Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Elkhart
Homes in Elkhart
Elkhart's 25,223 homes are a mix: 53% detached houses, 36% apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes and 2% townhouses and other attached houses.
The biggest building period was 1950 to 1979, which accounts for 35% of homes standing today; 10% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1965. 53% of homes are lived in by their owners.
In nearby Mishawaka, 11 miles away, 57% of homes were built before 1980, so Elkhart's windows are on the whole older. Nationally, Elkhart's homes are older than those in 74% 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.
Plaster walls and deep casings
33% 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 68% 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
36% 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.
Elkhart weather and your shutters
At Goshen 3SW, IN (10 mi away), July averages a high of 83.3°F and January a low of 17.8°F. Average lows sit at or below freezing from December to March.
About 12 days a year reach 90°F, 125 nights fall to freezing and 40.1 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
That's more freezing nights than in 82% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 12 min on the longest day to 9 h 9 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, Goshen 3SW, IN (temperature) and Elkhart Pub Wks & UT, IN (precipitation, 2 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31.7°F | 17.8°F | 2.8 in |
| Feb | 35.5°F | 20.2°F | 2.3 in |
| Mar | 47.2°F | 28.8°F | 2.4 in |
| Apr | 60.3°F | 38.7°F | 3.8 in |
| May | 71.7°F | 49.9°F | 4.2 in |
| Jun | 80.4°F | 59.6°F | 4.3 in |
| Jul | 83.3°F | 62.8°F | 3.7 in |
| Aug | 81.3°F | 61.3°F | 4 in |
| Sep | 75.2°F | 53.9°F | 3.5 in |
| Oct | 62.8°F | 43.3°F | 3.5 in |
| Nov | 48.4°F | 32.8°F | 2.9 in |
| Dec | 36.5°F | 23.7°F | 2.7 in |
Cold winters
With 125 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 Elkhart
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 Elkhart
- Mishawaka 11 mi
- South Bend 16 mi
- Kalamazoo 44 mi
- Battle Creek 56 mi
- Fort Wayne 60 mi
- Gary 72 mi
More about shutters in Elkhart
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Elkhart’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.