Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in St. Joseph
Homes in St. Joseph
St. Joseph is a city of houses: of its 33,255 homes, 72% are detached, 3% are townhouses and other attached houses and 23% are apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes.
The biggest building period was 1950 to 1979, which accounts for 38% of homes standing today; 11% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1962. 63% of homes are lived in by their owners.
Of the 13 Missouri cities we have census figures for, St. Joseph has the third-highest share of older homes. Its housing is much like Kansas City's, 44 miles away. Nationally, St. Joseph's homes are older than those in 82% 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
36% 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 74% 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.
Whole-house orders
With 72% 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.
Replacement windows
38% 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.
St. Joseph weather and your shutters
At ST Joseph Rosecrans AP, MO (6 mi away), July averages a high of 88.1°F and January a low of 17.1°F. Average highs reach 85°F from July to August and average lows sit at or below freezing from November to March.
About 39 days a year reach 90°F, 126 nights fall to freezing and 37.6 inches of precipitation falls, most of it around May and least in January.
Among the Missouri cities we have climate normals for, St. Joseph has the most freezing days and the least precipitation.
That's more freezing nights than in 82% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 14 h 59 min on the longest day to 9 h 21 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, ST Joseph Rosecrans AP, MO (temperature) and Stn Joseph 2.1 NE, MO (precipitation, 2 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37.4°F | 17.1°F | 1.1 in |
| Feb | 42.8°F | 21.2°F | 1.3 in |
| Mar | 55.1°F | 31.5°F | 2.2 in |
| Apr | 65.9°F | 41.8°F | 3.6 in |
| May | 75.8°F | 53.7°F | 5.3 in |
| Jun | 84.7°F | 63.8°F | 5 in |
| Jul | 88.1°F | 67.3°F | 4.7 in |
| Aug | 86.2°F | 64.5°F | 4 in |
| Sep | 79.7°F | 54.4°F | 3.8 in |
| Oct | 67.8°F | 42.8°F | 2.9 in |
| Nov | 53.4°F | 30.6°F | 2.1 in |
| Dec | 41.1°F | 21.1°F | 1.6 in |
Cold winters
With 126 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 St. Joseph
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 St. Joseph
- Kansas City 44 mi
- Kansas City 46 mi
- Shawnee 52 mi
- Independence 53 mi
- Lenexa 55 mi
- Blue Springs 60 mi
More about shutters in St. Joseph
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using St. Joseph’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.