The best roller and plantation shutter suppliers in Canberra

We have a number of solutions around our house depending on the orientation.
The house is on the western side of a hill and in the last 2-3 hours of the day in summer the solar rays arrive horizontally and at an angle to the windows. Roller vinyl awnings or fabric sunshades would only work for these windows if they unrolled completely flat with the wall.

Our single glazed windows facing north or east have internal polyvinyl shutters which work extremely well by keeping the sun out in summer and the heat in during winter. In summer you can have both shading and ventilation together. Our shutters were expensive ($700) when we bought them 17 years ago but still look like new – very pleased with them.

On the western side we replaced sliding doors with double glazed doors just before fitting a gazebo roof. The new doors had no e-coatings and made little difference to the intensity of the blazing western summer sun. Once the roof was installed and the doors were shaded there was no further problem – again, a good result.

Our western windows needed external roller shutters or awnings; both solutions $1200+ but roller shutters will always remain a good summer/winter solution. Winds/weather/time ruin vinyl or fabric awnings so we imported aluminium Bermuda shutters from the US via a local supplier for below $1000 fitted. Bermuda’s are hinged at the top and held up/open with adjustable struts in winter. The blades are also adjustable; they can be angled/closed for summer or in winter the shutter is raised up and the lockable blades set to horizontal so you look straight through – great solution. The only disadvantage is replacing flyscreens with internal magnetic versions.

Our entire non-AC house now remains 12-15 degrees cooler than outside in summer.

rommeldog56 said :

Thanks for comments. Exactly my problem. 3 bedrooms facing northwest. I thought that awnings would be best/cheapest solution so will focus on that.

Tried quotes for double glazing – far, far too expensive for me Im afraid.

I have honeycomb blinds and very heavy lined curtains with good pelmets, as well as awnings. My double-brick house gets belted by the afternoon sun in summer. The internal protection really helps – in fact I often find I can’t be bothered lowering the awnings. Motorised awnings are probably a good idea if you are as lazy as I am. Remember though that the walls themselves store and transmit a helluva lot of heat, and windows aren’t the only culprits. Robust creepers (ones that won’t wreck your eaves) running up the walls could be worth considering.

Rollersk8r said :

Our old ex-govvie used to be belted by the late afternoon sun in summer. Found the retractable awnings to be very effective. We got them in a solid colour that matched the guttering. It used to get so hot inside that chocolate would melt inside the the pantry – but no longer a problem after the awnings were installed. We went through Watsons Blinds, who I am sure weren’t the cheapest – but they did stacks of jobs for us that we were very happy with as first time home owners.

Thanks for comments. Exactly my problem. 3 bedrooms facing northwest. I thought that awnings would be best/cheapest solution so will focus on that. Tried quotes for double glazing – far, far too expensive for me Im afraid.

theword said :

Our motorized awning broke earlier in the year.

Im also thinking about forking out the extra $ to get motorised awnings. But am worried about reliability and then, repairs. How have your found your motorised ones for longevity of the motor/mechanism and reliability ???

TuggLife said :

One of our roller shutters broke earlier this year (I think the drive belt/chain is gone) and we can’t get someone out to repair it for love nor money. Most places will only service ones they’ve installed as the parts aren’t interchangeable. Our only option seems to be replacement, but at around $1000-1500 a window, it’s going to have to wait a bit.

Our motorized awning broke earlier in the year. We thought we would have to replace it however someone suggested we give Amazing Clean in Fyshwick a call. They were great, came out, replaced a part and got it working again. I’m not sure if they do roller shutters. If they don’t I’m sure they could give you a couple of recommendations.

dungfungus said :

Ring these people: http://www.rollershutterrescue.com.au/spare-parts/

They should have the parts and they will probably guide you on how to repair it yourself.

Thanks for that, I’ll contact them.

Our old ex-govvie used to be belted by the late afternoon sun in summer. Found the retractable awnings to be very effective. We got them in a solid colour that matched the guttering. It used to get so hot inside that chocolate would melt inside the the pantry – but no longer a problem after the awnings were installed. We went through Watsons Blinds, who I am sure weren’t the cheapest – but they did stacks of jobs for us that we were very happy with as first time home owners.

Personally, I just don’t get roller shutters. Aside from the imminent apocalypse, why do you need to literally lock down your windows and block out all light? I used to drive by a very plain looking house in Kaleen every day – and I never once saw the roller shutters open, day or night. Who could live like that? And what on Earth goes on inside there?

Ring these people: http://www.rollershutterrescue.com.au/spare-parts/

They should have the parts and they will probably guide you on how to repair it yourself.

you could try apolloblinds.com.au

We bought a house with both roller shutters and cloth awnings a couple of years ago.

One of our roller shutters broke earlier this year (I think the drive belt/chain is gone) and we can’t get someone out to repair it for love nor money. Most places will only service ones they’ve installed as the parts aren’t interchangeable. Our only option seems to be replacement, but at around $1000-1500 a window, it’s going to have to wait a bit.

In contrast, the 80s-era awnings work without any problems (although the colours look a bit dated)