Plantation shutters in Towson

Plantation shutters, also called California shutters or interior window shutters, made to the measurements you take and shipped to your door in Towson. Fit them yourself, or ask us for an independent installer near you.
Framed California shutters fitted across a condo window wall, in time-lapse.

Homes in Towson

Towson has an unusually large share of townhouses and other attached houses: 22% of its 24,871 homes, beside 34% detached houses and 45% apartments.

The biggest building period was 1950 to 1979, which accounts for 48% of homes standing today; 17% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1966. 56% of homes are lived in by their owners.

In nearby Baltimore, 6 miles away, 82% of homes were built before 1980, so Towson's windows are on the whole newer. Nationally, Towson's homes are older than those in 75% 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 69% 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.

How to measure

Townhouses

22% of homes share a wall with the next one. Their front windows face the street side by side with the neighbours', so many owners pick a louver size and a white or off-white finish that sit well beside the houses on either side. Bay windows on townhouses usually need a separate panel set for each face.

Bay window shutters

Replacement windows

48% 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.

Choosing a louver size

Apartments and condos

45% 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.

Patio door shutters

Towson weather and your shutters

At Cylburn, MD (4 mi away), July averages a high of 86.5°F and January a low of 26.6°F. Average highs reach 85°F in July and average lows sit at or below freezing from December to February.

About 18 days a year reach 90°F, 92 nights fall to freezing and 50.2 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.

That's more freezing nights than in 64% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.

Daylight runs from 14 h 57 min on the longest day to 9 h 23 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 74° above the horizon in June and 27° in December.

Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Cylburn, MD (temperature) and Towson 0.8 SW, MD (precipitation, 1 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.

Towson: average monthly low and high temperatures20°F40°F60°F80°FJFMAMJJASOND
Average daily low to high, by month.
Monthly figures
Monthly climate normals
MonthAverage highAverage lowPrecipitation
Jan42.4°F26.6°F3.5 in
Feb46.3°F28.3°F2.8 in
Mar53.8°F34.2°F4.3 in
Apr65.5°F44.9°F3.9 in
May73.2°F54.5°F4.8 in
Jun82°F63.9°F4.5 in
Jul86.5°F69.3°F5.2 in
Aug83.9°F67°F4.5 in
Sep76.8°F59.8°F4.9 in
Oct66.3°F48.5°F4.3 in
Nov56.4°F38.7°F3.4 in
Dec46.4°F31.5°F4.1 in

Cold winters

With 92 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.

Why poplar

Wet months

50.2 inches of precipitation a year keeps the air damp for long stretches. Steam and condensation are hard on any joint, so in kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms keep the air moving and wipe water off the sill before it sits.

Why poplar

Fitting them in Towson

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.

How to install · How to measure

Near Towson

More about shutters in Towson

Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Towson’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.

Design your shutters