Shutter BoysCalifornia shutters in Waterloo
Homes in Waterloo
Waterloo's 47,040 occupied homes are a mix: 49% detached houses, 35% apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes and 16% semi-detached and row houses.
The 1980s and 1990s built 34% of today's homes, more than any other period we count. 33% are older than that and 33% newer. 61% of homes are lived in by their owners.
In nearby Kitchener, 9 km away, 49% of homes were built in 1980 or earlier, so Waterloo's windows are on the whole newer. Nationally, Waterloo's homes are newer than those in 70% 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.
Condo towers
22% of homes are in buildings of five storeys or more, where floor-to-ceiling window walls are common. Tier-on-tier panels let you open the top for light and keep the bottom closed for privacy, and a mounting frame gives the panels a square edge on glass that runs wall to wall. Many buildings ask you to book the elevator for deliveries and keep to set work hours, so check with management before install day.
Shallow openings
33% of homes were built in 2001 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.
Semis and row houses
16% of homes share a wall with the next one. Their front windows face the street side by side with the neighbours', so many owners pick a louver size and a white or off-white finish that sit well beside the houses on either side. Bay windows on semis usually need a separate panel set for each face.
A whole house in Waterloo
The most common home in Waterloo has three bedrooms: 37% of homes. 28% have four bedrooms or more, and 12% have one or none. Homes average 6.3 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 0.6% of the median home value here, $750,000 CAD (owners’ estimates, 2021).
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 windowsWorking from home
40% of workers here worked from home on census day in May 2021, during the pandemic, more than in 98% 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.
Waterloo weather and your shutters
At KITCHENER/WATERLOO (13 km away), July averages a high of 26.6 °C and January a low of −10.3 °C. Average lows sit at or below freezing from November to March.
About 11 days a year top 30 °C, 156 days drop to 0 °C or below and 851 mm of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
That's more 30 °C days than in 65% of the 160 Canadian cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 25 min on the longest day to 8 h 57 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 70° above the horizon in June and 23° in December.
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020, KITCHENER/WATERLOO. Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −2.3 °C | −10.3 °C | 66.3 mm |
| Feb | −1.4 °C | −10.3 °C | 46.1 mm |
| Mar | 4.1 °C | −5.6 °C | 57 mm |
| Apr | 11.6 °C | 0.1 °C | 81.2 mm |
| May | 19 °C | 6.2 °C | 80.2 mm |
| Jun | 24.1 °C | 11.5 °C | 80.5 mm |
| Jul | 26.6 °C | 13.7 °C | 96.2 mm |
| Aug | 25.5 °C | 12.7 °C | 67.2 mm |
| Sep | 21.6 °C | 8.7 °C | 75.2 mm |
| Oct | 14.1 °C | 3.4 °C | 71 mm |
| Nov | 6.8 °C | −1.6 °C | 74.9 mm |
| Dec | 0.7 °C | −6.3 °C | 54.9 mm |
Cold winters
With 156 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.
Summer sun
On the 11 days a year above 30 °C, closed louvers keep direct sun off the glass and out of the room. In a window that takes afternoon sun, white and light paint finishes stay cooler to the touch than dark stains.
Fitting them in Waterloo
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 Waterloo
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Waterloo’s own figures.
For designers, contractors and stores in Waterloo
Interior designers, contractors, window covering stores, realtors and property managers in Waterloo 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.