Shutters with blackout blinds

[frugi]

We are looking into getting (plantation) shutters for some rooms in our house. Have done a bit of research online and it seems almost all of the shutters come from the same Nien Made factory in China which apparently produces very good quality shutters. So basically they are all more or less identical and it's more about choosing the company you want to install them for you, as well as the one who would best deal with any issues. Considering either Clement Browne (possibly via JL? Not sure if this is cheaper or more expensive?) or a local shop.

Thomas Sanderson shutters are made in the UK but seem to have a terrible reputation. Has anyone used them and had a positive experience?

Also, has anyone got shutters with integrated blackout blinds? We prefer complete darkness in the bedrooms so this is the aim and from what I"ve read this is the best way to achieve that?

Hey there frugi just got shutters from JL and am quite pleased with them. Not blackout though, there is light that comes through but it's fine for us. I'm pondering over how you could fit in blackout blinds we found JL cheaper than Hillary's, but in the end went with the Clement brown as the bloke seemed to know what he was talking about. Hilary's then came back with a lower offer too, so get lots of quotes. Just flagging up too that if you go for bistro style the shutters can be more wobbly
All the best

The blackout blinds mostly go a bit like this:

www.shuttershop.co.uk/pages/integrated-blackout-blinds

We were thinking of the tiered ones in one room and full height in another. Wobbly doesn't sound ideal!

You just mount the blackout blind in the recess behind the shutters. We have found our shutters pretty good for blotting our light. However there is space in the recess for roller blackouts.

Thomas Sanderson were a bloody nightmare just from the appointment to measure up and give a quote. Had to badger them to death just to get the hell out of our house. Wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

Went with a local company in the end, as you say all much of a muchness. We don't have blackout blinds as well though. The shutters do the job good enough

Or this: www.s-craft.co.uk/blinds/room-darkening-blinds/

We installed our own from shutters.co.uk

Not particularly good at DIY, but it was really easy!!

And about 1/6 of the price of Thomas Sanderson.

I had shutters for my bedroom window from Shutterly Fabulous. As you say they all seem to come from the same place, but the fitting from them really was excellent.

Awkward dormer window with a not square victorian ceiling and the job they did fitting them was excellent. Couldn't fault it.

I got ikea black out blinds and put them in the gap between the shutters and the window, the frame of the shutters makes this easy to do.

A lot of excellents there. Tired Sunday morning brain!

We have integrated black out blinds and I highly recommend them. They make the rooms lovely and dark.

Where did you get yours from please?

We used www.shadingplaces.co.uk for both the shutters and blinds. The quality is great (this is our second house with shutters) and the fitter was amazing.

We have integrated blackout blinds - they do shut out a lot of light. Without them, with just the shutters closed, the room is dim but not dark and would be a bit too light for dd in the Summer months.

We used Plantation Shutters. They were great, efficient, tidy and helpful. Had them 4 yrs and no problems.

We chose them as they actually sent a builder to measure up and quote on the first visit, other companies only sent sales guys (if they turned up at all!).