Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Bethlehem
Homes in Bethlehem
Bethlehem has an unusually large share of townhouses and other attached houses: 28% of its 32,348 homes, beside 36% detached houses and 36% apartments.
The biggest building period was 1950 to 1979, which accounts for 42% of homes standing today; 8% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1957. 50% of homes are lived in by their owners.
Of the 10 Pennsylvania cities we have census figures for, Bethlehem has the newest homes. Its housing is much like Allentown's, 6 miles away. Nationally, Bethlehem's homes are older than those in 90% 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
38% 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.
Townhouses
28% 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 townhouses usually need a separate panel set for each face.
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.
Replacement windows
42% 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.
Bethlehem weather and your shutters
At Allentown Intl AP, PA (4 mi away), July averages a high of 86.4°F and January a low of 21.8°F. Average highs reach 85°F in July and average lows sit at or below freezing from December to March.
About 18 days a year reach 90°F, 118 nights fall to freezing and 47.4 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
That's more freezing nights than in 76% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 5 min on the longest day to 9 h 16 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, Allentown Intl AP, PA (temperature) and Allentown Intl AP, PA (precipitation, 4 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38.4°F | 21.8°F | 3.3 in |
| Feb | 41.6°F | 23.2°F | 2.8 in |
| Mar | 50.8°F | 30.5°F | 3.6 in |
| Apr | 63.4°F | 40.3°F | 3.7 in |
| May | 73.5°F | 50.6°F | 3.7 in |
| Jun | 81.9°F | 59.9°F | 4.4 in |
| Jul | 86.4°F | 64.7°F | 5.3 in |
| Aug | 84.3°F | 62.8°F | 4.6 in |
| Sep | 77.4°F | 55.2°F | 4.8 in |
| Oct | 65.5°F | 43.8°F | 4.1 in |
| Nov | 53.8°F | 34.1°F | 3.2 in |
| Dec | 43.1°F | 26.8°F | 3.9 in |
Cold winters
With 118 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.
Wet months
47.4 inches 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.
Fitting them in Bethlehem
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 Bethlehem
- Allentown 6 mi
- Reading 35 mi
- Trenton 42 mi
- Levittown 42 mi
- Philadelphia 44 mi
- New Brunswick 50 mi
More about shutters in Bethlehem
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Bethlehem’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.