We went through Lowe's 14 years ago. They sub it out directly to the Plantation Shutter Company (I think that's the name) from Charleston, SC. It would have been cheaper if we had contacted the shutter company directly, but once we made contact through Lowes, they wouldn't deal with us directly.

I love Plantation Shutters, but I've never purchased them myself. Any advice on how to choose? All wood vs. composite? Mounted inside the frame or outside?

Mrs Pete, we went with composite because of cost... and ours were white, so it didn't make sense to pay extra for wood. Our window casing was deep enough to accommodate being mounted inside the frame. I don't like the look of them mounted outside or on top.

Also, the company we went with offered "seconds". We used those in our garage (windows were on the front of the house and needed to match). They couldn't guarantee the quality since these were pre-made at the factory, but they in perfect condition and cost at least $300 less than the first quality.

This is the company we used.... http://www.theplantationshutterco.com/about/

They'll come out and measure and work up a quote. We had the vertical rail to open/close, but I would opt to do without that if I were doing it over again.

Oh! The Polywood shutters also have an R-value rating for insulation. We could tell a significant difference in heat/cold being blocked by having the glass covered.