Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Columbia
Homes in Columbia
Columbia's 62,021 homes are a mix: 49% detached houses, 44% apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes and 6% townhouses and other attached houses.
Much of Columbia is new: 31% of homes were built 2000 or later, and only 49% before 1980. The median home dates from 1980. 46% of homes are lived in by their owners.
Of the 7 South Carolina cities we have census figures for, Columbia has the highest share of older homes and the third-highest share of apartments. In nearby Rock Hill, 62 miles away, 35% of homes were built before 1980, so Columbia's windows are on the whole older. Nationally, Columbia's homes are older than those in 51% 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.
Apartments and condos
44% 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.
Out-of-square openings
With 49% 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.
Shallow openings
31% of homes were built in 2000 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.
A whole house in Columbia
The most common home in Columbia has three bedrooms: 34% of homes. 17% have four bedrooms or more, and 17% have one or none. The median home has 5.1 rooms.
Detached houses are the most common kind of home here. Across the US, the middle home among detached houses has 10 to 15 windows (EIA, 2020). Shuttering that many windows at a typical bedroom-window size comes to roughly $3,200 to $6,000. For scale, that's about 1.7% of the median home value here, $264,300 (owners’ estimates, 2020–2024).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 (bedrooms B25041, rooms B25018, value B25077); U.S. Energy Information Administration, Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020, Table HC2.1 (windows). EIA RECS 2020, Table HC2.1
A typical home10–15 windows
All of them shuttered$3,200 to $6,000
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 windowsOne room at a time
Homes here cost less than in 75% of the 881 US cities we have figures for, and many owners do a house in stages. Start with the rooms where light and privacy matter most, usually bedrooms and the street-facing front, and keep the same louver size and colour so later rooms match. Your saved design keeps every size.
Ages (B01001), working from home (B08301) and value (B25077): U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. Rankings compare the US cities we have figures for.
Columbia weather and your shutters
At Sandhill Rsch - Elgin, SC (6 mi away), July averages a high of 92.5°F and January a low of 33.3°F. Average highs reach 85°F from June to September.
About 73 days a year reach 90°F, 47 nights fall to freezing and 48.7 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
Among the South Carolina cities we have climate normals for, Columbia has the most hot days.
That's more 90°F days than in 69% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 14 h 25 min on the longest day to 9 h 53 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 79° above the horizon in June and 33° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Sandhill Rsch - Elgin, SC (temperature) and Columbia 3.1 E, SC (precipitation, 6 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56.3°F | 33.3°F | 3.8 in |
| Feb | 60°F | 36.1°F | 3.6 in |
| Mar | 67.2°F | 42.2°F | 4 in |
| Apr | 76°F | 50.6°F | 3.1 in |
| May | 83.2°F | 59.4°F | 3.5 in |
| Jun | 88.9°F | 67.4°F | 4.9 in |
| Jul | 92.5°F | 70.7°F | 5.6 in |
| Aug | 90.5°F | 69.5°F | 5.4 in |
| Sep | 85.4°F | 63.6°F | 4.2 in |
| Oct | 76.2°F | 52.5°F | 3.4 in |
| Nov | 66.1°F | 42.3°F | 3.2 in |
| Dec | 58.9°F | 36.5°F | 4 in |
Humid summers
Hot days and 48.7 inches of precipitation make for heavy summer air. Wood swells when it's humid, so give kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms some air: run the fan after a shower and tilt the louvers open so steam doesn't sit behind them.
Summer sun
On the 73 days a year above 90°F, 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 Columbia
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 Columbia
- Rock Hill 62 mi
- Charlotte 81 mi
- Augusta 82 mi
- Summerville 83 mi
- Gastonia 85 mi
- North Charleston 91 mi
More about shutters in Columbia
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Columbia’s own figures.
For designers, contractors and stores in Columbia
Interior designers, contractors, window covering stores, realtors and property managers in Columbia 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
Pick your look once, add every window, and see each one drawn and priced. Send it to us and we reply with your quote.