Do you need Shutters in Kent for your building extensions, orangeries or garden rooms? Many of these new spaces have wide glazing, bi-fold doors or roof lanterns that standard shutters were never designed to fit. This guide walks through the best shutters for extensions and garden room shutters that actually work, why tracked shutters are usually the right call for bi-fold doors, and how our existing conservatory advice carries over to a brand new extension.
Why standard shutters do not always work on new extensions
Standard shutters are built for a normal window. They open and close on hinges, a bit like a small door. That works fine for most rooms in a house.
An extension or garden room is different. The glazing is often much wider, and it may run the full width of the back of the house. Bi-fold doors can have four, five or even six panels. A single hinged shutter panel cannot cover that much glass, and it would be too heavy to open easily even if it could.
This is why extensions and garden rooms usually need a different approach to the rest of the home.
Best shutter styles for extensions and garden rooms
| Type of opening | Best shutter style | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Bi-fold or wide sliding doors | Tracked shutters | Panels slide along a slim track, so the whole width is covered without one giant, heavy panel |
| Orangery roof lanterns and angled glazing | Custom shaped shutters | Each panel is made to the exact shape of the window, including angles and arches |
| Conservatory style extensions | Conservatory shutters | Built to cope with the extra heat and light that comes through a mostly glass room |
| Standard rectangular windows within the extension | Full height shutters | A simple, flexible option for any normal-shaped window in the new room |
Tracked shutters and bi-fold doors
Most Kent extensions now come with bi-fold or wide sliding doors, because they let people open up the back of the house in summer. The trouble is that these doors do not leave room for a normal shutter frame.
This is where bi-fold door shutters on a track come in. Instead of hinges, the panels hang from a track fitted above the door. Slide them across, just like the bi-fold panels themselves, and they fold neatly out of the way when the doors are fully open. We have written a full guide on whether tracked shutters are the best choice for patio doors, and the same reasoning applies to bi-fold doors in an extension.
Garden rooms and orangeries with unusual shapes
Garden rooms and orangeries often have features not found on a standard house window. Think roof lanterns, angled side panels or an arched top. A normal square shutter panel will not fit any of these.
Custom shaped shutters are made to measure for the exact shape of the window, so an angled or arched opening gets a shutter that fits properly instead of an awkward gap.
Your existing conservatory advice still applies
If there is already a conservatory, or an old one is being turned into a proper extension, most of the advice still holds true. This is covered in more detail in the guide to the best shutter styles for a Kent conservatory. The short version is that a mostly glass room heats up fast in summer and loses heat fast in winter, so conservatory shutters in Kent that block direct sun and add an extra layer of insulation make the biggest difference.
Check what can be built before ordering shutters
Not every extension or garden room needs planning permission, but plenty do, especially larger builds, anything close to a boundary, or work on a listed building or in a conservation area. Before ordering shutters for a new space, it is worth checking the build itself is allowed to go ahead as planned. The Planning Portal has a clear guide to planning permission rules for extensions, including the size limits that apply without needing permission.
Getting it right for a Kent home
Every extension is a little different, which is why measuring and fitting matter just as much as the style chosen. Our team has fitted shutters across Kent, from period sash windows to brand new bi-fold doors, so we know how to match the shutter to the opening rather than the other way round.
Planning an extension or garden room and unsure which shutter style will suit it best? Book a free home visit, and we will measure up and talk through the options in person.
