Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Norfolk
Homes in Norfolk
Norfolk's 103,524 homes are a mix: 49% detached houses, 43% apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes and 8% townhouses and other attached houses.
The biggest building period was 1950 to 1979, which accounts for 42% of homes standing today; 16% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1964. 46% of homes are lived in by their owners.
In Portsmouth, 7 miles away, 29% of homes are apartments, fewer than here. Nationally, Norfolk's homes are older than those in 73% 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.
Out-of-square openings
With 67% 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.
Plaster walls and deep casings
25% 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.
Apartments and condos
43% 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.
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.
Norfolk weather and your shutters
At Norfolk Nas, VA (3 mi away), July averages a high of 88.7°F and January a low of 34°F. Average highs reach 85°F from July to August.
About 42 days a year reach 90°F, 32 nights fall to freezing and 45.7 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
That's more 90°F days than in 50% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 14 h 42 min on the longest day to 9 h 37 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 77° above the horizon in June and 30° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Norfolk Nas, VA (temperature) and Norfolk Nas, VA (precipitation, 3 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50°F | 34°F | 2.9 in |
| Feb | 52.8°F | 35.4°F | 2.6 in |
| Mar | 59.4°F | 41.3°F | 3.5 in |
| Apr | 69.5°F | 50.3°F | 3.3 in |
| May | 77°F | 59.5°F | 3.6 in |
| Jun | 84.4°F | 68°F | 4.6 in |
| Jul | 88.7°F | 72.6°F | 5.2 in |
| Aug | 86.3°F | 71.5°F | 5.3 in |
| Sep | 80.8°F | 66.7°F | 5.1 in |
| Oct | 71.7°F | 55.5°F | 3.6 in |
| Nov | 61.4°F | 44.7°F | 3.1 in |
| Dec | 53.9°F | 37.9°F | 2.9 in |
Humid summers
Hot days and 45.7 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.
Fitting them in Norfolk
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 Norfolk
- Portsmouth 7 mi
- Hampton 9 mi
- Virginia Beach 16 mi
- Chesapeake 17 mi
- Newport News 19 mi
- Suffolk 27 mi
More about shutters in Norfolk
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Norfolk’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.