Shutter BoysCalifornia shutters in Halifax
Homes in Halifax
Halifax's 190,510 occupied homes are a mix: 48% detached houses, 40% apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes and 11% semi-detached and row houses.
The 1980s and 1990s built 28% of today's homes, more than any other period we count. 45% are older than that and 27% newer. 57% of homes are lived in by their owners.
Of the 5 Nova Scotia cities we have census figures for, Halifax has some of the newest homes and the highest share of apartments. In East Hants, 50 km away, 8% of homes are apartments, fewer than here. Nationally, Halifax's homes are older than those in 55% of the 167 Canadian cities we have census figures for.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population. Period of construction and tenure come from the 25% sample; counts are randomly rounded.
Condos and apartments
40% 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 condo corporation allows to show from outside before you order: most rules are about the colour seen through the glass.
A whole house in Halifax
The most common home in Halifax has three bedrooms: 34% of homes. 22% have four bedrooms or more, and 16% have one or none. Homes average 6.2 rooms.
Detached houses are the most common kind of home here. Across Canada, the middle home has 6 to 10 windows (NRCan, 2007). Shuttering that many windows at a typical bedroom-window size comes to roughly $2,700 to $5,700 CAD. For scale, that's about 1.2% of the median home value here, $348,000 CAD (owners’ estimates, 2021).
Homes here are smaller than in 81% of the 167 Canadian cities we have figures for: many orders are a few rooms, not a whole house.
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population (bedrooms, rooms and value from the 25% sample; counts randomly rounded); Natural Resources Canada, Survey of Household Energy Use 2007, Table 4.5a (windows). NRCan SHEU 2007, Table 4.5a
A typical home6–10 windows
All of them shuttered$2,700 to $5,700 CAD
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 84% of the 167 Canadian 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.
Working from home
28% of workers here worked from home on census day in May 2021, during the pandemic, more than in 80% of the 167 Canadian cities we have figures for. Glare on a screen comes from direct sun and bright sky behind or beside it. Louvers tilted up throw daylight at the ceiling instead, so the room stays bright and the screen stays readable; wider louvers give the clearest view when you open them.
Ages, place of work and value: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population. Rankings compare the Canadian cities we have figures for.
Halifax weather and your shutters
At Shearwater (7 km away), August averages a high of 23.3 °C and January a low of −8.3 °C. Average lows sit at or below freezing from December to March.
About 1 days a year top 30 °C, 133 days drop to 0 °C or below and 1,414 mm of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
Daylight runs from 15 h 34 min on the longest day to 8 h 48 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 69° above the horizon in June and 22° in December.
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020, Shearwater. Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.2 °C | −8.3 °C | 123.8 mm |
| Feb | 0.6 °C | −7.9 °C | 114 mm |
| Mar | 3.7 °C | −4.3 °C | 119.5 mm |
| Apr | 8.6 °C | 0.4 °C | 107.6 mm |
| May | 14 °C | 5 °C | 114.8 mm |
| Jun | 18.9 °C | 9.9 °C | 107.3 mm |
| Jul | 22.7 °C | 14.3 °C | 95.3 mm |
| Aug | 23.3 °C | 14.7 °C | 94.1 mm |
| Sep | 20.1 °C | 11.3 °C | 106.5 mm |
| Oct | 14.2 °C | 6.2 °C | 141 mm |
| Nov | 8.6 °C | 1.3 °C | 134.6 mm |
| Dec | 3.6 °C | −3.9 °C | 155.8 mm |
Wet months
1,414 mm of precipitation a year keeps the air damp for long stretches. Steam and condensation are hard on any joint, so in kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms keep the air moving and wipe water off the sill before it sits.
Cold winters
With 133 days at or below freezing 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 Halifax
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 Halifax
- East Hants 50 km
- Lunenburg 64 km
More about shutters in Halifax
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Halifax’s own figures.
For designers, contractors and stores in Halifax
Interior designers, contractors, window covering stores, realtors and property managers in Halifax 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
Choose Canada in the designer, enter millimetres or inches, and we reply with your quote in Canadian dollars.