Book a Free Home Survey in Rochester
Call us on 01634 943153 — we’re on Cuxton Road, Rochester, and we cover the whole of the Medway towns and Kent as our home patch.
Alternatively, book a survey online → and we’ll confirm a visit within 48 hours.
No obligation. No hard sell. Just an honest measure and a written quote from the people who know Rochester’s housing stock better than anyone.
When people ask where we’re based, the answer is Rochester. Our premises are on Cuxton Road, ME2 — we’re not a Kent-wide franchise, not a national company with a regional rep, not someone dispatching a subcontractor from the other side of the county. Rochester is our home patch. It’s where we work, where we live, and where we’ve been fitting shutters for over 20 years.
That matters for one straightforward reason: when something needs attention after installation, we’re around the corner. When you want to know how a particular shutter style will look in a Victorian terrace on Castle Avenue or a new build in Borstal, we’ve almost certainly fitted in properties just like yours. Rochester is not a market we cover — it’s the market we know better than anyone.
We supply and fit bespoke made-to-measure plantation shutters across Rochester and the Medway towns. Every shutter is measured in your home, manufactured to those exact dimensions, and installed by our own team.
Shutters That Suit Rochester's Housing Stock
Rochester’s housing is as varied as any town in Kent, and understanding the stock matters when you’re choosing a window treatment.
The historic centre and Cathedral quarter — The streets immediately around Rochester Cathedral, the High Street, and the older parts of the city centre include some genuinely impressive period properties: Georgian townhouses, Victorian terraces, and the occasional Listed building with window openings that have been untouched for over a century. Solid panel shutters suit the most historic properties — the authentic period style without louvres, combining near-total blackout with a look that belongs in a Georgian interior. For those who want light control alongside the period aesthetic, tier on tier shutters in hardwood are the natural choice, the upper and lower panels operating independently just as the original shutters on these buildings would have.
The Victorian and Edwardian streets — Roads running out from the centre towards Borstal, Rochester Common, and the streets off Maidstone Road include a significant stock of Victorian and Edwardian terraced and semi-detached houses. Bay-fronted ground floors are common — and bay windows are one of the things we’re asked about most. Fitting shutters into a bay correctly requires the panels to follow each facet of the bay individually while operating independently. We’ve done more bay window shutters across the Medway towns than we can reasonably count. It’s one of those installations that takes more care to get right, and looks completely transformative when done properly.
The Medway riverside and Strood — Properties along the riverside, including the converted commercial buildings and newer apartment blocks, have different requirements: larger window openings, sometimes floor-to-ceiling glazing, and a setting where moisture from the Medway can be a practical factor. Waterproof ABS shutters handle this environment without issue — they won’t warp or swell in humid conditions, and they can be made to measure for the kind of wide, tall openings that conventional off-the-shelf shutters can’t cover.
New builds — Borstal, Rochester Fields, and surrounding estates — Contemporary builds in Rochester and on the estates towards Cuxton and the M2 corridor typically have uPVC frames, larger panes, and cleaner window proportions. Full height shutters in engineered MDF are the practical choice — dimensionally stable, available in any paint finish, and sitting cleanly against the sharp lines of a modern frame.
Rochester’s conservation areas — Parts of Rochester sit within designated conservation areas where planning restrictions apply to external alterations. Interior shutters don’t require planning permission in any circumstances, but if you’re in a Listed building and want to discuss how shutters interact with historic fabric, we have experience across Rochester’s period housing stock and can talk you through the options.
Materials and Finish Options
Every shutter we supply is available in three core materials:
Sustainably sourced hardwood — The premium choice. Natural grain, real warmth, and the feel of something properly made. The right choice for Rochester’s period properties where timber is the dominant material throughout. Available in a full range of paint finishes, stains, and bespoke RAL colours.
Engineered MDF — Dimensionally stable in centrally heated homes. The practical choice for most Rochester residential properties and available in the same full finish range as hardwood. Our most popular material across the board.
Waterproof ABS — Fully moisture resistant. The right call for bathrooms, riverside properties, kitchens, and any setting where humidity is a real factor. Won’t warp, swell, or degrade over time.
Louvre sizes: 47mm, 63mm, 76mm, and 89mm. Tilt: central rod or hidden tilt rod.
Why Rochester Homeowners Choose VIP
We are Rochester. That’s not a marketing line — it’s a practical fact. Our premises are on Cuxton Road, our fitters live locally, and we’ve been working in Rochester’s homes for over two decades. We know the housing stock, we know which streets have bay windows that need extra care, and we know how to get a shutter fitted correctly in a building that’s been standing since Victoria was on the throne.
Free home survey — We come to you, measure every window individually, and give you a written itemised quote. No call centre, no estimates from photographs, no pressure to decide on the day.
Made to measure — Every shutter is manufactured to the measurements we take in your home. Nothing is a standard size adjusted to fit.
Our own fitters, not subcontractors — The team who surveys is connected to the team who installs. We don’t hand jobs off. We’re accountable for the result, and we’re based five minutes away if anything ever needs attention.
5-year warranty — All shutters we supply and fit carry a 5-year warranty covering manufacturing defects and installation issues.
5★ rated, 104 reviews — Our reputation in Rochester and the Medway towns is built on repeat business and word of mouth. We intend to keep it that way.
How the Process Works
We keep things simple and straightforward.
1. Book a free home survey. One of our team visits your property in Chatham, measures every window you’re considering, and walks you through style and material options in your own home. No pressure, no pushy sales. We’ll leave you with a written quote.
2. Confirm your order. When you’re ready to go ahead, we return to template the windows — this is a second precise measurement that goes directly to the factory. We take a deposit at this stage and your shutters go into production.
3. Installation. Lead times are typically 4–6 weeks from order. Our fitter carries out the installation, checks every panel, and leaves the room clean and tidy. We take away all packaging.
5-year warranty on all shutters supplied and fitted by The VIP Shutter Co.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
As a working guide, a standard bedroom window in full height engineered MDF shutters starts from around £350–£450 fitted. A bay window in a Victorian or Edwardian terrace — very common across Rochester’s residential streets — typically runs £1,200–£2,500 depending on the number of facets, opening size, and material. We provide itemised written quotes after measuring. No estimates, no surprises on the day.
Yes. We have experience fitting in Listed properties and buildings within Rochester’s conservation areas. Interior shutters don’t require planning permission, but we can advise on material and style choices that respect the historic fabric of older buildings. If you’re unsure, get in touch and we’ll talk it through before the survey.
Allow 5–6 weeks from survey to fitting. The survey takes around an hour for a standard two or three-room job. Installation is typically half a day for the same scope, though larger properties may run to a full day. We work around your schedule.
All shutters fitted by The VIP Shutter Co carry a 5-year warranty covering manufacturing defects and installation issues. We’re based in Rochester — if something ever needs attention, we’re five minutes away.
Yes, and it’s one of the most common requests we get across Rochester and the Medway towns. Bay window shutters are made in angled panels that follow each facet of the bay, operating independently. We template bay windows with extra care to make sure every angle is correct before the order goes to the factory.
Our Shutter Styles
We offer six styles as standard, all made to measure for your exact window dimensions.
Areas Around Rochester We Also Cover
Rochester is our base, and from here we cover the whole of the Medway towns and wider Kent:
- Chatham — immediately east, our most active area alongside Rochester
- Gillingham — adjoining Chatham, regular installation area
- Strood — across the Medway bridge, ME2
- Borstal — immediate south of Rochester centre
- Cuxton and Halling — along the Medway valley
- Maidstone — 20 minutes south on the A229
- Gravesend — 20 minutes north on the A2
- All of Kent — we cover the whole county as part of our regular schedule
The VIP Shutter Co
