Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Santee
Homes in Santee
Santee's 21,851 homes are a mix: 57% detached houses, 21% apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes and 12% townhouses and other attached houses.
The biggest building period was 1950 to 1979, which accounts for 52% of homes standing today; 19% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1979. Owners live in 72% of homes.
In El Cajon, 4 miles away, 49% of homes are apartments, more than here. Nationally, Santee's homes are older than those in 57% 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.
Manufactured homes
9% of homes are mobile or manufactured homes, whose windows usually sit in thin walls with little depth inside the opening. An outside mount on a frame is the reliable choice there, fixed into the framing around the window rather than the thin wall panel.
Replacement windows
52% 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 54% 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.
Bought to stay
Owners live in 72% of homes, and shutters are usually bought to stay with the house. Poplar takes paint well, so they can be repainted years from now if you change a room's colours. Keep your order list: it records every size if you add a room later.
Santee weather and your shutters
At EL Cajon, CA (5 mi away), August averages a high of 88.6°F and December a low of 41.7°F. Average highs reach 85°F from July to September.
About 57 days a year reach 90°F, 3 nights fall to freezing and 11.5 inches of precipitation falls, most of it around February and least in June.
That's more 90°F days than in 60% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 14 h 19 min on the longest day to 9 h 59 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 81° above the horizon in June and 34° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, EL Cajon, CA (temperature) and EL Cajon 2.2 Ene, CA (precipitation, 4 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69.3°F | 42.5°F | 2.6 in |
| Feb | 69.2°F | 44.4°F | 2.8 in |
| Mar | 71.3°F | 48°F | 1.3 in |
| Apr | 74.5°F | 50.7°F | 0.8 in |
| May | 76.2°F | 55.9°F | 0.4 in |
| Jun | 80.8°F | 59.4°F | 0.1 in |
| Jul | 86.1°F | 63.3°F | 0.1 in |
| Aug | 88.6°F | 64.7°F | 0.1 in |
| Sep | 87.3°F | 62.1°F | 0.1 in |
| Oct | 81°F | 55.6°F | 0.6 in |
| Nov | 75.2°F | 47.1°F | 0.9 in |
| Dec | 68.5°F | 41.7°F | 1.7 in |
Dry air
Only 11.5 inches of precipitation a year, and days and nights about 24°F apart. Dry air pulls moisture out of wood, so poplar louvers can shrink very slightly through their first dry season; that's normal for real wood.
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 Santee
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.
Near Santee
- El Cajon 4 mi
- La Mesa 6 mi
- San Diego 8 mi
- National City 15 mi
- Chula Vista 16 mi
- Escondido 20 mi
More about shutters in Santee
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Santee’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.