We decided to get accordian shutters and interviewed 8 different companies from Brevard, Indian River and Lucie Counties. We'd just had a friend get shutters from 1 of the companies, but another friend had told me what had happened when they bought their home and had a problem with their shutters. A company come out and told them it would cost several thousand dollars to fix their shutters so they decided to call another company. Florida Shutters came out, said "these are our shutters", told them there was nothing wrong, they just needed to do something very simple and they ended up not having to pay anything for the visit. She was extremely pleased with them so I decided to get a quote from them too.
In the process of interviewing these different companies I learned a lot about accordian shutters. I also contacted the maker of Big Bertha which is Alutech United and learned about PSF, construction, locking mechanisms, etc. Then I contacted Town & Country which is the manufacturer of the accordians Florida Shutters uses. I spoke direct with the head of Manufacturing and Research and learned even more about shutters, fail points and how to properly care for them.
I also learned that Florida Shutters uses their 'mid-rise' version of shutters which are designed for midrise condos and apartments so these shutters HAVE to be able to withstand even more wind pressure. The amount of wind pressure PSF with the Florida Shutters was substantially stronger than with BIg Bertha's and they didn't have the rod locking mechanism which would eventually lead to corrosion.
On top of that, not only was Florida Shutters using a far superior and stronger product, they had the best price. In some cases by several thousand dollars then some of the other companies using inferior products.
One of our windows also had a 45 degree angle that had to be dealt with and the issue was it's proximity to another huge window. One company said they wouldn't shutter it, we would have to use our old shutters for that window. Other companies said they'd have to run the track across - meaning it would be running 'through thin air' - not attached at that point to the wall and would be sticking out as much as a foot from the house. Not an attractive option, and certainly not a safe option as tracks would now be in the way for walking, cleaning windows, etc. When Don came out to properly measure each window he explained this was absolutely no problem at all. Florida Shutters had designed and patented a number of different parts that make it possible to work in and around all sorts of unusual construction challenges. (When the job was done, this area came out beautifully without a glitch, and everything operates smoothly!)
We met with Tommy (co-owner) and asked more questions, then decided to move ahead. He explained the scheduling process - which as with any outdoor business - is dependent on weather. He said they notify you when they're ready to begin but that we could check back when we were closer to our installation window to see if they had a better idea of timing.
Don the individual who does the final measuring was extremely professional and courteous and that was a good start in terms of dealing with someone from the company.
The crew (John and Dillon) came out ahead of schedule which was perfect for us, but as an avid gardener I was concerned about them damaging my plant collection. I have never seen 2 people so careful. Not one plant was damaged, they constantly cleaned up after themselves and when the job was done, the tracks were spotless and the yard and driveway were clean. They showed us how to operate the shutters and were extremely professional and polite the whole time they were with us.
I was so pleased that when my friend decided to go from regular shutters to accordians on her addition, I got her to get an estimate from Florida Shutters. She was going to use the company her contractor wanted but after Florida Shutters came out and she saw what they could do and got their price which was fairer than her contractors, she moved forward with them.
The day her job was to begin she had to leave town due to a family emergency and so I casually oversaw her project. I had requested from Tommy that she get the same crew but due to scheduling that wasn't possible. Probably a good thing because I can now say in this review that a second crew was equally careful and polite. Her job was even more 'delicate' than mine in terms of plant protection and I checked every day, and after the job was complete, and none of her specimens were harmed.
I have nothing but good to say about this company. The level of concern
they showed for our property and the level of respect was exemplary. Thank you Florida Shutters for a job well done, a top notch product and a fair price. 3 things that are hard to come by these days - period. read more
