Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Des Moines
Homes in Des Moines
Des Moines is a city of houses: of its 97,604 homes, 62% are detached, 4% are townhouses and other attached houses and 32% are apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes.
The biggest building period was 1950 to 1979, which accounts for 36% of homes standing today; 17% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1961. 60% of homes are lived in by their owners.
In nearby West Des Moines, 9 miles away, 28% of homes were built before 1980, so Des Moines's windows are on the whole older. Nationally, Des Moines's homes are older than those in 78% 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.
Plaster walls and deep casings
34% 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 70% 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.
Replacement windows
36% 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.
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.
Des Moines weather and your shutters
At Des Moines Intl AP, IA (4 mi away), July averages a high of 85.6°F and January a low of 13.8°F. Average highs reach 85°F in July and average lows sit at or below freezing from November to March.
About 22 days a year reach 90°F, 128 nights fall to freezing and 36.6 inches of precipitation falls, most of it around June and least in January.
That's more freezing nights than in 83% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 12 min on the longest day to 9 h 10 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, Des Moines Intl AP, IA (temperature) and Des Moines Intl AP, IA (precipitation, 4 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30.9°F | 13.8°F | 1.1 in |
| Feb | 35.7°F | 18°F | 1.3 in |
| Mar | 49.2°F | 29.6°F | 2.2 in |
| Apr | 62°F | 40.6°F | 4 in |
| May | 72.4°F | 52.3°F | 5.2 in |
| Jun | 81.9°F | 62.4°F | 5.3 in |
| Jul | 85.6°F | 66.4°F | 3.8 in |
| Aug | 83.6°F | 64.2°F | 4.2 in |
| Sep | 76.9°F | 55.4°F | 3.2 in |
| Oct | 63.4°F | 42.9°F | 2.8 in |
| Nov | 48.3°F | 30.2°F | 1.9 in |
| Dec | 35.9°F | 19.5°F | 1.6 in |
Cold winters
With 128 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 Des Moines
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 Des Moines
- West Des Moines 9 mi
- Ankeny 11 mi
- Ames 31 mi
- Waterloo 91 mi
More about shutters in Des Moines
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Des Moines’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.