Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Reading
Homes in Reading
Reading has an unusually large share of townhouses and other attached houses: 52% of its 36,032 homes, beside 12% detached houses and 36% apartments.
More homes here were built before 1950 than in any later period we count: 66%. Only 3% date from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1938. Most homes are rented: owners live in only 41%.
Of the 10 Pennsylvania cities we have census figures for, Reading has the second-highest share of older homes. Its housing is much like Lancaster's, 29 miles away. Nationally, Reading's homes are older than those in 99% 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
66% 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 90% 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.
Renting?
59% of homes are rented. Shutters screw into the window frame or casing, so ask your landlord before you install; taking them down later leaves only screw holes to fill.
Reading weather and your shutters
At Reading Spaatz Fld, PA (3 mi away), July averages a high of 86.5°F and January a low of 23°F. Average highs reach 85°F in July and average lows sit at or below freezing from December to March.
About 24 days a year reach 90°F, 107 nights fall to freezing and 49.5 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
That's more freezing nights than in 69% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 3 min on the longest day to 9 h 17 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, Reading Spaatz Fld, PA (temperature) and Reading 1.2 SW, PA (precipitation, 1 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38.6°F | 23°F | 3.4 in |
| Feb | 41.9°F | 24.4°F | 2.9 in |
| Mar | 51°F | 31.9°F | 4.1 in |
| Apr | 63.4°F | 41.7°F | 3.8 in |
| May | 73.5°F | 51.5°F | 4.2 in |
| Jun | 82°F | 61.2°F | 4.3 in |
| Jul | 86.5°F | 65.8°F | 5.6 in |
| Aug | 84.4°F | 64.1°F | 4.3 in |
| Sep | 77.1°F | 56.6°F | 5.3 in |
| Oct | 65.4°F | 45°F | 4.4 in |
| Nov | 53.8°F | 35.4°F | 3.3 in |
| Dec | 43.4°F | 28°F | 3.9 in |
Cold winters
With 107 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
49.5 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 Reading
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 Reading
- Lancaster 29 mi
- Allentown 29 mi
- Bethlehem 35 mi
- Wilmington 47 mi
- Philadelphia 48 mi
- Harrisburg 51 mi
More about shutters in Reading
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Reading’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.