Interesting use of window shutters!

[ireneadler101]

Noticed that there aren't any shutters on a set of windows/doors in our living room (the ones on the bay windows are intact, albeit screwed to the wall and covered in paint). Then popped upstairs and spotted this:



I think they have been used to box in some pipework...very odd!

Can anyone recommend anyone in the Herts area who can restore old window shutters? I'm sure a decent carpenter could do the job but ideally it would be good to use someone who has done this sort of thing before.

 

[plasticpigeon]

What a shame, but at least you have the ones on the bay window to copy, and parts of the shutters still survive. With this kind of thing, I would recommend that if anyone in your immediate family is handy then let them do it. I do find that most "carpenters" have no idea when it comes to this kind of thing, and aren't willing to put in the effort to learn, so it will end up a bit of a mess. There are some reprints of old carpentry books that give some idea of how things were made in the past. One readily available is called "Modern practical joinery" by George Ellis. I would highly recommend buying it for reference. I have restored doors and cupboards in my house where hinges and handles have been taken off bits of wood hacked out holes inserted to use as handles etc. I realised that quite quickly that modern carpenters couldn't get their head around the old hinges and the fact that they are recessed into just one piece of wood, and knew nothing about the cupboard turn handles that turn the latch (or whatever it is called) to keep the door shut. It seems that many tradespeople learn their trade by following the b and q instructional leaflets. I'm sorry to be a pain, but to get jobs done well, it is really important to become expert yourself. Even if you don't physically do the jobs you must know enough to direct or at least ensure that the tradesperson involved is doing their job properly, and in a way that will achieve what you want.