Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in East Orange
Homes in East Orange
Apartments outnumber houses in East Orange: 76% of its 29,921 homes are in buildings of two or more units. Detached houses make up 20% and townhouses and other attached houses 4%.
More homes here were built before 1950 than in any later period we count: 42%. Only 10% date from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1956. Most homes are rented: owners live in only 31%.
In nearby Newark, 4 miles away, 66% of homes were built before 1980, so East Orange's windows are on the whole older. Nationally, East Orange's homes are older than those in 84% 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.
Apartments and condos
76% 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.
Plaster walls and deep casings
42% 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 76% 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?
69% 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.
East Orange weather and your shutters
At Harrison, NJ (3 mi away), July averages a high of 86.8°F and January a low of 24.9°F. Average highs reach 85°F in July and average lows sit at or below freezing from December to February.
About 31 days a year reach 90°F, 83 nights fall to freezing and 50.7 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
Among the New Jersey cities we have climate normals for, East Orange has the second-most hot days.
That's more freezing nights than in 60% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 6 min on the longest day to 9 h 15 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 73° above the horizon in June and 26° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Harrison, NJ (temperature) and Harrison, NJ (precipitation, 3 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39.4°F | 24.9°F | 3.7 in |
| Feb | 42.3°F | 26.1°F | 3.3 in |
| Mar | 49.9°F | 32.7°F | 4.3 in |
| Apr | 61.8°F | 43.1°F | 4.1 in |
| May | 72.1°F | 53.5°F | 4.4 in |
| Jun | 81.5°F | 63.3°F | 4.9 in |
| Jul | 86.8°F | 68.9°F | 4.8 in |
| Aug | 84.6°F | 67°F | 4.4 in |
| Sep | 77.5°F | 60.1°F | 4.3 in |
| Oct | 65.6°F | 47.7°F | 4.2 in |
| Nov | 54.2°F | 38°F | 3.7 in |
| Dec | 44°F | 30.5°F | 4.6 in |
Humid summers
Hot days and 50.7 inches of precipitation make for heavy summer air. Wood swells when it's humid, so give kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms some air: run the fan after a shower and tilt the louvers open so steam doesn't sit behind them.
Cold winters
With 83 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 East Orange
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 East Orange
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using East Orange’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.