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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Cabin Part II - Shutters


My brother-in-law, Colby, and his friend Ryan have been working hard on the cabin I posted about here.
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Most recently they have installed a pine tongue and groove floor and ceiling and inserted a gas range into the kitchen side of the double sided fireplace. (The kitchen part of the chimney is interesting because the opening is waist high. It was originally used as a grill/cooking area.) I think putting a range in that space was a great idea! The kitchen is VERY small and this will be such a space saver. Plus it will make that hole in the chimney a usable space.
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I think I have some pictures of their work in progress so far. I'll have to look for them and add them to this post later.
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In the mean time, Colby has ordered a few new windows to replace some of the old ones. The cabin is in a very remote spot. We fear that once it is renovated it might become a tempting place for vandals. The cabin was vandalized about 25 years ago and my in-laws were so distraught about it that they never re-did it...until now.
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For aesthetic and security purposes we think shutters that close would be great. Since no one lives at the farm full time this would be a great solution. Just close 'em up and lock them from the inside when we leave. I think board and batten shutters would look the best. Below are some examples and some "how to" directions.

How to Build Batten Board Shutters
Contributor: Ryder Von Tripe

Things You'll Need:
Tape measure
Waterproof wood glue
Wood
Nail gun
Wood stain or paint

Measure your windows. To know how much wood you will need for your batten board shutters, you will need to first measure your windows. Measure the height and width of your windows with a tape measure. Your shutters should be as tall as the window but half as wide as the window.

Step 2
Purchase the wood. Go to your local home-improvement store to purchase wood for the shutters. You can choose any type of wood that you like, but cedar is a popular choice because it is durable. Each shutter will usually consist of three vertical pieces and two horizontal pieces, for a total of six vertical pieces and four horizontal pieces per window. If you have larger than normal windows, you might need additional vertical pieces. Use the measurements of your window as a guide. You can get the wood cut to the appropriate size at the home-improvement store.

Step 3
Assemble the boards. Lay out your boards, the vertical pieces, together on a flat surface. Only put the boards together for each shutter, not the entire shutter set. Typically this will be three boards. Lay them side-by-side so that they are even and together. Connect them to each other with waterproof wood glue.

Step 4
Attach the battens. Measure between 8 and 12 inches from the top and bottom to place your battens on the boards. Apply some waterproof wood glue to secure the battens to the boards. Then use a nail gun to attach the battens to the boards. Be sure to drive the nails through the outward facing side of the shutter. Apply nails every 4 to 6 inches.
Step 5
Paint or stain the shutters. To complete your batten board shutters, apply some waterproof outdoor wood stain or paint to the shutters. You can get this, as well as a brush for applying it, at your local home-improvement store. Apply and let dry according to directions on packaging. Once they are dry you can attach the shutters to your home with four 2.75-inches long screws, one in each corner, and a drill. Attach with screws no matter what the exterior of the home is, such as brick or siding.
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Here's another "How To" from Lowe's. However, I am not sure if their directions are for decorative or functional shutters.

When conducting a quick Google search, architectural depot came up with a few purchasable options.

Premier Shutters of New England also has a nice website and product. Their shutters are the ones shown in between the directions above.

1 comment:

  1. I love these shutters for the cabin. I think they would look best as well. I'll be showing this to Colby as soon as he gets home from hunting!

    ReplyDelete