I’m back! After an extra long Christmas break… well it wasn’t a break at all really, I’ve been at work at my real job but I had a few weeks off blogging just because I’ve been so so busy! If you didn’t see already, Matt and I got engaged on Christmas Eve so I’ve pretty much been completely swept up in that for the last few weeks… but I’m so happy to be sat back at my desk typing away… I’ve got so much planned for 2018 and I can’t wait to share it with you all – I just need to figure out how I’m going to juggle a full time job, blogging in my spare time, planning a wedding and leaving the house occasionally…

Anyway! If you’re familiar with my ensuite bathroom renovation which was finished in September last year (you can see the reveal here on my YouTube if you missed it), you might remember that it was finished with the exception of the window shutters, and the week before Christmas they arrived and yesterday was the first chance that we have had to fit them (the royal ‘we’ of course, Matt did everything… he even said at one point, “you just stand there and look pretty”). Now I debated long and hard about wether or not to get shutters, I spent a lot on this bathroom already and it’s pretty common knowledge that shutters are not cheap, but there options to help you save a bit of money, for example – DIY California Shutters! You still get all the different style options to choose from – full height, tier on tier, cafe style, solid raised shutters, the only difference is that you fit them yourself. I would say that fitting the shutters is definitely a two person job (even if one of you does stand there holding things), you could probably do it alone it would just take longer. It doesn’t take long to fit the shutters – California Shutters even say that most of their customers fit their shutters within 60 minutes – it did take us longer but that’s simply because we had to drill through the tiles which was the longest part of the entire process! The rest was easily done in under an hour! California Shutters have step by step installation instructions on their website which are really easy to follow, plus there’s installation videos which are even more helpful. But basically what arrives (very well packaged might I add) is all the individual pieces, the frame, the panels and the hardware. First you need to build the frame that the shutter panels will be held in, this then needs to be secured to your window, after that you make sure that the frame is completely level on each side (otherwise your shutters will not sit correctly, or open and shut with ease), then it’s simply a case of hanging the panels onto the frame and securing them in with the pins provided! That was the most brief step by step ever but I recommend you take a look at California Shutters’ guide if you are considering them, I couldn’t make it any more straight forward than they do!

The shutters have been fitted for less than a day and I am so, so chuffed – they have transformed the bathroom, and I’m just so pleased that this room is completely finished now (plus we can finally stop ducking every time we get in and out of the bathroom in fear that the neighbours will see us naked!) The quality is fantastic, they open and close easily and even the panels completely open so it’s easy to clean the windowsill or if you need to let even more light in. Since these were for the bathroom, I went for the Waterproof Vinyl option but they are available in various wood types and a bunch of different colours. The delivery timeframe for shutters is the only downside, standard delivery is 8-10 weeks and that’s because they are totally made to order, but California Shutters do offer an express delivery option which means you will have your shutters within just 4 weeks which is brilliant if you ask me! The other plus for me with ordering from California Shutters was that I didn’t have to book an appointment for someone to come to the house to measure and give me a quote, which I had tried to do with another company previously and twice my requested appointment got cancelled – presumably because they weren’t available for weekend appointments, I don’t know about you but I’m at work Monday – Friday 8am-5pm so that made it really difficult for me to even get a price never mind order the shutters! Ordering them online myself was much more convenient for me. The customer service team at California Shutters couldn’t have been more helpful, I had so many queries about what type to go for, measuring, the panels, the tilt rods and all sorts but they are there to help you with every step which help put your mind at ease – the last thing I wanted was to receive my order two months later only to find out we had mis-measured and that we had made to measure shutters that didn’t fit! Most windows will be symmetrical, but because we have tiles half way up the window, the measurement for inside the windowsill isn’t the same at the top as it is at the bottom, so we just need to fill in around there – but to be honest, it really isn’t that noticeable at all! I’m seriously considering getting shutters for the bedroom now too (just need to save up), I was concerned that they wouldn’t make the room dark enough but after having these and being able to shut them, I can see how dark the room becomes and they are just as dark as the black out blinds we have in the bedroom so I might be heading back to California Shutters before long…

What do you think? Would you have shutters in your home?

*Disclaimer: California Shutters very kindly allowed me to buy these shutters with a discount but as always my words and opinions are my own