Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Pasadena
Homes in Pasadena
Apartments outnumber houses in Pasadena: 51% of its 63,203 homes are in buildings of two or more units. Detached houses make up 43% and townhouses and other attached houses 6%.
More homes here were built before 1950 than in any later period we count: 36%. Only 13% date from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1961. Most homes are rented: owners live in only 43%.
Its housing is much like Alhambra's, 6 miles away. Nationally, Pasadena's homes are older than those in 80% of the 881 US cities we have census figures for.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. Estimates carry margins of error.
Plaster walls and deep casings
36% of homes date from before 1950, when walls were plaster on lath and windows sat in deep wood casings. Plaster cracks if you drive screws carelessly: drill a pilot hole, use fixings made for plaster, and fix into the casing or the framing behind it. A deep casing is good news for an inside mount; measure its depth before you choose a louver size.
Out-of-square openings
With 72% of homes built before 1980, many openings have had decades to settle. Measure each one's width at the top, middle and bottom, and both diagonals. If the diagonals differ by more than about ¼ inch, add a mounting frame in the designer, or choose an outside mount so the shutter covers the uneven edges.
Apartments and condos
51% of homes are in buildings of two or more units. Balcony and patio doors suit bypass or bifold panels rather than hinged ones, which need floor space to swing. Check what your HOA or building allows to show from outside before you order: most rules are about the colour seen through the glass.
Renting?
57% of homes are rented. Shutters screw into the window frame or casing, so ask your landlord before you install; taking them down later leaves only screw holes to fill.
Pasadena weather and your shutters
At Pasadena, CA (1 mi away), August averages a high of 91.3°F and December a low of 44.7°F. Average highs reach 85°F from July to September.
About 74 days a year reach 90°F, 0 nights fall to freezing and 20 inches of precipitation falls, most of it around February and least in August.
That's more 90°F days than in 69% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 14 h 26 min on the longest day to 9 h 52 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 79° above the horizon in June and 32° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Pasadena, CA (temperature) and Pasadena, CA (precipitation, 1 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68.1°F | 45.5°F | 4.5 in |
| Feb | 69.3°F | 46.1°F | 5.2 in |
| Mar | 72.6°F | 48.4°F | 3 in |
| Apr | 76.2°F | 50.6°F | 1.1 in |
| May | 78.3°F | 53.9°F | 0.5 in |
| Jun | 83.7°F | 57.8°F | 0.2 in |
| Jul | 89.1°F | 62°F | 0.1 in |
| Aug | 91.3°F | 63.2°F | 0 in |
| Sep | 89.9°F | 61.6°F | 0.2 in |
| Oct | 83°F | 56.3°F | 0.8 in |
| Nov | 74.7°F | 49.6°F | 1.1 in |
| Dec | 67.2°F | 44.7°F | 3.3 in |
Summer sun
On the 74 days a year above 90°F, closed louvers keep direct sun off the glass and out of the room. In a window that takes afternoon sun, white and light paint finishes stay cooler to the touch than dark stains.
Dry summers, wet winters
Barely any of the year's precipitation falls in June, July and August; most comes in the cool months. Wood takes on moisture in the wet season and gives it back in the dry one, so expect the panels to feel slightly tighter in winter than in summer. Fit them in the season you're in, and leave the hinge screws a quarter turn from tight until they've been through both.
Fitting them in Pasadena
Shutter Boys shutters are made for you to fit yourself: an inside or outside mount takes a drill, a level and our step-by-step guide. If you'd rather hire someone, a finish carpenter or blinds installer can fit them; ask on your quote and we'll tell you if we know one near you. You arrange and pay the installer directly.
More about shutters in Pasadena
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Pasadena’s own figures.
Price your windows
Pick your look once, add every window, and see each one drawn and priced. Send it to us and we reply with your quote.