French Door handle issues with plantation shutters

We wish to add 3-1/2" vinyl plantation shutters to our home, but our french door is posing a problem: The door has a very large window, and the area between the door edge and the window edge is too narrow {I believe it is about 3 or 3-1/2" wide}. Also, we have been told that door handle cutouts are not available in vinyl (according to 3-day blinds).

Does anyone know if (french) door handle extensions are available (or feasible)? Or can anyone recommend a manufacture of quality vinyl shutters that offer the cutout for french door handles?

Also, has anyone mixed vinyl & wood shutters? It has been suggested to use wood on the door only. I would want to compare them side by side though.

 

Everytime I have installed the shutters with a narrow stile, I have to revert the inside handle to a conventional round or oval one. It really doesn't look out of place, and it, of course, doesn't look as funky as the ill fitting french door handle.

 

Hi there - I haven't bought anything there yet, but www.rakltd.com is the web site for a company that specializes in door handle extenders (their product brand is the x-10-dor.... get it?). They were recommended to me by the company that hung our blinds - only problem was that rakltd doesn't make extensions for our brand of handle (Schlage) and I haven't found anyone that does... (they simply recommended turning the handle 180 degrees so it wasn't in the blinds - seems like that would look funky...) If you get to their web site, roll over the Products heading and then click on compatibility to see which brands they handle and pictures of the models (they seem to cover Andersen, Ashland, G-U, EMTEK, Hoppe, Hurd, Kwikset, Marvin and Pella). Have to order by phone and ask questions via e-mail - but they got back to me pretty fast. I was just sorry they didn't have something for my door handles!

Good Luck!