Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Downers Grove
Homes in Downers Grove
Downers Grove is a city of houses: of its 21,527 homes, 62% are detached, 8% are townhouses and other attached houses and 30% are apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes.
The biggest building period was 1950 to 1979, which accounts for 53% of homes standing today; 15% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1974. Owners live in 75% of homes.
Its housing is much like Wheaton's, 6 miles away. Nationally, Downers Grove's homes are older than those in 68% 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
53% 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 64% 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 75% 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.
Whole-house orders
With 62% of homes detached, most orders here cover a whole house: bedrooms, a patio door, perhaps a bay. Put every window in one list in the designer so the louver size and colour match from the street, and if you have an HOA, send it the drawings before you order.
Downers Grove weather and your shutters
At Lisle-Morton Arboretum, IL (3 mi away), July averages a high of 84.4°F and January a low of 14.7°F. Average lows sit at or below freezing from November to March.
About 17 days a year reach 90°F, 144 nights fall to freezing and 42.4 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
Among the Illinois cities we have climate normals for, Downers Grove has the most precipitation.
That's more freezing nights than in 90% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 13 min on the longest day to 9 h 8 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 72° above the horizon in June and 25° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Lisle-Morton Arboretum, IL (temperature) and Downers Grove 0.4 Nne, IL (precipitation, 1 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31.5°F | 14.7°F | 2.2 in |
| Feb | 35.2°F | 17.7°F | 2.2 in |
| Mar | 47.2°F | 26.1°F | 2.6 in |
| Apr | 59.2°F | 36.1°F | 3.9 in |
| May | 70.6°F | 47.4°F | 4.9 in |
| Jun | 80.7°F | 57.9°F | 4.9 in |
| Jul | 84.4°F | 61.8°F | 4.3 in |
| Aug | 82.7°F | 60.2°F | 4.6 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 52.3°F | 3.3 in |
| Oct | 62.6°F | 40.4°F | 4.1 in |
| Nov | 48.4°F | 29.9°F | 2.9 in |
| Dec | 36.6°F | 20.6°F | 2.5 in |
Cold winters
With 144 freezing nights a year, warm room air meets cold glass for months. Shutters closed tight overnight hold that air against the window, so condensation can collect on the sill: tilt the louvers open in the morning, and wipe the sill on windows that often run wet.
Fitting them in Downers Grove
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 Downers Grove
- Wheaton 6 mi
- Naperville 8 mi
- Bolingbrook 9 mi
- Berwyn 12 mi
- Oak Park 14 mi
- Cicero 14 mi
More about shutters in Downers Grove
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Downers Grove’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.