Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Cranston
Homes in Cranston
Cranston is a city of houses: of its 33,834 homes, 63% are detached, 3% are townhouses and other attached houses and 34% are apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes.
The biggest building period was 1950 to 1979, which accounts for 41% of homes standing today; 7% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1958. 68% of homes are lived in by their owners.
Of the 4 Rhode Island cities we have census figures for, Cranston has the third-highest share of older homes and the third-highest share of apartments. In Providence, 5 miles away, 70% of homes are apartments, more than here. Nationally, Cranston's homes are older than those in 87% 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
36% 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 78% 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
41% 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.
Whole-house orders
With 63% of homes detached, most orders here cover a whole house: bedrooms, a patio door, perhaps a bay. Put every window in one list in the designer so the louver size and colour match from the street, and if you have an HOA, send it the drawings before you order.
Cranston weather and your shutters
At Providence T F Green AP, RI (4 mi away), July averages a high of 83.6°F and January a low of 22.1°F. Average lows sit at or below freezing from December to March.
About 12 days a year reach 90°F, 109 nights fall to freezing and 47.7 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
Among the Rhode Island cities we have climate normals for, Cranston has the second-most hot days and the second-most freezing days.
That's more freezing nights than in 71% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 13 min on the longest day to 9 h 8 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 72° above the horizon in June and 25° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Providence T F Green AP, RI (temperature) and Providence T F Green AP, RI (precipitation, 4 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38.3°F | 22.1°F | 4 in |
| Feb | 40.5°F | 23.5°F | 3.4 in |
| Mar | 47.7°F | 30.2°F | 4.9 in |
| Apr | 58.9°F | 39.6°F | 4.3 in |
| May | 68.9°F | 49.2°F | 3.4 in |
| Jun | 77.7°F | 58.8°F | 3.8 in |
| Jul | 83.6°F | 65.2°F | 2.9 in |
| Aug | 82.2°F | 63.9°F | 3.6 in |
| Sep | 74.8°F | 56.5°F | 4.2 in |
| Oct | 63.8°F | 45.1°F | 4.2 in |
| Nov | 53.2°F | 35.8°F | 4.3 in |
| Dec | 43.4°F | 27.6°F | 4.7 in |
Cold winters
With 109 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
47.7 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 Cranston
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 Cranston
- Providence 5 mi
- Warwick 6 mi
- Pawtucket 9 mi
- Fall River 21 mi
- Taunton 22 mi
- New Bedford 29 mi
More about shutters in Cranston
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Cranston’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.