The installer kneels at your living room window, runs a tape across it and writes 36 by 60 on a clipboard. Multiply those two numbers, divide by 144, and you get 15 square feet, the figure almost every plantation shutter quote in America is built on. At the $20 to $45 a square foot that This Old House and Angi both cite for installed shutters, that one window lands between $300 and $675. Angi’s project data puts the average whole-house job at $2,992, with most homeowners paying $1,341 to $4,745.
Where you land in that range comes down to one decision: the material. Each step up the ladder costs roughly $75 more for that same 15-square-foot window. The useful question is which rung your rooms actually need, and the answer for most houses is lower than the showroom suggests.
Short answer for 2027 budgets: about $20 to $30 a square foot installed for vinyl, $25 to $40 for composite and faux wood, $35 to $45 for real wood, and $45 to $65 or more for premium custom hardwood. For most rooms, composite is where extra money stops buying a better shutter.
One 36-by-60 window, five price points
The table holds the window constant so only the material changes. Per-square-foot ranges for the first four rows are the Home Depot installed figures published by This Old House in June 2026; the premium row comes from SelectBlinds’ January 2026 pricing guide.
| Rung | Installed, per sq ft | One 36×60 window | What the extra money buys |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinyl or PVC | $20 to $30 | $300 to $450 | Waterproof panels, white or off-white only |
| Composite | $25 to $35 | $375 to $525 | Stiffer frames, better resistance to sag and heat |
| Faux wood | $30 to $40 | $450 to $600 | Wood-look profiles, more paint colors |
| Real wood | $35 to $45 | $525 to $675 | Stain-grade finish, lighter panels, crisper detail |
| Premium custom hardwood | $45 to $65+ | $675 to $975+ | Exotic species, custom stains, hidden tilt rods |
Scale that up and the gaps widen. A hypothetical house with ten windows of this size would pay about $3,000 to $4,500 in vinyl, $3,750 to $5,250 in composite, $5,250 to $6,750 in real wood and $6,750 or more in premium hardwood. That is why Angi’s $2,992 average looks low to anyone shading a whole house: it includes plenty of jobs covering three or four windows.
Rung one: vinyl, fine until the sun finds it
Vinyl and PVC shutters are the cheapest way to get the look, and they shrug off water, which makes them the default for bathrooms and the window over the kitchen sink. Angi prices vinyl at $75 to $150 a window and PVC at $75 to $300, depending on size.
The weaknesses are structural. This Old House warns that vinyl can warp under constant heat, so a south- or west-facing window that bakes all afternoon is a poor home for it. Bob Vila’s guide adds that hollow vinyl panels sag over time, particularly on wide openings. Ask whether the louvers and stiles are solid or hollow, and whether wide panels carry an aluminum reinforcement. That one question separates a $300 shutter that lasts from one that droops within a few summers.
Rung two: composite and faux wood, where most rooms should stop
Composite shutters usually pair an engineered core with a hard polymer finish. HomeGuide prices them at $175 to $650 installed per window and notes they resist moisture and warping well enough for kitchens and baths. Faux wood sits a notch above and mostly buys you more convincing profiles and color choices.
Retailers use the words loosely, so judge the product rather than the label. Real listed prices from Home Depot’s custom shutter pages in November 2026 show where the entry point sits:
- VENETA Custom Composite Room Darkening: starting at $138.78, on sale from $185.04
- Bali Cordless Composite Shutter Blinds: starting at $197.23
- Levolor Custom Faux Wood Shutters: starting at $214.76
- Levolor Custom Faux Wood By-Pass (for sliders): starting at $282.39
- Levolor Custom French Door Shutters: starting at $428.65
Those are starting prices for the smallest configuration, before installation. A full-size window costs more once you enter real dimensions. Still, they show why composite is the sweet spot: it fixes vinyl’s heat and sag problems for $75 or so more per window, and above it you are paying mostly for appearance.
Rung three: real wood, a purchase about paint and proportion
Basswood and other hardwoods run $250 to $600 a window by Angi’s count, and $200 to $800 a pair installed in HomeGuide’s data. Wood is lighter than polymer, so manufacturers can build wider panels and slimmer frames, and it takes a true stain. If you want shutters that match oak trim or walnut built-ins, this is the first rung that can do it.
What wood cannot do is live with steam. Bob Vila’s guide says wood shutters are not recommended for kitchens, bathrooms or basements, and SelectBlinds calls premium shutters less forgiving in humid rooms. Paying for hardwood in a shower room is the most common way buyers spend more and get less.
Rung four: designer dealers and motors, mostly for show
Above $45 a square foot you are buying custom stains, rare species, hidden tilt rods and a dealer relationship. Angi lists national brands at surprisingly similar per-foot rates: Hunter Douglas at $20 to $26, Budget Blinds at $20 to $24 and Graber at $18 to $24, so a brand name alone does not put you on the top rung. The specification does.
Motorized louvers are the steepest add-on, at $300 to $1,000 a window and about $650 on average, according to Angi. That makes sense for a clerestory window you cannot reach. On a window at arm’s height, it doubles the price of a shutter whose whole appeal is that you tilt it with one finger.
Doors, bays and arches break the per-foot math
Large and oddly shaped openings carry their own hardware and labor, so they price by the job rather than the square foot:
| Opening | Typical installed price | Why it costs more |
|---|---|---|
| Sliding glass door, 80×60 | About $860 | Bypass panels ride on a top track |
| Sliding glass door, 80×72 | About $1,040 | More panels, longer track |
| French patio doors | $640 to $950 | Panels mount on each door, clear of the handle |
| Three-window bay | About $800 | Three frames fitted to angled walls |
| Arches and circles | Quote only | Custom-cut frames; measuring alone is fussy |
On a bay, the material choice moves the bill less than you might expect. Bob Vila’s breakdown puts the center window at $270 in faux wood or $350 in hardwood, and each side window at $150 or $200, so going all-wood on a bay costs about $180 more.
The installer’s two hours per shutter
Labor is already folded into most per-foot quotes, but it is worth knowing its size. This Old House puts installation at $65 to $100 an hour and roughly two hours per shutter, and HomeGuide’s per-window labor runs $50 to $150. On a ten-window house, that is $500 to $1,500 of the bill.
Doing it yourself saves that money only if your measurements are perfect. Bob Vila prices DIY kits at $290 to $440 a window, plus up to $50 for hardware if it is not included, and custom panels are built to your numbers with little room for error. Windows that are out of square, which is common in older houses, are where a professional measure earns its fee. A practical middle path is to pay for a measure and install on the main rooms and DIY a simple square window in a guest room.
Order in winter, hang them in spring
Custom shutters are made to order. Bob Vila’s guide cites six to eight weeks from order to delivery, and the same source names late fall and early winter as the season when installers are slow enough to discount. An order placed in November or December lands well before the spring rush.
No manufacturer or retailer we checked has announced a shutter price change for 2027, so treat today’s ranges as your planning numbers. Because orders can sit for two months, ask that the quoted price be held through installation in writing, and confirm whether a measuring visit is free or credited back when you order.
Plantation shutter questions buyers ask after the showroom
How long do plantation shutters last?
Well-made shutters can last for decades; Angi says up to 50 years or longer. Hollow vinyl panels are the exception and can sag over time. Small repairs are cheap by comparison: Angi puts new hinges at $20 to $75 and general shutter repairs at $150 to $450.
Do plantation shutters add resale value?
Angi and This Old House both repeat a figure of up to a 75% return on investment, and some retailers say shutters are the only window covering that raises resale value. Treat those as industry claims rather than appraisal data, and ask a local real estate agent how buyers in your area value them.
How much do California shutters cost?
California shutters are a lighter, often wider-louver cousin of plantation shutters. Angi prices them at $70 to $1,140 per window, and Bob Vila reports whole projects of $1,400 to $3,400, with many homeowners spending about $2,200.
How much are shutters to repaint or refinish?
Angi puts painting or refinishing at $125 to $175. Factory-finished polymer shutters rarely need it; wood shutters in a sunny room may need touch-ups after many years.
How much do shutters cost compared with blinds?
Shutters cost more up front. At $20 to $45 per square foot installed, a 36 by 60 inch window runs $300 to $675 in shutters, while blinds for the same window usually cost less. Shutters tend to last longer and are counted as part of the house when you sell.
Which rung to buy, room by room
| Room or window | Buy this rung | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom, laundry, kitchen sink | Vinyl or composite | Wood is not recommended where steam and splashes are routine |
| South- or west-facing window in full sun | Composite | Vinyl can warp under constant heat |
| Bedrooms, kids’ rooms, rentals | Composite | Durable and wipeable at a mid-ladder price |
| Living or dining room with stained trim | Real wood | The first rung that takes a true stain |
| Extra-wide window | Wood or reinforced composite | Lighter or stiffer panels resist sag |
| Sliding glass door | Composite bypass panels | Budget about $860 to $1,040 for the opening |
Mixing rungs is normal and usually invisible from the street, since most shutters are painted white. The money you save by putting composite in the back bedrooms is often enough to put real wood where guests actually look.
More window, wall and room project prices
- How much blinds cost, from stock vinyl to custom
- Ceiling fan installation cost and who to call
- What it costs to reupholster a couch
- Drywall prices, DIY versus hiring a pro
- The average monthly electricity bill
Every project in the house: Home Improvement Costs in 2027: A Complete Price Guide
Pricing method: prices were researched in November 2026 for 2027 planning and may change. Per-square-foot and per-window ranges come from This Old House (updated June 2026), Angi, HomeGuide, Bob Vila and SelectBlinds; product prices are Home Depot custom-shutter starting prices listed in November 2026. Examples are hypothetical. Get written quotes for your own windows. See our disclaimer.
