The Benefits of Plantation Shutters

If your home’s windows or doors could use an upgrade, plantation shutters may be just what you’ve been looking for. Bay Home & Window offers a variety of plantation shutter materials, construction, and price points for both windows and doors. They also look great on patio doors and French doors.

There are several benefits of having plantation shutters installed, including added privacy and light, and reduced energy costs. Our expert designers can help you choose which options will work best for you so you don’t have to worry about making the wrong decision.

Window Shutters

Plantation shutters will enhance the beauty of any room and can allow in natural light. They also offer maximum privacy when closed and protect your home from the summer heat to reduce energy costs. Our shutters are constructed out of the finest materials and can be customized to fit any type of window including archtop, semi-circular, angled top, and more.

Door Shutters

Plantation shutters are also great for doors and can increase privacy and protection while decreasing energy costs. These shutters are easy to open and can be customized based on your choice of high-quality materials and styles. Door shutter styles include patio doors, French doors, glass panel doors, and interior doorways.

Choosing plantation shutters from Bay Home & Window means you’ll be receiving high-quality products, world-class installation, affordable prices, and custom design. Give us a call today at 888-771-5056 to learn more.

Chances are that your closet could be classified as at least a bit chaotic and cluttered. It’s easy to allow closets to become disorganized over time, but a custom closet design from Bay Home & Window could be the solution you need.

As the Bay Area’s custom closet design experts, we are happy to provide a free in-home design consultation and you’ll also be saving 20 to 30% over retail outlets. Our custom closets can help unclutter your life and include:

• Cabinet Space
• Drawer Systems
• Hanging Solutions
• Hidden Keep-Safe Storage
• Jewelry and Accessory Organization
• Shelving Areas
• Shoe Storage
• Tilt-Out Baskets

We specialize in turning chaos into calm through a combination of the previously mentioned solutions. Even if you need another closet, we can create an extra built-in wardrobe on any open wall. Our expert designers use state-of-the-art 3D design software and will inventory your needs and lifestyle to be sure to create a space for all that clutters your world.

Make your closet and life less chaotic and cluttered with a customized closet solution from Bay Home & Window. To learn more or schedule your free in-home consultation, give us a call today at 888-771-5056.

Home renovations are great if you’re wondering how to increase your home value. In a buyer’s market, where the number of properties for sale exceeds the number of prospective buyers, you want to stand out from the competition. Installing plantation shutters is one way to do this. They can let in natural sunlight, provide a shield against it, and insulate your home against window drafts.

More on these later. Here are some other home improvements that increase value:

Make it more spacious : This Old House puts this at number one from a broker’s perspective in increasing value. Opening up the space by knocking out walls can help, while kitchen islands can be great but unnecessary if there’s sufficient cabinet storage.

Beautify the landscaping : The exterior is the first thing potential buyers see, so an eye-catching design, greenery, walkway, or fountain can have positive impacts. Even pruning trees and bushes can be more valuable than you realize.

Fix the bathroom : A replaced/re-finished tub and a fresh coat of paint can boost the appeal of your home. To provide a sense of space, update the cabinetry or replace an old shower door.

Kitchen updates : You don’t have to go all out. New paint or tiles can spruce things up, but more thorough upgrades such as stainless steel appliances, islands, and even new pots and pans can be effective.

Care and maintenance : Fancy upgrades aren’t the only ways to increase home value. Fix the plumbing, replace drafty windows, inspect HVAC/furnace/septic systems, and get new rain gutters. A pristine, functional home is more likely to sell and can do so at a few thousand dollars higher.

Best Home Improvements for the Money

If you’re thinking shutters and doors, you’re right on the money. These are great for boosting value. Other products from Bay Home & Window to consider include:

• Walk-in closets
• Reach-in closets
• Home offices
• Wall beds
• Garage upgrades
• Entertainment centers

Plantation shutters, however, are powerful in that they create a sense of brightness, space, and warmth without changing very much. There are many styles, as well, including vinyl plantation shutters, wood shutters, and products in composite materials. These capture the essence of just what you need, in terms of what adds value to a home appraisal.

These shutters aren’t only effective as window treatments. Plantation door shutters are great for French and patio doors because they’re easy to open and close. A closet shutter door eases access to the space and makes a stylistic statement as well. Shutters are available in many materials, styles, and colors, so you can easily freshen up any space by installing these on a closet, patio, or any other type of interior door.

Our Home Solutions Add Value

Are you investigating what home improvements add the most value? Contact Bay Home & Window about plantation shutters, a simple way to add charm, sophistication, and value to your home. Our products are available at wholesale prices to the public, and we offer free in-home consultations across the San Francisco Bay area. Schedule a visit today by calling us at 888-766-5919.

As you are taking down your holiday and Christmas decorations, you might start to feel a sense of the post-holiday blues. You really enjoyed all those sparkling lights, the tree, ornaments, and other decorations that made your home feel warm, cozy, and inviting. Rather than go back to the same old, boring look after New Year’s, why not consider giving your home a new look with different trendy custom window treatments ?

Why Plantation Shutters Are All the Rage

One of the top trends that has remained consistent in regards to dressing up your windows are plantation shutters. Unlike other trends that come and go, this style of shutters is highly sought-after by homeowners, as well as prospective home buyers. They are more durable than other types of treatments, and they last.

What Colors Are Trendy for Window Treatments?

Even though colors can change as trends change, one thing that is not going to change is the impact color is having on the real estate market. Did you know that houses that have walls painted in the latest trendy colors, along with complementary plantation shutters, are selling at higher prices compared to homes with plain white walls and white coverings on their windows?

Aren’t Plantation Shutters Just for Rectangular/Square Windows?

When you think about shutters, what normally comes to mind are rectangular or square-shaped shutters used on the same style of windows. What you probably do not know is that this is not the only shape available with this style of shutters, thanks to your ability to customize the shutters specifically for the windows in your home, including:

• Rectangular Windows
• Square Windows
• Archtop Windows
• Angled Top Windows
• Semi-Circular Windows
• Open Pass-Through Interior Windows
• Windows of Any Shape and Any Size!

Won’t Custom Shutters Cost More?

Anytime someone drops the word “custom” alongside some form of home improvement, it is natural to think it is going to cost more than if you just used an “off-the-shelf” solution. While this can be true some of the time, it doesn’t have to apply to getting custom shutters for your windows.

Fortunately for you, here at Bay Home & Window, we offer direct wholesale pricing to the general public. Many of our customers are surprised to discover they can get custom designed window treatments for their homes that are comparable to purchasing an “off-the-shelf” solution.

In addition, we offer FREE in-home consultations to discuss your needs and objectives. Our designers help guide you by showing you samples of different shutters and helping you create and design each custom shutter for every window in your home. You are free to choose from:

• Stained Natural Woods
• Composite Materials
• Vinyl
• Lacquered Natural Woods
• Poly-Core
• Exotic Woods

No matter what you decide, all of our shutters are made from commercial-grade materials to provide you with maximum protection and years of enjoyment, thanks to their robustness and durability. Best of all, we are happy to install your new custom shutters for FREE since we do not charge for installation.

Don’t Forget to Dress Up Your Doors

You can also incorporate custom plantation shutters into the design of the doors to give them a new look, such as:

• French Doors
• Patio Doors
• Sliding Glass Doors

All of the shutters for your doors can be customized using the same choice of materials available with our window shutters.

For colored doors or glass doors that have colored trim, whites are often a popular choice and never go out of style. If you are using colored shutters on your windows, this little bit of white helps make the room “pop” more than also using the same color of shutters on your doors.

Other Places Where People Are Using Plantation Shutters in Their Homes

Aside from your doors, there are certain interior areas of the home where you may want to incorporate plantation shutters into the room’s design and décor. One of the newer trends in interior design is the use of sliding panels to easily alter the size of rooms or provide privacy.

To make the sliding panel less boring, people are having shutters installed onto the panels, much like they would a door. Plus, if the panels are made of glass or have glass panels, the shutters help increase the amount of privacy.

Another way people are using shutters is in place of the sliding panels over interior doorways. For instance, if you wanted to close off the entrance between the dining room and living room, you could use foldable shutters. Plus, you can adjust the shutters to allow light in, unlike solid sliding doors that block out all light.

You may even be surprised to learn people are using this style of shutters as a door on their built-in shelving and entertainment centers. The shutters are more attractive and add appeal because you can have them open or closed, as well as adjust the blinds so you can still show off your collectibles or hide the TV from view.

Another trend with custom shutters is using them as wall art over a mural, wall painting, or other types of wall decoration, like vinyl stickers. For instance, you could create a “window box” looking out at the beach and ocean. Once you have the backdrop on the wall, you have the custom shutters installed over it, add some lighting around, and you have just created a new piece of art!

Shutters even work great to hide away whatever is stored on open shelving, like the shelves in your garage or basement. Who wants to look at laundry detergent, boxes of holiday decorations, tools, seasonal items, and so on, when you can have great-looking shutters to look at instead?

As you can see, there are many different popular and trendy uses for custom window and door plantation shutters. You could even use them to create barriers between rooms for your pets to control where they have access within the home when you are away. Not to mention, shutters are not just for the windows, doors, and entryways in your home!

Remember, at Bay Home & Window, we offer direct wholesale pricing that can save you as much as 20 to 30 percent, access to a wide array of top-quality materials, custom sizing, and free professional design and installation services!

Besides custom window treatments, we can also help design custom closets, including walk-in closets and reach-in closets, as well as other custom built-ins, such as:

• Built-in shelving
• Built-in entertainment centers
• Built-in wall beds
• Built-in storage spaces
• Built-in garage solutions

If you are ready to give your home a new look for the New Year or are interested in learning more about customizable shutters and built-in solutions , please feel free to contact Bay Home & Windows at 888.766.5919 today to schedule your FREE in-home consultation.

The laundry room probably isn’t the most exciting room in the house. That doesn’t mean it can’t be the most useful. Right now it might only be a home for the washer and dryer, but it can be turned into a storage area with simple changes like built-in storage units . See why a laundry room remodel is just what you need to get the most out of this room.

Neglected to Effective

Most people think of their laundry room as nothing more than the place where they do their laundry. They don’t do anything to make it more useful or more attractive. Little do they realize this space can be so much more. A laundry room can be organized, efficient, and labor saving.

Layout

Whether the room is big or small, its layout can be slowing you down. Is your folding table far from the dryer? Perhaps the storage location where you keep your detergent, softener, and dryer sheets is out of reach, and you need to grab a stool, bend and twist, or walk across the room. Be more productive by changing your layout.

Start planning a layout that simplifies your routine. Plan counters, storage, sinks, and other amenities to make optimal use of the room. Consider your method and what may speed up your work. Make sure that the most needed items will stay within reach. Baskets or organizers will help you keep things organized. If you don’t have countertops, create a folding station to round out your space. The idea is to create your ideal area to get your laundry done without a hassle.

Storage

Now that you’ve planned your layout, you can design your storage. Remember, this room doesn’t just have to be the place you do your laundry in. It can be your go-to utility and storage space, filling in where other rooms don’t cut it. A good start is to utilize pedestal drawers for your washer and dryer . They’re a great place to store your supplies while you’re not using them.

We suggest you go beyond a few drawers, though. Whether you’re doing a laundry room remodel on a budget or money’s no object, storage is key to making this room beneficial to everyone in the house. Built-in storage shelves (especially in unused corners) will allow you to add a convenient spot to store anything from detergent to those winter sheets. Hang a wire storage rack on the wall to make dryer sheets and other supplies readily accessible. For an added bonus, choose a rack which features hooks so it can double as a drying rack.

Get creative with your room and add over-the-door hanging storage. Anything from a shoe organizer to a bathroom hanging wire rack can double as storage to place small items like garbage bags, cleaning supplies, and more. Maximize cabinet capacity by placing baskets inside. Place hooks on the walls to store brooms and mops out of the way. With a little ingenuity, you can take advantage of any space you have.

Bay Home & Window can help you make the most of any room with our storage products and design services . Call (925) 846-3400 to schedule your in-home consultation today!

Sources

1. http://www.hgtv.com/design-blog/clean-and-organize/10-laundry-room-storage-ideas

2. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/read-you-redo-your-laundry-room