How to Protect Your Homes with Homemade Shutters

Natural calamities like hurricanes and storms are usual occurrences of life that, sadly, cannot be prevented. The most you can do is to protect yourself and your belongings by making some precautionary measures in preparation for a storm. One of the best ways to do this is by installing shutters on all openings of your homes – doors, windows, roof vents, sky lights, and any other aperture that can let wind in your house when damaged.

If you cannot afford to buy a professionally made shutter, you can make one by yourself. A homemade shutter can give you as much protection as commercial ones if you install them correctly. Using plywood and lumber, you can protect your home without having to spend so much money.

Making a Homemade Shutter

To make your shutter, you need to measure every door and window that has glass and leads to the outdoors. Add about 8 inches to the width and height of your measurements so that the shutter would be an overlap of 4 inches. Take these measurements to your local building supplies store, and by the necessary amount of plywood according to your measurement.

Installing the Homemade Shutter

You would basically need to have bolts, anchors made for wood or masonry, washers, and 5/8-inch thick plywood of exterior grade to install your homemade shutter.

For smaller windows of about 3 x 4 feet and below, you need lag bolts of about ¼ inches and some permanent anchors with plastic coating if you have a wood-framed house. These bolts should go through your wall and the frame around the window by 1 ¾ inches at the very least. Larger windows would need lag bolts of about 3/8 inch that would go through your wall and the frame around the window by at 2 ½ inches at the very least.

For masonry houses, you would need some expansion bolts plus expansion anchors, preferably those that are permanent and galvanized. For 3 x 4 feet windows you would need ¼ inch bolts that should go through the walls by 1 ½ inches at the very least. Larger windows would need 3/8 – inch bolts that go through the walls by 1 ½ inches at the very least.

Tools for Installation

To install your homemade shutters, you would need a handsaw or a circular saw, a drill and the appropriate drill bits, a good hammer, and a good wrench to secure the bolts. If you have a screw gun, you can make the job easier. You should work with gloves and workshop goggles for your safety.

Assembling the Shutters

Get the plywood that you bought, if they are not yet cut, cut them according to the measurements you have made. Drill holes at every corner 2 ½ inches away from the outside edges of your plywood, leaving 12-inch intervals every hole. Drill four quarter-inch holes towards the center of the board to ease the pressure made by strong blowing winds. 

Place the board over the window or door to mark the hole positions where they would be fastened. Drill the appropriate size holes for your anchors. Fasten the anchors with the plywood using the bolts to ensure a proper fit.

You now have homemade shutters that can help protect you during a storm. Be sure to store your shutters somewhere you can easily access. Install them whenever a hurricane or storm warning goes up.

You need not really spend much to protect yourselves from the effects of storms. With a homemade shutter, you can save your home and at the same time save your pockets.