Exquisite Custom Bermuda Shutters Crafted to Your Exact Specifications
Estate Millwork specializes in crafting exquisite custom Bermuda shutters meticulously tailored to meet your precise preferences. Each shutter is meticulously constructed using authentic solid wood, employing traditional joinery techniques, and adorned with genuine architectural embellishments.
Bermuda shutters are not only aesthetically pleasing but also serve a practical purpose, enhancing the exterior of any residence while providing shade and privacy indoors without obstructing the view. Inspired by the colonial architectural heritage of Bermuda, these shutters are typically installed above windows, with a distinct emphasis on width over height.
At Estate Millwork, we take pride in offering Bermuda shutters in a diverse range of sizes and styles to accommodate various architectural designs and window dimensions. Our wider Bermuda shutters are meticulously crafted with multiple vertical components known as sub-stiles, ensuring unparalleled strength and durability, especially for shutters spanning across multiple windows or wider openings. Each shutter is a testament to our commitment to craftsmanship and attention to detail, enhancing the charm and functionality of your home exterior.
Navigating the Ordering Process for Bermuda Shutters
Embarking on the journey of acquiring Bermuda shutters begins with thoughtful consideration of which windows and openings will benefit from this exquisite treatment. To ensure a perfect fit, follow our comprehensive measuring instructions provided below.
Once armed with accurate measurements, utilize our user-friendly Bermuda shutter App, designed to streamline the selection process. Within the app, you can choose from a plethora of shutter styles, input your dimensions, and meticulously review detailed drawings, pricing information, and even renderings of your customized shutters.
Furthermore, our extensive material options cater to diverse preferences, boasting over 15 species to select from. Notably, Spanish Cedar and Mahogany stand out as optimal choices for exterior applications, renowned for their durability and aesthetic appeal.
Moreover, you have the option to enhance your Bermuda shutters by opting for factory priming and painting services. Our shutter designer tool empowers you to select the precise color that resonates with your vision. Alternatively, simply provide us with the name of a color from any reputable national brand, and we will expertly match it to ensure your shutters seamlessly integrate with your home's aesthetic.
At every step of the process, Estate Millwork remains dedicated to delivering unparalleled craftsmanship and personalized service, ensuring your Bermuda shutters exceed expectations in both form and function.
Exceptional Quality Craftsmanship
Every Bermuda shutter crafted by our artisans epitomizes premium quality, meticulously tailored to your precise specifications. Utilizing a diverse array of solid wood options such as cedar, teak, mahogany, and more, we ensure that each shutter exudes timeless elegance and durability.
At our state-of-the-art robotic plant, we employ precision machining techniques to fabricate each component of the Bermuda shutters with utmost accuracy. From the rails and stiles to the substiles and louvers, every detail is meticulously crafted to perfection. Subsequently, our skilled artisans undertake the meticulous process of hand assembly and finishing, infusing each shutter with a touch of artisanal excellence.
Adhering to the highest standards of craftsmanship, all our custom shutters are constructed using authentic mortise and tenon joinery, featuring solid rails and stiles. Traditional pegging through the tenons further reinforces the structural integrity, ensuring maximum strength and stability for these refined exterior shutters.
In addition to our commitment to superior craftsmanship, we offer an array of finishing services, including priming, painting, and staining, to enhance the aesthetic appeal of your shutters. Furthermore, we provide a curated selection of hardware options for seamless installation, ensuring both functionality and aesthetic cohesion.
To ensure the safe delivery of your bespoke shutters, each piece is carefully packed and can be shipped worldwide via various shipping methods, including parcel, LTL (Less Than Truckload), or ocean freight. Rest assured, regardless of the scale of your project, our meticulous attention to detail ensures that your Bermuda shutters arrive in pristine condition, ready to adorn your home with unparalleled elegance and charm.
Mastering the Art of Measuring Bermuda Shutters
When installing your bespoke Bermuda shutters onto windows, it's essential to follow precise measurements to ensure a perfect fit. Typically, these shutters are mounted above the window frame, necessitating the collection of two critical measurements.
Firstly, determine the width by measuring the outside width of the window, including any casings, and then add 2 inches to accommodate for proper clearance and aesthetics. Secondly, ascertain the length of the shutters by measuring from the top to the bottom of the window opening, again including any casings, and adding 2 inches for optimal coverage and functionality.
For mounting hinges, ensure they are ordered to match the width of the Bermuda Shutter for seamless installation and stability.
However, if the shutters are to be mounted inside a window opening or a porch enclosure, a different set of measurements is required. Measure the inside width and length of the jamb and subtract 1/4 inch from each dimension to allow for a reveal of 1/8 inch all around the shutter, ensuring a snug fit and proper alignment. Again, the mounting hinge should be ordered to match the width of the shutter for optimal functionality and aesthetics.
By adhering to these meticulous measurement guidelines, you can ensure that your custom Bermuda shutters fit flawlessly, enhancing both the visual appeal and functionality of your windows or enclosures.
Solid Wood Mortise and Tenons
True Tenons
Our premium quality shutters are carefully constructed using a time consuming and precise operation. Whereas other lower quality shutters are made using screws, nails, dowels or biscuit joints, each of our exterior wooden shutters has a minimum of 4 hardwood tenons. The end of each rail is painstakingly machined to have a 1/2" X 1 7/8" tenon by a custom built tenoning machine that Estate Millwork developed so that we could continue to provide the best quality joinery in the industry, at an attractive price. We gave up the cost, but not the quality.
Deep Pocket Mortises
Each stile is precision machined with a minimum of two deep pocket mortises, and these mortises perfectly fit the associated tenon. Again, Estate Millwork has used precision automation to preserve the quality of our products, while reducing the cost. We have software that connects our website directly to the machines in the plant, and when a customer places an order with us, all of the precision programs for machining the mortises into the stiles are sent to the plant for automatic execution. The mortise tenon joint, is the strongest joint in millwork, and adds tremendous strength, even without the use of glue.
Hardwood Dowels
Once the tenon and mortise have been machined, the parts are put together and a hole is drilled through the mortise and the tenon. A slightly oversized hardwood dowel is driven into the hole, locking the tenon into the mortise for the life of the shutter. Even though glue is not required, Estate Millwork takes the added step of gluing the tenon into the mortise, and gluing the hardwood dowel into the stile.
Hand Assembly
In our commitment to preserving the best of quality millwork traditions in each wood shutter, we have automated much of the drudgery of some of the operations, but assembling a shutter is still something very much in the realm of craftsmanship. After all the parts of each wooden shutter are manufactured, one of our skilled craftsmen fits them together in a specialized jig for dry fitting and final assembly. We do not use pneumatic or hydraulic clamps as they can damage or over-stress the wood. The craftsman uses his innate feel for the materials to set the appropriate clamping pressure prior to drilling and doweling. Each wooden shutter receives the individual attention of craftsmen all along the way, but the final assembly is where the shutter comes together the first time, ready for years of service on your home.
Shutter Options
Thickness, Width, Height
The "slab dimensions" are the size of the actual exterior shutter from top to bottom, left to right, and the thickness. Our default standard thickness is 1 5/16", but that can be varied from 7/8" to 2 1/4" to match existing exterior shutters. The length and height can be specified to the nearest 1/16" inch. Depending upon the style of the shutter, we have made widths up to 20 feet wide, and heights up 30 feet.
Shutter Frame Dimensions
Because all of our exterior wooden shutters are custom built from true rail and stile construction, we have the ability to replicate any component dimension on existing shutters, including rail height, placement, width, thickness, and stile width and thickness. Typically, the bottom rail of our custom shutters is 4. high, and all other rails are 2 1/2" inches. Stile widths are usually 2 1/2" but we have the ability to make them of virtually any width, including different widths for left and right stiles -- sometimes used for pairs of shutters.
Custom Sticking
Out standard products are S4S, or square shoulder sticking, but we have the capability to mould any feasible profile to the inner or outer frame fields. Common choices are ogee, cove and bead, bevel, cove etc. In addition to our stock sticking profiles, we can also custom grind tooling to achieve any desired profile to either match historical wood shutters, or to meet an architects or home owner.s specifications and preferences.
Shiplapping and Beading
For operable shutters, or for decoration, our wood shutters can be machined with a bead on one face of the inside edge of the shutter, and with a ship lap on the other, allowing the shutters to overlap by 3/8" when they are in the closed position - permitting a tighter fit. The left and right shutters are machined as pairs so that in the closed position, each face of the pair has a decorative bead visible.
Panel Profiles
Our raised panel shutters can be raised with our standard scoop profile, but we offer bevels, coves, ogeees and other profiles as well. Additionally, for the extremely discriminating home owner or architect we can create new tooling to match existing historical panel profiles, or to meet with a unique custom requirement.
Louver Styles
Our louvered shutters can be fitted with either our standard bullnose louvers in 3 sizes, or with a chevron or bevel profile as options. And because we are a custom shutter maker, we can also accommodate any special profiles that are specified by the customer.
Cut Outs
Raised Panel and Flat Panel Shutters can have a limitless variety of decorative cut outs machined into the center of the panels. Common shapes are moons, anchors, trees, hearts and we have a large number of stock cut outs which we offer, as well as the ability to match custom patterns that are provided by the customer
Finishes
Estate Millwork can ship our custom wooden shutters in natural, primed, painted or stained finishes. We can match national brand color numbers, pre-tint primers for light or dark finishes, and apply hand rubbed stain finished, even to the time consuming louvered shutters.
Poplar: The Versatile Alternative
Often overshadowed by its more illustrious counterparts, poplar hardwood is an unsung hero in the world of woodworking. While lacking the bold coloration and striking grain patterns of its peers, poplar possesses its own understated charm, with a pale olive-yellow brown heartwood and lighter off-white or gray sapwood tinged with subtle greenish hues.
Widely distributed across North America and Europe, the poplar tree boasts rapid growth and abundant availability, making it a sustainable choice for various applications. Its propensity for large, clear sections makes it particularly sought after for secondary uses or applications where visibility is not a concern.
Though considered relatively soft, poplar is classified as a hardwood, ensuring durability and stability despite its softer texture. Its ease of workability is a boon for craftsmen, readily yielding to machining, sanding, and finishing processes. While often relegated to painted or secondary roles, poplar shines as a stain-grade species, gradually deepening in color over time to a richer shade of brown, earning it the affectionate moniker of "poor man's Cherry."
Versatile and affordable, poplar hardwood opens doors to a myriad of possibilities in woodworking and interior design. Its neutral color palette provides a versatile canvas for a range of finishes, from traditional to contemporary, allowing for seamless integration into diverse aesthetic schemes. Whether crafting custom cabinets, intricate moldings, or sleek furniture pieces, poplar's easy workability and consistent texture ensure a smooth and enjoyable woodworking experience.
Moreover, poplar hardwood is an environmentally conscious choice, with its sustainable growth and renewable nature aligning with eco-friendly practices. As a readily available and rapidly growing resource, poplar offers a responsible option for those mindful of environmental impact. Embrace the versatility and affordability of poplar hardwood in your next project and discover the endless possibilities it brings to the table.
Handcrafted with Sustainably Harvested Lumber
At Estate Millwork, we employ a meticulous process to ensure the quality and sustainability of our lumber. Our commitment begins with the careful air drying of much of our lumber, followed by further refinement in low wattage dehumidification kilns to achieve optimal moisture levels.
Every single piece of wood we acquire undergoes thorough utilization in our production processes. Leveraging advanced automated saws and optimization software, we achieve an exceptional yield ratio of 94 percent. This means that nearly all of the wood we purchase is transformed into usable products. The small remainder, comprising mainly sawdust and chips, is utilized efficiently: either utilized as fuel to power our operations, or repurposed by providing bedding and contributing to composting for local cattle farmers.
Our dedication to minimizing waste extends to the sourcing of our materials. A significant portion of the lumber we use hails from Amish farmers within our county. These farmers adhere to traditional practices, utilizing horses for harvesting and operating vintage 1920s sawmills. Such methods not only contribute to the preservation of heritage techniques but also entail lower environmental impact compared to modern industrial approaches.
Furthermore, our commitment to sustainability is evident in the sourcing of our imported lumber. We exclusively procure lumber from plantation-grown sources, thereby ensuring that our operations do not contribute to deforestation or the depletion of natural forests. By prioritizing responsible sourcing and efficient utilization, Estate Millwork strives to uphold environmental stewardship while delivering exceptional craftsmanship.
To learn more about our sustainability practices click here
