Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Roanoke
Homes in Roanoke
Roanoke is a city of houses: of its 49,106 homes, 62% 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; 10% are from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1958. 52% of homes are lived in by their owners.
Of the 16 Virginia cities we have census figures for, Roanoke has the highest share of older homes. In nearby Lynchburg, 43 miles away, 66% of homes were built before 1980, so Roanoke's windows are on the whole older. Nationally, Roanoke'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 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.
Roanoke weather and your shutters
At Roanoke Rgnl AP, VA (3 mi away), July averages a high of 88.1°F and January a low of 28.7°F. Average highs reach 85°F from July to August and average lows sit at or below freezing from December to February.
About 30 days a year reach 90°F, 77 nights fall to freezing and 43 inches of precipitation falls, spread fairly evenly through the year.
That's more freezing nights than in 58% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 14 h 44 min on the longest day to 9 h 35 min on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 76° above the horizon in June and 29° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Roanoke Rgnl AP, VA (temperature) and Roanoke Rgnl AP, VA (precipitation, 3 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47.1°F | 28.7°F | 3.2 in |
| Feb | 50.8°F | 30.8°F | 2.9 in |
| Mar | 59°F | 37.6°F | 3.5 in |
| Apr | 69.7°F | 46.3°F | 3.5 in |
| May | 77.2°F | 55°F | 4.3 in |
| Jun | 84.4°F | 63.2°F | 4.7 in |
| Jul | 88.1°F | 67.4°F | 4.3 in |
| Aug | 86.5°F | 66°F | 3.4 in |
| Sep | 80°F | 59.1°F | 4.1 in |
| Oct | 70.1°F | 47.8°F | 3 in |
| Nov | 59°F | 37.7°F | 3 in |
| Dec | 50°F | 31.8°F | 3.1 in |
Humid summers
Hot days and 43 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 Roanoke
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 Roanoke
- Lynchburg 43 mi
- Greensboro 82 mi
- Winston-Salem 83 mi
- Burlington 88 mi
- High Point 89 mi
More about shutters in Roanoke
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Roanoke’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.