Plantation shutters are the quiet luxury upgrade nobody warns you about until you ask for a quote. They look stunning in any home, last 20+ years, and add resale value. They also vary in price by 4x depending on material, build, and who's selling them. Here's where the money actually goes.
2026 price ranges (supplied + installed)
- PVC / poly composite: \$350-\$650 per square metre. Best for bathrooms, laundries and high-humidity rooms.
- Basswood (paint-grade): \$600-\$1,100 per square metre. The sweet spot for living areas.
- Premium basswood with bypass tracks: \$900-\$1,500 per square metre. For sliding doors, wide openings, and "designer" finishes.
A standard 1500 × 1500 mm window is roughly 2.25 m², so basswood lands around \$1,350-\$2,500 supplied and installed.
The three levers
1. Material
PVC is the cheapest and waterproof. Perfect for wet rooms, but heavier and limited in colour. Basswood is lighter, takes paint beautifully, and looks closer to traditional joinery. Avoid no-name "engineered wood" unless you've seen the warranty.
2. Blade size
Bigger blades (89 mm or 114 mm) mean more outside view when open and fewer slats per window. Smaller blades (63 mm) look more traditional but cost the same. Pick on style, not price.
3. Frame style
L-frame and Z-frame are standard. Decorative frames, hidden hinges, and matched-colour tracks add 10-20%.
Where two quotes diverge
The same window will get quotes from \$1,100 to \$2,600 depending on whether the installer is using a tier-one Australian manufacturer (warranty, locally-cut blades, real basswood) or a budget import (shorter warranty, sometimes a thinner blade profile, generic hardware). Both work. Just know which one you\'re buying.
Want apples-to-apples plantation quotes from local installers? Submit one short form and we\'ll match you with three.
