Have any of to guys looked at the toxic properies of poly shutters . They have to use something as a bonding agent and most times it is formaldahide ! Timber is organic and most companies that bring them in have to make sure that the companies that manufacture have the forestry stewardship cerificate which means that the timber used is renewable . Timber is far lighter and can span wider . Remember one thing , houses are made from timber and rubbish bins are made from poly . To the doubters and not sure shutter buyers make sure that you choose a timber product that is 100% that species of timber , not blended timbers and to the ones that are contemplating using poly shutters beware as i truly beleive that they will be the next asbestos scare . They are not good for your health . Always try and go organic guys , even with your food .

Assuming all your windows are similar in height to the one in the picture ( taller than they are wide ) I'd personally do just 2 panels . If you really wanted , you could even ask for a solid 'narrow beam' down the middle so they look almost like 4 sections . If you hinge them twice , and have 4 sections across each window , it will be quite fiddly , and maybe this makes me lazy , but why purposely make something that needs 3 or 4 fastenings at the top , another 3 or 4 at the base , and special holders to hold them firm when they are opened . Wide plantation blinds , with a catch each side , is all it needs .

I'm a big fan of plantation shutter. They look beautiful and are pretty simple to clean. The only thing to be aware of is if you have internal fly screens fitted and then have plantation shutter fitted, you may not be able to remove the fly screen from the window because of the plantation frame. This means the inside of that window can no longer be properly cleaned. Please bear this in mind. Stay Clear Window Cleaning

Those photos are helpful, thank you! I had originally only intended to do the bottom as I didn't need shutters for privacy upstairs, but I think you're both right and will get quotes to do all of it.