depot or Lowes. Find out what type of shutters you like best, talk to the salespeople and get all the information you can to make an informed decision. Note down the product number and name of the shutter you want to buy and then go online and search for it. Chances are you will be able to find it online at one third to half the sale value in the store when it comes to buying Home Depot plantation shutters at least.

Some people think it is too much trouble to buy something as expensive as Plantation shutters online, as there’s too much risk of ordering the wrong size.  It can happen, so if you are going to order online make sure you measure your window correctly, and according to the instructions given on the website.

Tip #3: Freebies

If ordering on line, order from a store that gives free shipping and handling.  See if the store offers free custom painting.  If buying from a store, not online, ask for free delivery and installation.

Tip #4: For the Brave at Heart–Buy a Shutter Kit

Yes, they do exist, and you can order them online.  You can buy a ’shutter’ kit which gives you the wood and materials needed to assemble and then install your own shutter. This may be a better option for the handyman, but it can definitely save you money plus you get to tell everyone that you made them yourself.

Tip #5: Buy directly from the Factory

Cut out the middle man, and the added expenses of going through him, by buying directly from the factory.  This could definitely be an option if you’re thinking of re-doing all of your windows, and you are prepared to place a larger order. It may not work if you are only buying one set of shutters, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. You might end up with a bargain.

Tip #6:  Buy Last year’s Design

Check out the store for old stock, last year’s designs.  Plantation shutters don’t really go out of style, and there really won’t be much difference between Plantation shutters made a year or so ago, and brand new designs.  No one will be able to notice any difference once they are up, so why not save yourself some money by getting last years’ shutters.  Most stores offer a substantial discount on old stock that they are trying to get rid of, take advantage of that.

Tip #7: Install the Shutters Yourself

Or if you are not that handy with tools and DIY projects, invite someone over to help you put them up and treat them to a great dinner, or offer to help them with something in return. It’s amazing how many people would be willing to do a trade like that.  Offer to watch their kids for an evening, if they help put up your Shutters. Be inventive, I’m sure there’s some trade you can make!

Tip #8:  Buy Faux wood Plantation Shutters

Instead of investing in the more expensive wood Plantation shutters, buy faux wood or even vinyl plantation shutters instead. They look just as nice but are oftentimes considerably cheaper.