Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Portsmouth
Homes in Portsmouth
Portsmouth is a city of houses: of its 43,318 homes, 62% are detached, 9% are townhouses and other attached houses and 29% are apartments or units in buildings of two or more homes.
The biggest building period was 1950 to 1979, which accounts for 44% of homes standing today; 14% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1967. 58% of homes are lived in by their owners.
Of the 16 Virginia cities we have census figures for, Portsmouth has the third-highest share of older homes. In Norfolk, 7 miles away, 43% of homes are apartments, more than here. Nationally, Portsmouth's homes are older than those in 75% 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 68% 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
44% 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.
Plaster walls and deep casings
24% 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.
Whole-house orders
With 62% 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.
Portsmouth weather and your shutters
At Norfolk Nas, VA (7 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 50.2 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 41 min on the longest day to 9 h 38 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 5.0 Ssw, VA (precipitation, 4 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 | 3.6 in |
| Feb | 52.8°F | 35.4°F | 2.8 in |
| Mar | 59.4°F | 41.3°F | 3.5 in |
| Apr | 69.5°F | 50.3°F | 3.4 in |
| May | 77°F | 59.5°F | 4.2 in |
| Jun | 84.4°F | 68°F | 4.9 in |
| Jul | 88.7°F | 72.6°F | 5.7 in |
| Aug | 86.3°F | 71.5°F | 5.8 in |
| Sep | 80.8°F | 66.7°F | 5.3 in |
| Oct | 71.7°F | 55.5°F | 4.4 in |
| Nov | 61.4°F | 44.7°F | 3.1 in |
| Dec | 53.9°F | 37.9°F | 3.5 in |
Humid summers
Hot days and 50.2 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 Portsmouth
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 Portsmouth
- Norfolk 7 mi
- Chesapeake 13 mi
- Hampton 13 mi
- Newport News 17 mi
- Suffolk 19 mi
- Virginia Beach 19 mi
More about shutters in Portsmouth
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Portsmouth’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.