Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Bismarck
Homes in Bismarck
Bismarck's 35,361 homes are a mix: 47% detached houses, 35% apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes and 11% townhouses and other attached houses.
The biggest building period was 1950 to 1979, which accounts for 36% of homes standing today; 33% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1985. 65% of homes are lived in by their owners.
Of the 3 North Dakota cities we have census figures for, Bismarck has the second-highest share of older homes and the third-highest share of apartments. Nationally, Bismarck's homes are newer than those in 56% 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
7% 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.
Shallow openings
33% of homes were built in 2000 or later. Newer windows are often set close to the room side of the wall, and handles, cranks and alarm sensors stick out into the space a louver swings through. Measure the depth to the glass and to anything that sticks out; the designer checks it against the louver size you pick.
Replacement windows
36% 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.
A whole house in Bismarck
The most common home in Bismarck has three bedrooms: 30% of homes. 29% have four bedrooms or more, and 12% have one or none. The median home has 6 rooms.
Detached houses are the most common kind of home here. Across the US, the middle home among detached houses has 10 to 15 windows (EIA, 2020). Shuttering that many windows at a typical bedroom-window size comes to roughly $3,200 to $6,000. For scale, that's about 1.5% of the median home value here, $300,300 (owners’ estimates, 2020–2024).
Homes here are larger than in 75% of the 881 US cities we have figures for, so a whole-house order runs to more windows than most.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 (bedrooms B25041, rooms B25018, value B25077); U.S. Energy Information Administration, Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020, Table HC2.1 (windows). EIA RECS 2020, Table HC2.1
A typical home10–15 windows
All of them shuttered$3,200 to $6,000
Every window priced as a 36 × 48 in opening in our basic build (flat moulding, paint stage 1, 3½ in louvers), before tax and shipping. Your windows will differ; the designer prices each one.
Price your own windowsOne room at a time
Homes here cost less than in 68% of the 881 US cities we have figures for, and many owners do a house in stages. Start with the rooms where light and privacy matter most, usually bedrooms and the street-facing front, and keep the same louver size and colour so later rooms match. Your saved design keeps every size.
Ages (B01001), working from home (B08301) and value (B25077): U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. Rankings compare the US cities we have figures for.
Bismarck weather and your shutters
At Bismarck 2.4 Nnw, ND (2 mi away), July averages a high of 81.5°F and January a low of 3.8°F. Average lows sit at or below freezing from November to April.
About 9 days a year reach 90°F, 182 nights fall to freezing and 20.3 inches of precipitation falls, most of it around June and least in January.
Among the North Dakota cities we have climate normals for, Bismarck has the most hot days and the second-most freezing days.
That's more freezing nights than in any other of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 52 min on the longest day to 8 h 32 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 67° above the horizon in June and 20° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Bismarck 2.4 Nnw, ND (temperature) and Bismarck 1.3 Wnw, ND (precipitation, 1 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22.1°F | 3.8°F | 0.6 in |
| Feb | 27.1°F | 6.7°F | 0.6 in |
| Mar | 39.7°F | 17.8°F | 0.9 in |
| Apr | 53.8°F | 29.4°F | 1.4 in |
| May | 66.4°F | 42.5°F | 2.7 in |
| Jun | 75.6°F | 52.5°F | 3.5 in |
| Jul | 81.5°F | 58.3°F | 3.2 in |
| Aug | 80.1°F | 55.6°F | 2.5 in |
| Sep | 71.3°F | 46.1°F | 1.8 in |
| Oct | 55.6°F | 33.5°F | 1.6 in |
| Nov | 39.6°F | 19.8°F | 0.8 in |
| Dec | 26.9°F | 9.5°F | 0.7 in |
Deep cold
January nights average 3.8°F. Closed shutters trap a layer of still air against the glass, which keeps the room warmer, but the glass behind them gets colder too, and frost can form on the inside of older windows. Tilt the louvers open in the morning to let room air reach the glass, and wipe the sill if water collects.
Fitting them in Bismarck
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 Bismarck
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Bismarck’s own figures.
For designers, contractors and stores in Bismarck
Interior designers, contractors, window covering stores, realtors and property managers in Bismarck can sell or refer Shutter Boys shutters: dealers buy at trade pricing with a protected area; referral partners earn a fee on each client they send. No fee to join.
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.