We were very pleased by the work performed by this company. Their folks helped us find great quality shutters which look fantastic on our home, and have drastically improved its exterior appearance. They were friendly, reliable, communicative, and diligent in their work. They went above and beyond what we expected, and we're deeply appreciative that they handled some unexpected obstacles with cheerful aplomb. Highly recommended! read more

I have resisted posting a poor review like this for quite a while. In fact almost two years. Furthermore this is the only bad review I have ever felt the need to share publicly about any other contractor, business, etc generally choosing to keep said discussions internal and private with the business letting them fix things. At this point I've got nothing left. I originally chose Karl Ivester and New England Shutter Mills because of all their good reviews and positive experiences from other homeowners and businesses, but it has been anything but for my home. Sure if you'd like dozens of apologies for dropping the ball when Karl feels like getting around to you he will be happy apologize. However apologies only go so far when you're still waiting for product you paid for to be installed, and when the installation that has been completed was done poorly. In fact when Karl came to re-inspect original install he pointed out things I wasn't even upset about that he said were not to their standards. Well I don't know where the standards are for communication and getting things done, but they aren't there either. Like I said I have dozens of emails back and forth explaining many excuses as to why the job hasn't been completed, yet it is still not completed near 2 years later. Today was the latest example. After I spoke to Karl 3 weeks ago on Jan 18th he was supposed to follow up with email and show up on Jan 28th. You guessed it. No email, no show, but another apology for dropping the ball. His words. Also his words were to pick a new time for this Monday 2/4/19. After sending back a response you guessed it. No email, no text, no phone call, no show today. Very disappointed in the product quality; even more disappointed in the extreme lack of professionalism in making good when you know your work did not turn out as promised. Perhaps most discouraging is that as a business owner when you have an unhappy customer you should be the one reaching out trying to make it right by the customer. Instead in this scenario I am the one that has had to initiate contact at least 4 different times generally with large chunks of time passing in between to keep any lines of communication open in hope of rectifying the current incomplete job status. Also discouraging was that the installer knew the shutters weren't right from day one. I had been at home to let them in before work and in my process of getting ready came downstairs. You know when you enter a room and someone stops talking because they're discussing something they don't want you to hear? Yeah that was the installer talking with the owner Karl that morning. I should've known at that moment yet I waited to see how it would turn out, and this is why I am where I am with semi completed install of shutters that don't look right and if I take them out all my woodwork and trim has been damaged and will have to be fixed just to get back to where I was prior to install. I can send along photos of poor install and emails to anyone looking for elaboration. Also happy to update and / or remove this posting entirely if Karl and New England Shutter Mills can make good on their original contract and promise to qualify and customer service. Otherwise this is my only recourse at this point for a disheartening experience overall. read more

I had New England Shutter Mills make 4 sets of shutters for my home built in 1907. The whole process was seamless and Karl the owner was very informative. They measured, built, painted and installed the shutters in September 2018. The shutters are historically correct and fit the house so perfectly that my neighbors knew something was different and that the house looked better but initially could not pinpoint the change. read more

I had recently purchased my 1st home and needed some interior shutters to add the the beach style of my adorable beach bungalow. I wanted it to look more contemporary than traditional. Karl was so patient with my questions and completely understood my budget concerns. Together we chose the right style for my home and I couldn't be more satisfied. The level of expertise and customer service provided by this company is beyond the norm now and days. Their top rating from Houzz is how I located them and I HIGHLY recommend this company . Karl is a class act and was a pleasure to work with. read more

We just had some beautiful new shutters installed at our home by New England Shutter Mills. We have owned our home from 12+ years and have wanted to update the look. Karl, the owner, came out to discuss options with us, showed us some ideas from other projects he had done. Karl was great to work with and we easily developed a plan for our home. Within 6 weeks we had our new shutters expertly installed and we are thrilled with the new look of our home and our experience was superb from start to finish. I will definitely suggest New England Shutter Mills to friends/family looking suggestions without a moment's hesitation. read more

I want to praise New England Shutter Mills for their customer service and follow-up on what was a simple and small matter for them and what I thought was a hopeless problem form me. I own a 1935 Garrison Colonial home and I recently decided to re-install the shutters that were on the house. To my surprise one of the antique or vintage pintle shutter hooks for the large first floor shutters was missing, making my DIY project a huge challenge. After searching for weeks at every hardware store and lumber yard, door and window specialty shop I could find, I called New England Shutter Mills in Lawrence, Mass. and then e-mailed Alora a photo of the shutter hook I needed. Alora was incredibly responsive and thoughtful. Within a week I heard from Karl, a principal of New England Shutter Mills and he had exactly what I was looking for. I visited their facility in Lawrence and met Andrea and I was truly impressed with the beautiful shutters they had in their warehouse. Andrea was also terrific and very helpful. I cannot thank them enough for helping me find the "pintle hook" in the proverbial "pintle in the hay stack." It means a lot to me in preserving the aesthetics of my home. It is nice to know there are still great businesses In New England that take pride in their craft and take time for a customer in need, even if it is a small need. read more

When we built our new home, we knew that we wanted shutters for window treatments. Our home is on the water, and we have several odd shaped and oversized Windows and sliders. After researching several companies, we happened upon Karl Ivester and New England Shutter Mills. I have never written a review before, however I think everypne needs to know about this amazing place. Karl's attention to detail and keen sense of design are apparent the first time you meet him. He talked about our home as if it were his own. He looked at every window and door, and had us consider the light from different times of day and how we wanted to use the shutters...privacy, filtered light, etc. When the shutters were ready ,Karl came down personally to to oversee the installation. We had one minor problem, and he made sure it was fixed asap. He is a true professional , and a nice guy as well. I would highly reccomend New England Shutter mills. read more

I needed to replace 10 outside window shutters and wanted them to match the style of the remaining 28 shutters which were original to the house which was built in 1969. I contacted NE Shutters to build the 10 replacement shutters. I sent Karl a picture of the original shutters and the measurements I needed for the replacements. He said they could build the replacements to match the originals and he quoted me a price of $1300. I paid half up front. The shutters were delivered personally by Karl about 5 weeks later and the first thing I noticed was the quality of the wood was very poor. I live by the ocean and these things wouldn't have lasted two years before they started to disintegrate. The next day my contractor brought back the original shutters that he had been restoring and the first thing he noticed is that the replacements NE Shutters built weren't even close to matching the style of the originals. They would have looked ridiculous if I hung them next to the originals. My painter also agreed that the replacement shutters would fall apart in less than two years. I called Karl to tell him the shutters needed to be taken back and my $1300 returned. He told me to 'live' with shutters for 24 hours and if I still wanted to return them he would pick them up and return my full payment. I called Karl the next day and he refused to honor his promise to pick up the shutters and return my money. So I hired a lawyer and sued Karl Ivester for $1300 and won! I now have a legal judgment against Karl but he refuses to pay and I still have his crappy shutters sitting in my garage. In the meantime, I contacted Timberlane Shutters in Virginia and they built me 10 high quality shutters that exactly match the originals for close to the same price of NE Shutters. I would highly recommend Timberlane Shutters not only for the excellent quality of their shutters but their customer service is excellent as well! read more

I contracted Karl to install new shutters at our home. They were installed and looked beautiful - for 1 day! The following day, after the shutters were exposed to sunlight, the paint bubbled on every shutter. The shutters were painted before they were sufficiently dry. Luckily, I stopped payment on the payment. Karl came out to look at the shutters, brought a clown with him who was allegedly from a paint company, both telling me the shutters weren't wet. They tried to tell me the sun was too hot. They seemed to think the sun shines hotter on my house than anywhere else on the planet! What a Bozo! Karl soon disappeared, never making good on the problem. I've since sanded and repainted the shutters, bubbles keep appearing. Steer clear of this guy. read more

Extremely poor customer service. Karl came to my home and assured me he would send me a proposal within the next day or two. Then the games began. He answered only one of my phone calls and again assured me the proposal would be sent immediately. I heard nothing from him, he never returned phone calls. I felt badly for the girl working in his office because she TRIED to assure me he would contact me, which he never did. This is a terribly unprofessional way to treat customers. If you are too busy for new customers then say so. Since my experience I have heard of other complaints. They don't post any of the negative complaints on their website, only the 5 star ones(what a surprise!). Terrible experience and I wasted so much time on him. Do NOT recommend at all! read more

When I talked to Karl and met with him he appeared to be honest and to have a quality product. However, Karl never finished the job at my house. I paid half up front - waited one year, made many, many calls then the shutters were finally installed. Six sets and one was upside down - i.e. the top and bottom rails were inverted. It's been two years and Karl never finished the job. I never paid the ramaining fifty percent, but I was left with a mess. read more