Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Albany
Homes in Albany
Apartments outnumber houses in Albany: 67% of its 50,408 homes are in buildings of two or more units. Detached houses make up 28% and townhouses and other attached houses 5%.
More homes here were built before 1950 than in any later period we count: 50%. Only 9% date from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1949. Most homes are rented: owners live in only 38%.
Of the 17 New York cities we have census figures for, Albany has some of the newest homes. Its housing is much like Troy's, 8 miles away. Nationally, Albany's homes are older than those in 89% 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
50% 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
67% 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 79% 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?
62% 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.
Albany weather and your shutters
At Albany AP, NY (6 mi away), July averages a high of 83.9°F and January a low of 15.9°F. Average lows sit at or below freezing from November to March.
About 10 days a year reach 90°F, 136 nights fall to freezing and 43.3 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
Among the New York cities we have climate normals for, Albany has the second-most freezing days.
That's more freezing nights than in 88% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 19 min on the longest day to 9 h 2 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, Albany AP, NY (temperature) and Albany 0.7 SW, NY (precipitation, 1 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32.8°F | 15.9°F | 2.8 in |
| Feb | 36°F | 17.6°F | 2.4 in |
| Mar | 45.3°F | 26.1°F | 3.4 in |
| Apr | 59.2°F | 36.9°F | 3.2 in |
| May | 71.2°F | 48.1°F | 3.6 in |
| Jun | 79.4°F | 57.4°F | 4.5 in |
| Jul | 83.9°F | 62.4°F | 4.7 in |
| Aug | 82°F | 60.7°F | 4.3 in |
| Sep | 74.4°F | 52.6°F | 3.9 in |
| Oct | 61.6°F | 41.1°F | 4.2 in |
| Nov | 49.3°F | 31.6°F | 3 in |
| Dec | 38.2°F | 22.7°F | 3.3 in |
Cold winters
With 136 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 Albany
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 Albany
- Troy 8 mi
- Schenectady 11 mi
- Chicopee 71 mi
- Springfield 75 mi
- Utica 78 mi
- Bristol 81 mi
More about shutters in Albany
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Albany’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.