Sherman Hill, Beaverdale, Waterbury, and a handful of other Des Moines neighborhoods carry a different kind of window than most of what I measure across the newer subdivisions in the suburbs. These homes were built between the 1880s and the 1930s, long before standard window sizes existed, and a century of settling has only made every opening more its own.
I love working in these neighborhoods, honestly. The windows have character that a builder grade opening never will, tall proportions, original trim, sometimes a curved top or a divided pane pattern you do not see anymore. Getting custom window treatments right in a historic Des Moines home takes a bit more care than a standard install, so here is how I approach it by neighborhood and by challenge.
Why historic Des Moines homes need a different approach
A window built in 1905 was almost never cut to a standard size, because standard sizes are a modern manufacturing convenience, not a historic building practice. Every opening in an older Des Moines home is essentially its own custom job, which is exactly why measuring by hand matters so much more here than it does in a newer house. You can read more about how that process works on the how it works page.
Beyond the sizing, older homes carry details worth protecting. Original wood trim, sometimes painted, sometimes stripped back to the grain, deserves treatments that do not require drilling through a century old casing if there is any way around it. Deep or unusually shallow window sills change what mounting options even make sense. And older glass itself, whether it is original wavy glass or a later replacement, often behaves differently than what you would find in a new build, which changes how much a treatment's insulating value actually matters to your comfort.
Sherman Hill and its Victorian era windows
Sherman Hill is the oldest neighborhood in Des Moines and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979, with architecture dating almost entirely from 1880 to 1920. Most of the homes are Victorian, with American Foursquares and Craftsman houses mixed in, and the windows tend to be tall, narrow, and detailed, often with ornate trim at the casing and sometimes a decorative header above the glass.
For windows like these, I lean toward treatments that do not compete with the trim. Real wood blinds or plantation shutters with a stain that matches the original woodwork let the window's own character stay the star of the room, rather than covering it up with something that looks out of place against Victorian millwork. Outside mount is common here too, since original casings are often too shallow or too ornate for a clean inside mount, and I will tell you honestly which option fits your specific window during the estimate.
Beaverdale's bungalows, Tudor, and Colonial Revival homes
Beaverdale started filling in during the early 1900s and is known today for its brick homes, many in Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival styles, along with plenty of early bungalows near Drake University and Waveland Park. Tudor Revival homes often have narrower, sometimes arched or multi pane windows, while the Colonial Revival homes lean toward more symmetric, evenly spaced openings.
Plantation shutters do especially well in this neighborhood. They read as classic and substantial, which suits both the Tudor and Colonial Revival styles, and a painted finish works beautifully against Beaverdale's brick exteriors and simpler, symmetric window shapes. For the bungalows, where windows tend to be a bit more relaxed and less formal, custom shades in a woven wood or banded style often feel more at home than something stiff and formal, though it really depends on how the rest of the house is finished.
Waterbury and other established neighborhoods
South of Grand and the Waterbury area are known for larger, well maintained older homes on tree lined streets, centrally located but tucked away from the busier parts of the city. Homes here run a wider range of styles than Sherman Hill or Beaverdale, so there is less of a single look to design around.
What these homes usually have in common is scale. Larger windows, taller ceilings, and more formal living spaces mean the window treatment carries more visual weight in the room. Custom shades or shutters sized correctly for a bigger opening make a real difference here, and it is one more reason I measure every window myself rather than working off rough estimates. A window this size is not the place for a fit that is close enough.
The real challenges in older Iowa homes
Almost every historic home I work in shares a few practical problems, regardless of neighborhood. Frames settle over a century, so a window that looks square from across the room is often slightly out of true, which is exactly the kind of thing that makes off the shelf blinds hang crooked or leave gaps. Trim can be original, irreplaceable, and worth protecting from unnecessary drilling. And older houses sometimes have less wall space around a window than a modern build, which limits where hardware can go.
None of these are reasons to avoid custom treatments, they are the reason to get custom treatments instead of a big box option sized for a generic opening. I have measured enough out of square frames across Sherman Hill, Beaverdale, and the rest of the metro to know how to work around them, whether that means an outside mount, a custom shim, or choosing a product that tolerates a little variance better than another one would.
Getting treatments that respect the house
The best compliment I get on a historic home install is when someone says the shutters or shades look like they have always been there. That is the goal every time, treatments that fit the window's actual shape and respect the house's age instead of fighting it.
If you own a home in Sherman Hill, Beaverdale, Waterbury, or anywhere else in the Des Moines metro with a few decades or more on it, I would genuinely enjoy seeing your windows. I bring real samples, measure every opening by hand, and I will tell you plainly which shutters or wood blinds options suit your home's actual style. Request your free in-home estimate or call (515) 850-9700, and we will figure out what your windows actually need.
Have a question I did not cover? Call (515) 850-9700 or request your free in-home estimate and I will give you a straight answer for your exact windows.