Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Ames
Homes in Ames
Apartments outnumber houses in Ames: 52% of its 28,041 homes are in buildings of two or more units. Detached houses make up 38% and townhouses and other attached houses 7%.
Much of Ames is new: 38% of homes were built 2000 or later, and only 40% before 1980. The median home dates from 1992. Most homes are rented: owners live in only 42%.
Of the 11 Iowa cities we have census figures for, Ames has some of the newest homes and the highest share of apartments. In Ankeny, 21 miles away, 25% of homes are apartments, fewer than here. Nationally, Ames's homes are newer than those in 63% 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.
Apartments and condos
52% 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.
Shallow openings
38% of homes were built in 2000 or later. Newer windows are often set close to the room side of the wall, and handles, cranks and alarm sensors stick out into the space a louver swings through. Measure the depth to the glass and to anything that sticks out; the designer checks it against the louver size you pick.
Renting?
58% of homes are rented. Shutters screw into the window frame or casing, so ask your landlord before you install; taking them down later leaves only screw holes to fill.
Rounded drywall corners
60% of homes here were built from 1980 on, and many houses of that era have rounded ("bullnose") drywall corners around the windows instead of square returns. A shutter can't sit flat against a curve: choose an outside mount with a frame that clears the corner, or an inside mount if the flat part of the opening is deep enough for your louvers.
Ames weather and your shutters
At Ames Muni AP, IA (2 mi away), July averages a high of 83.9°F and January a low of 10.9°F. Average lows sit at or below freezing from November to March.
About 17 days a year reach 90°F, 147 nights fall to freezing and 38.5 inches of precipitation falls, most of it around May and least in January.
That's more freezing nights than in 92% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 15 min on the longest day to 9 h 7 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, Ames Muni AP, IA (temperature) and Ames 1.5 Nne, IA (precipitation, 1 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28.7°F | 10.9°F | 1 in |
| Feb | 33.4°F | 15.4°F | 1.3 in |
| Mar | 47.1°F | 27°F | 2.3 in |
| Apr | 60.9°F | 37.8°F | 3.8 in |
| May | 71.8°F | 49.5°F | 5.4 in |
| Jun | 81.3°F | 59.8°F | 5.1 in |
| Jul | 83.9°F | 62.8°F | 5 in |
| Aug | 81.8°F | 60.1°F | 4.5 in |
| Sep | 75.9°F | 50.9°F | 3.6 in |
| Oct | 62.6°F | 39.1°F | 2.9 in |
| Nov | 46.9°F | 26.9°F | 2 in |
| Dec | 33.9°F | 16.5°F | 1.6 in |
Cold winters
With 147 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 Ames
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 Ames
- Ankeny 21 mi
- Des Moines 31 mi
- West Des Moines 34 mi
- Waterloo 73 mi
More about shutters in Ames
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Ames’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.