Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Boston
Homes in Boston
Apartments outnumber houses in Boston: 82% of its 310,625 homes are in buildings of two or more units. Detached houses make up 12% and townhouses and other attached houses 6%.
More homes here were built before 1950 than in any later period we count: 51%. Only 18% date from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1947. Most homes are rented: owners live in only 36%.
Of the 26 Massachusetts cities we have census figures for, Boston has the third-highest share of apartments. In Quincy, 5 miles away, 62% of homes are apartments, fewer than here. Nationally, Boston's homes are older than those in 81% 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
51% 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.
Apartments and condos
82% 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.
Out-of-square openings
With 72% 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.
Renting?
64% 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.
Boston weather and your shutters
At Boston Logan Intl AP, MA (2 mi away), July averages a high of 82.1°F and January a low of 23.1°F. Average lows sit at or below freezing from December to March.
About 14 days a year reach 90°F, 92 nights fall to freezing and 43.7 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
Among the Massachusetts cities we have climate normals for, Boston has the least precipitation.
That's more freezing nights than in 64% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 17 min on the longest day to 9 h 5 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 71° above the horizon in June and 24° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Boston Logan Intl AP, MA (temperature) and Boston Logan Intl AP, MA (precipitation, 2 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36.8°F | 23.1°F | 3.4 in |
| Feb | 39°F | 24.6°F | 3.2 in |
| Mar | 45.5°F | 31.1°F | 4.2 in |
| Apr | 56.4°F | 40.8°F | 3.6 in |
| May | 66.5°F | 50.3°F | 3.3 in |
| Jun | 76.2°F | 59.7°F | 3.9 in |
| Jul | 82.1°F | 66°F | 3.3 in |
| Aug | 80.4°F | 65.1°F | 3.2 in |
| Sep | 73.1°F | 58.2°F | 3.6 in |
| Oct | 62.1°F | 47.5°F | 4 in |
| Nov | 51.6°F | 37.9°F | 3.7 in |
| Dec | 42.2°F | 29.2°F | 4.3 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.
Fitting them in Boston
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.
More about shutters in Boston
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Boston’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.