Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Lancaster
Homes in Lancaster
Lancaster has an unusually large share of townhouses and other attached houses: 52% of its 23,049 homes, beside 12% detached houses and 36% apartments.
More homes here were built before 1950 than in any later period we count: 61%. Only 6% date from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1938. 49% of homes are lived in by their owners.
Its housing is much like Reading's, 29 miles away. Nationally, Lancaster's homes are older than those in 97% 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.
Townhouses
52% 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.
Plaster walls and deep casings
61% 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.
Out-of-square openings
With 86% 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.
Apartments and condos
36% 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.
Lancaster weather and your shutters
At Lancaster 2NE Fltr Plt, PA (1 mi away), July averages a high of 87°F and January a low of 22.2°F. Average highs reach 85°F from July to August and average lows sit at or below freezing from December to March.
About 20 days a year reach 90°F, 111 nights fall to freezing and 44.2 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
That's more freezing nights than in 71% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 1 min on the longest day to 9 h 19 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 73° above the horizon in June and 27° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Lancaster 2NE Fltr Plt, PA (temperature) and Lancaster 2NE Fltr Plt, PA (precipitation, 1 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39.9°F | 22.2°F | 3 in |
| Feb | 42.8°F | 23.6°F | 2.5 in |
| Mar | 52°F | 30.9°F | 3.5 in |
| Apr | 64.6°F | 40.5°F | 3.5 in |
| May | 74.5°F | 50.4°F | 3.7 in |
| Jun | 82.7°F | 59.7°F | 4.1 in |
| Jul | 87°F | 64.7°F | 4.5 in |
| Aug | 85.1°F | 63°F | 3.6 in |
| Sep | 78.2°F | 55.6°F | 4.8 in |
| Oct | 66.4°F | 43.7°F | 4.2 in |
| Nov | 54.8°F | 34°F | 3.3 in |
| Dec | 44.4°F | 27.1°F | 3.5 in |
Cold winters
With 111 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 Lancaster
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 Lancaster
- Reading 29 mi
- Harrisburg 35 mi
- Bel Air South 37 mi
- Wilmington 46 mi
- Towson 48 mi
- Baltimore 54 mi
More about shutters in Lancaster
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Lancaster’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.