To provide our clients with an
unbiased & independent report on the condition of their roof covering
without the undue influence of profit for maximising repairs. To be
objective & practical in offering solutions to any problems
revealed.
Our potential clients
include:-
Prospective house purchasers.
Home owners.
Commercial Tenants with repair duties.
Chartered Building Surveyors.
Landlords.
Expert witness for dispute resolution.
Building Agents for the preparation
of maintenance schedules.
Our
Reports
All our roof reports
are are sent to you via email or snail mail. We prefer email for speed &
ease of viewing by our clients.
Shopping for window shutters can become confusing because of the huge variety
of materials used and promoted as superior. The construction methods of a
shutter unit, including the materials used, contributes greatly to the overall
cost of shutters purchased. However, a well-constructed unit made out of
high-quality materials will also last longer and look better than something
less than ideal. Following is an outline of various woods and synthetic materials
that are often used in building shutters.
Basswood Shutters
(Tilia Americana Linnaeus, or the American Linden)
Basswood is absolutely the best wood for building window shutters. The Basswood
tree can be found from Quebec south to Delaware and the Atlantic coast west
to Eastern Kentucky with an average height of 65 feet. Basswood is a renewable
resource and careful forest management ensures tree harvesting is done
responsibly, balancing growth with removal. Each year the United States grows
about twice as much hardwood as it harvests. Basswood shutters are very straight
and has a fine uniform texture with an indistinct grain. Basswood machines
well and is easy to work, and screws and glues well and can be sanded and
stained to a smooth finish. It dries fairly rapidly with little distortion.
Basswood has fairly high shrinkage but good dimensional stability when dry.
Popular uses for basswood include drafting tables, broom handles, carvings,
turnings, furniture, moldings, millwork, musical instruments, woodenware,
food containers, and surfboards.
General Basswood shutter characteristics:
Does not warp Lightweight yet very strong Uniform grain for a beautiful stain
finish Low in resin and tannin which may bleed through finish Renewable resource
which is replenished as it is harvested Superior gluing and finishing properties
Oak Shutters
Oak shutters are very heavy. Oak shutters add much weight to window jambs
and screws require pre-drilling. Oak shutters are not suitable for painting.
Oak shutter louvers tend to warp.
Maple Shutters
Maple shutters are very heavy. Maple shutters add much weight to window jambs
and screws require pre-drilling. Maple louvers are hard to tension uniformly.
Poplar Shutters
Poplar shutters mill and paints well. Mineral streaks and a green color make
poplar unsuitable for staining. Poplar is moderately heavy for shutters.
Poplar is widely available, but less costly. Poplar is best used for millwork
and trim that is nailed in place. Popular produces a lesser quality shutter.
Cedar Shutters
Cedar shutters mill and finish nicely. However, color varies greatly for
staining. Cedar is soft and can dent and scratch easily. Tilt bar staples
do not hold well.
Cedar shutters work wonderfully for exterior shutters. The outstanding durability
and resistance to decay of incense cedar makes it ideal for exterior use
where moisture is present. This wood gives long service with little maintenance
in such as mud sills, window sashes, sheathing under stucco or brick veneer
construction, greenhouse benches, fencing, poles, trellises, and shutters.
Incense cedar is also used extensively for exterior siding because it is
dimensionally stable and holds paint well, in addition to being durable.
Oh, yes, and bugs hate it!
Alder Shutters
Alder is our second choice for shutters. Alder is a smaller tree so only
shorter lengths are available, thus tall shutters require finger joints.
Pine Shutters
Pine is a softwood. Many different species and grades of pine is available,
so quality tends to be inconsistent.
Synthetics, Plastics, Vinyl, Fauxwood, and Poly
Many synthetics incorporate "wood" in their name, but most contain no wood
- usually called faux wood or poly shutters. Made from stock size components
with few, if any, custom options. Come in limited white colors, and cannot
be stained. Look, feel, and sound like plastic. Relatively new product so
limited customer satisfaction experience. Synthetics are less costly to
manufacture. Heavy and tend to sag. All synthetics are manufactured from
nonrenewable resources.
All About Shutters
serves as an online buyers guide for interior and exterior shutters,
discussing a variety of topics with informative articles.