Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Billings
Homes in Billings
Billings is a city of houses: of its 54,346 homes, 63% are detached, 7% are townhouses and other attached houses and 25% 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; 26% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1980. 65% of homes are lived in by their owners.
Of the 4 Montana cities we have census figures for, Billings has the second-highest share of older homes and the smallest share of apartments. Nationally, Billings's homes are older than those in 52% 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.
Manufactured homes
6% of homes are mobile or manufactured homes, whose windows usually sit in thin walls with little depth inside the opening. An outside mount on a frame is the reliable choice there, fixed into the framing around the window rather than the thin wall panel.
Out-of-square openings
With 50% 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
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.
Whole-house orders
With 63% 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.
Billings weather and your shutters
At Billings Logan Intl AP, MT (1 mi away), July averages a high of 87.3°F and January a low of 17.9°F. Average highs reach 85°F from July to August and average lows sit at or below freezing from November to March.
About 32 days a year reach 90°F, 142 nights fall to freezing and 14.5 inches of precipitation falls, most of it around May and least in January.
Among the Montana cities we have climate normals for, Billings has the most hot days and the least precipitation.
That's more freezing nights than in 89% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 43 min on the longest day to 8 h 40 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 68° above the horizon in June and 21° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Billings Logan Intl AP, MT (temperature) and Billings Logan Intl AP, MT (precipitation, 1 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°F | 17.9°F | 0.6 in |
| Feb | 39.2°F | 19.7°F | 0.6 in |
| Mar | 49°F | 26.9°F | 0.9 in |
| Apr | 56.9°F | 34.7°F | 1.7 in |
| May | 66.9°F | 43.8°F | 2.4 in |
| Jun | 77°F | 52.4°F | 2.2 in |
| Jul | 87.3°F | 59.3°F | 1.2 in |
| Aug | 85.8°F | 57.5°F | 0.9 in |
| Sep | 74.3°F | 48.6°F | 1.4 in |
| Oct | 58.8°F | 37.1°F | 1.4 in |
| Nov | 45.7°F | 26.7°F | 0.6 in |
| Dec | 36.1°F | 19.2°F | 0.6 in |
Cold winters
With 142 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 Billings
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 Billings
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Billings’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.