Shutter BoysPlantation shutters in Milwaukee
Homes in Milwaukee
Apartments outnumber houses in Milwaukee: 56% of its 259,101 homes are in buildings of two or more units. Detached houses make up 39% and townhouses and other attached houses 4%.
More homes here were built before 1950 than in any later period we count: 45%. Only 8% date from 2000 or later. The median home dates from 1953. Most homes are rented: owners live in only 42%.
Of the 12 Wisconsin cities we have census figures for, Milwaukee has the second-highest share of older homes and the highest share of apartments. In West Allis, 5 miles away, 45% of homes are apartments, fewer than here. Nationally, Milwaukee's homes are older than those in 95% 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
45% 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 84% 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.
Apartments and condos
56% 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
39% 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.
Milwaukee weather and your shutters
At MT Mary College, WI (3 mi away), July averages a high of 82.8°F and January a low of 14.1°F. Average lows sit at or below freezing from November to March.
About 16 days a year reach 90°F, 134 nights fall to freezing and 33.8 inches of precipitation falls, most of it around June and least in January.
Among the Wisconsin cities we have climate normals for, Milwaukee has the second-most hot days.
That's more freezing nights than in 87% of the 881 US cities we have climate normals for.
Daylight runs from 15 h 22 min on the longest day to 9 h on the shortest, and the midday sun stands 70° above the horizon in June and 23° in December.
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, MT Mary College, WI (temperature) and MT Mary College, WI (precipitation, 3 mi away). Daylight and sun height: calculated from the city’s latitude.
Monthly figures
| Month | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.7°F | 14.1°F | 1.5 in |
| Feb | 33.6°F | 16.7°F | 1.5 in |
| Mar | 44.3°F | 25.9°F | 1.8 in |
| Apr | 56°F | 36.3°F | 3.7 in |
| May | 67.5°F | 47.5°F | 3.7 in |
| Jun | 77.9°F | 57.9°F | 4.8 in |
| Jul | 82.8°F | 63.3°F | 3.6 in |
| Aug | 80.7°F | 61.7°F | 3.7 in |
| Sep | 73.8°F | 53.3°F | 3 in |
| Oct | 60.9°F | 41.6°F | 2.7 in |
| Nov | 46.8°F | 30.1°F | 2.1 in |
| Dec | 35.2°F | 20.6°F | 1.7 in |
Cold winters
With 134 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.
Fitting them in Milwaukee
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 Milwaukee
- West Allis 5 mi
- Waukesha 14 mi
- Racine 25 mi
- Kenosha 33 mi
- Waukegan 48 mi
- Janesville 59 mi
More about shutters in Milwaukee
Each page takes one question further (fitting your windows, room by room, sizes and colours, louvers, or how shutters compare with other choices), using Milwaukee’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.