Custom-radius, built to template
Arches & Palladiums across the Florida Panhandle
Custom-radius arched, palladium, half-round, and circle-top shutters from Pensacola to PCB and across the Mobile Bay area. Field-templated, shop-built, no compromise.
The custom-shape shutter cornerstone
What arched and palladium shutters take to build right.
Arched and palladium windows are the most-asked-about and most-skipped shutter project in the Florida Panhandle. Most chain installers will not bid them because the field template, the shop radius build, and the install precision are outside the line-and-rectangle workflow. The result: hundreds of beautiful 1990s and early-2000s coastal homes in Pensacola's Scenic Heights, Destin's Kelly Plantation, Sandestin, Carillon Beach, and Mobile's West Mobile development belt have stunning arched windows with no shutters at all, because the homeowner was told it could not be done. It can. We build them every month. Pensacola Cordova Park formal dining rooms. Mobile Spring Hill antebellum sidelights. Bay Point golf-home palladiums. We have the templates, the radius router, and the patience.
The buyer questions: what is the difference between arched and palladium, how much do arched shutters cost, what is the lead time, can the arched portion operate, what materials can you build, half-round and circle-top, retrofit on existing arches. Short version: arched is a curved top over a rectangular base; palladium is three-part with a center and two sidelights; $200 to $600 per arch above the base shutter cost; 5 to 7 weeks shop build plus 1 week for paint; yes operable or fixed louvers; basswood, Polysatin, Woodlore Plus, and Graber all build well in shapes; yes half-round fans and circle-top starbursts; yes retrofit is most of our arch work.
We use Hunter Douglas, Norman, and Graber as our shape-build partners, with Graber as the default for complex palladiums. See the full plantation shutter cornerstone for material and louver-width context.
Shape types and build options
The custom-radius shutter catalog.
Arched (curved top over rectangle)
The most common custom-shape spec. A half-circle, eyebrow, or shallow arc over a rectangular base. We field-template the arch, the shop builds to that exact radius, install pairs with a standard rectangular shutter below. The arch can be operable (louvers tilt) or fixed (louvers stay angled).
Palladium (three-part)
Rectangular center window flanked by two narrower sidelights, often with a half-round arch over the center. Complex to template because the proportions and the arch radius all have to align. Graber is our default spec for palladiums because the shop handles the multi-piece coordination cleanly.
Half-round
A semicircle with the flat side at the bottom. Takes a fan-style shutter that radiates from a center point. Typically fixed-louver because the geometry does not support tilt cleanly. The right call for half-round transoms over front doors.
Circle top
A full circle. Takes a continuous-radius fan or a starburst pattern. Always fixed-louver. Rare in residential; we mostly see them on second-floor architectural-detail windows.
Operable vs fixed louver
Operable louvers in arched shapes tilt with a custom tilt-rod that follows the arch curve. Fixed louvers stay at a set angle and do not move. Operable is the better answer when the arch needs light control; fixed is the right call for purely decorative spec.
Material library
Custom basswood, Hunter Douglas Polysatin, and Norman Woodlore Plus all build in shapes. Polysatin is our coastal default because the integral color survives years of UV exposure on a southern-facing arched window without fade.
What arched and palladium shutters cost
Honest pricing.
A 6-foot arched top with a basswood plantation shutter base runs $1,200 to $2,400 for the complete window. A palladium with center and two sidelights and arched top runs $3,500 to $5,000 for the full assembly. Material drives the upper end. Operable louvers add about 15 percent over fixed.
Final price comes from in-home measure. No obligation. 50% deposit, balance install day.
Where we build arched and palladium shutters
Florida Panhandle and South Alabama.
Three other shutter companies told us the 12-foot arched picture window in our dining room could not be done. They templated it on a Tuesday and installed the finished shutter four weeks later. Exactly what we wanted.Penny, New Orleans, LA · Pensacola formal dining
Arch and palladium questions
What buyers actually ask.
Arched vs palladium?
Arched is curved top over rectangle. Palladium is three-part with center and sidelights, often arched.
How much do arched shutters cost?
$200 to $600 per arch above the base rectangular shutter. Full arched-top window $1,200 to $2,400.
What is the lead time?
5 to 7 weeks shop build plus 1 week paint.
Can the arched portion operate?
Yes on most arches. Operable or fixed louver.
What materials?
Basswood, Polysatin, Woodlore Plus, Graber custom shapes.
Half-round and circle?
Yes. Fan-style shutters built to template.
Retrofit on existing arches?
Yes. Most of our arch work is retrofit on 1985 to 2005 builds.
Begin here
Let us template your arches.
Tell us where you live on the Gulf Coast and what you have in mind.
No obligation. 50% deposit, balance install day. Lifetime warranty on frames.