Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in San Rafael
Homes in San Rafael
San Rafael's 23,909 homes are a mix: 48% detached houses, 43% apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes and 8% townhouses and other attached houses.
The biggest building period was 1950 to 1979, which accounts for 56% of homes standing today; 8% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1968. 53% of homes are lived in by their owners.
In Novato, 7 miles away, 27% of homes are apartments, fewer than here. Nationally, San Rafael's homes are older than those in 79% 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.
Replacement windows
56% of homes went up between 1950 and 1979, and most of them have had their original windows replaced since. A replacement window often sits further into or out of the wall than the old one, so the depth you have for an inside mount may differ from window to window in the same house. Measure every opening rather than copying one.
Out-of-square openings
With 71% 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
43% 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.
San Rafael weather and your shutters
At San Rafael Civic Ctr, CA (2 mi away), August averages a high of 81.3°F and December a low of 42.1°F. No month averages a high above 85°F or a low below freezing.
About 20 days a year reach 90°F, 3 nights fall to freezing and 34.5 inches of precipitation falls, most of it around December and least in July.
Daylight runs from 14 h 48 min on the longest day to 9 h 31 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 75° above the horizon in June and 29° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, San Rafael Civic Ctr, CA (temperature) and San Rafael Civic Ctr, CA (precipitation, 2 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56.9°F | 42.6°F | 7.1 in |
| Feb | 61.1°F | 44°F | 6.9 in |
| Mar | 64.8°F | 45.5°F | 4.4 in |
| Apr | 67.8°F | 47.5°F | 2 in |
| May | 72°F | 50.6°F | 0.9 in |
| Jun | 77.9°F | 53.5°F | 0.2 in |
| Jul | 80.9°F | 54.9°F | 0 in |
| Aug | 81.3°F | 55.5°F | 0.1 in |
| Sep | 80.7°F | 54.4°F | 0.1 in |
| Oct | 74.9°F | 51.4°F | 1.5 in |
| Nov | 64.6°F | 46°F | 3.5 in |
| Dec | 57.1°F | 42.1°F | 7.8 in |
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 San Rafael
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 San Rafael
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using San Rafael’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.