Shutters for windows in my disabled son's bedroom

My son has severe learning difficulties and will happily climb onto his window ledge and spend all night staring out of it and not getting any sleep. Therefore we have to put a hardboard board over each window which we fix with a bolt on the top of each side. We put them up every night and take them down in the morning. This doesn't look pretty and is a pain to use but keeps my son off the windows. However, we're decorating his room and would like something more attractive. Fold back shutters would be ideal, but we only have a few inches to the corner of the wall on either side of the pair of windows. There's not enough room to fold them flat against the wall and on one side we have built in shelves.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what we could do. The windows are 23" wide and 46" high and separated by a 20" gap. I've thought of security shutters, but they won't go into such small windows and cost hundreds of pounds anyway. I don't want to cover up with curtains as my son has a habit of chewing them.

I'd be very grateful for any ideas.

Thanks,

Teresa

heeelllooo TeresaTT and welcome

could you not affix a couple of lourves to the outside!!

if you paint them well they will last 4 or 5 years and you will have more time to reserch a better solution also his situation may change in the meantime requiring a different solution

good luck

The trouble with lourves on the outside is that they are awkward to open and shut. Also, my son would probably climb onto the windowsill anyway.

I'm racking my brains and we've looked around several DIY stores and just can't find anything suitable.

didnt want to suggest one of these cos the lads got to look at it

http://www.ampwire.co.uk/window-grilles.htm

normal curtains with one of these on the inside to stop him touching them
get the correct fitting and when you swing it open it can be lifted off and put under the bed

i am shure you have given it lots of thought but please rember the implication in case of fire

Louvres would be the best solution.

You could hinge these so that they are hung from one side only and then fold, concertina fashion to the centre of the room and not to each side of the window.

Or a double sliding track (wardrobe) could span both windows and the louvres slide to the centre

Or if you want to keep curtains then a similar arrangement but with some clear perspex/polycarbonate shutters to cover the opening, but leave the window visible. This would, allow your son to look out of the window if he enjoys this - but you sound like you want to prevent this?

What about one of the roller blinds made of timber or cane/bamboo? these are pretty tough and you could devise a vertical channel for it to run in down the window opening, and another to secure it at the bottom.

Although some ornate steel screens could be used, I would avoid any security shutters. And if possible, use some of the breakable bathroom type bolts so that whatever you put there, can be opened quickly if need be

Thanks for the suggestions.

big-all, window grilles would give my son hand holds for climbing.

woody, you have given me a couple of very good ideas to explore. I'm quite taken with the idea of a timber/cane/bamboo blind with runners down the side and I'm definitely going to look into this. I just need to find a catch that my son can't operate but we can. I also like the double sliding track, though the windows are a bit wider than the gap between them.

My son loves looking out of windows and will do so for hours on end at night and that is what we're trying to prevent.

My son is ten years old but with the mental age of a toddler. He still needs all the safety precautions of a toddler but he's very much bigger and that presents us with all sorts of problems. Toddler stair gates are no good in keeping him in his room at night, so we've had a stable door fitted. He empties his wardrobes and drawers and climbs into them and so we've had fitted wardrobes and drawers with locks on. He's still in nappies so we have a bed with a lifting mechanism to save our backs, but it's been specially made with all the mechanisms boxed in and the power switch moved outside of his room with a big red flashing light to remind us to turn it off.

Life with my son presents us with many challenges and I'm grateful for the ideas I've had here to make things a bit easier and safer for us.

Thanks,

Teresa

just had a though what about that window film you know the one that reflects light back !!!

if you leave a light on the window will act like a mirror providing its dark outside!!

wont help with light nights may even stimulate him more seeing his own reflection i dont know

or maybe frosted finnish!!!

http://www.windowwallpaper.co.uk/

Thanks big all, but window film wouldn't provide any privacy. Also, my son loves mirrors.

I've just been to a local blinds place and seen some lovely natural weave blinds which are very sturdy. They are roman blinds which mean that they won't work in narrow runners at the edges as they need to fold as they are pulled up. However, if we just have a single baton of wood on either side in front of the edges of the blind, it will prevent my son from pulling them away from the window. If he pushes them, they will just press onto the window. The blinds have a quite a thick piece of wood at the bottom to which we can attach some sort of catch to prevent my son lifting the blind. However, I've no idea what sort of catch we could use. It must be difficult for my son to undo but easy enough for us. We could even use a key lock as we already use keys for his wardrobes and doors.

Anyone know of any catches that we could use? They need to be fairly discrete so that they don't spoil the look of the windows.

Thanks,

Teresa

the trouble with blinds in tracks issss
if you raise one end high enough one or both ends can fall out the runner!!!

so you need a blind that can maintain its position when attacked by excited hands

on the track idea 6 inch strips of 12mm ply full height slid on then locked in place by a screw/batton!!!