Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Elgin
Homes in Elgin
Elgin is a city of houses: of its 40,523 homes, 62% are detached, 14% are townhouses and other attached houses and 21% are apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes.
The biggest building period was 1950 to 1979, which accounts for 32% of homes standing today; 21% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1977. Owners live in 72% of homes.
In nearby Hoffman Estates, 9 miles away, 63% of homes were built before 1980, so Elgin's windows are on the whole newer. Nationally, Elgin's homes are older than those in 58% 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.
Out-of-square openings
With 55% 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.
Plaster walls and deep casings
23% 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.
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.
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.
Elgin weather and your shutters
At Elgin, IL (2 mi away), July averages a high of 84.1°F and January a low of 14.1°F. Average lows sit at or below freezing from November to March.
About 15 days a year reach 90°F, 139 nights fall to freezing and 39.8 inches of precipitation falls, most of it around May and least in February.
That's more freezing nights than in 89% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 15 min on the longest day to 9 h 6 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 71° above the horizon in June and 25° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Elgin, IL (temperature) and Elgin 2.5 W, IL (precipitation, 1 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30.1°F | 14.1°F | 2 in |
| Feb | 34.2°F | 16.8°F | 1.9 in |
| Mar | 46.1°F | 26.3°F | 2.4 in |
| Apr | 58.7°F | 37°F | 3.8 in |
| May | 70.3°F | 48.3°F | 4.9 in |
| Jun | 80.1°F | 58.4°F | 4.8 in |
| Jul | 84.1°F | 63.2°F | 4.1 in |
| Aug | 82.3°F | 61.2°F | 4.3 in |
| Sep | 75.7°F | 52.8°F | 3.5 in |
| Oct | 62.7°F | 40.9°F | 3.4 in |
| Nov | 47.6°F | 30.1°F | 2.5 in |
| Dec | 35.5°F | 20.1°F | 2.2 in |
Cold winters
With 139 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 Elgin
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 Elgin
- Hoffman Estates 9 mi
- Schaumburg 12 mi
- Palatine 16 mi
- Wheaton 17 mi
- Arlington Heights 18 mi
- Aurora 19 mi
More about shutters in Elgin
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Elgin’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.