Would you DIY hang venetians & roller blinds?

May 19, 2016

We're a few weeks off finishing a beautiful new house. Time to sort out the windows, of course with no mature garden everything is a bit more exposed than I'd imagined, and a couple of roller blinds on the bedroom windows just isn't going to cut it!
We've got a quote for some roller blinds for the living areas and venetians for the bedrooms (happy with the light vs privacy as we currently have bedrooms with venetians), it's close to $4000 for 14 different windows.
A lot of the windows are louvres, but all windows are standard sizes.
It's a beautiful home, architect designed, but I'm wondering whether this is a task that can be done more economically?
My husband is reluctant to DIY as he worries that things may not fit right or not be level etc. I'm wondering if we can buy satisfactory products from Spotlight, even if we pay one of the builders cash hourly to hang them for us...
Thoughts please!

Comments (32)

tyrone_topsecret
thanks for ur advice on my property :)
i think ur right about the darker bessa block.

i wanted ask what colour was your render?
do you think my house would look good where ive got the light render atm?

ps ur housr looks awesome ;))
May 19, 2016
Sarah Tarlinton thanked tyrone_topsecret
robandlyn
Are you in Australia or New Zealand?

We are in NZ and got venetians custom made for our kitchen and bathrooms through a store on trade-me, they give clear instructions on how to measure and send clear instructions on how to install. We sent them the measurements, they were couriered to us about 2 weeks later and we installed ourselves. We are very happy with them, look fantastic, and were a fraction of the cost of some of the bigger window covering stores as they don't have the same overheads.
May 19, 2016
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Vy
if you've got standard windows try Freedom when they've got a sale on ..I find Spotlight and Lincraft blinds not as nice..we installed our own roller blinds at the rental and beach house..they are pretty much easy to install..I think I got blinds for our 2700mm sliding door ie 1800mm and 900mm for $180 on sale
May 19, 2016
Vy
May 19, 2016
bigreader
It's easy to pop up blinds from Spotlight and Freedom. But given you've spent on your house and blinds last a while I'd spend the money to have a custom job.
May 19, 2016
Vy
agree with bigreader..I'd save up and get them custom made..you've got more choices of colour and timber types..the standard ones not much to choose from..
May 19, 2016
Anna E
As an architect who designed my own home I understand your problem. It's an expensive item and will have a big impact.
My advice would be to assess where you really need privacy most and get custom made for those windows - save up to do the rest at a later stage
Anna
May 21, 2016
Sarah Tarlinton thanked Anna E
Tribbletrouble44152k7 Trek
My hubby is not a handyman, but has successfully installed off the rack wooden venetians, bamboo blinds and curtain rods in multiple residences for me. Even my young son installed an outside blind.

No need to put off getting your windows covered.
May 21, 2016
Jacinta O'Brien
My sister and I installed wooden Venetian blinds in our house and were pretty happy with the result. It's pretty simple to do. We order ours online as they were custom sized. $500 and 4 blinds later we're sorted.
May 22, 2016
C P
blinds online were great for us. they'll send you free fabric samples. just need to be very accurate with measuring and installing is very easy.
May 24, 2016
H M
We ordered curtains, shutters and wide venetians from blinds online and then paid a handyman for installation. They look as good as custom made and saved us quite a lot. You just have to check and recheck the measurements.
May 24, 2016
girlguides
If your hubby don't want to do save up get custom made. Personally unless you go for timber I wouldn't go with venetians as no insulation Price quoted seems fine
May 24, 2016
PRO
Lesley Bros Interiors
Don't go to spotlight, their readymade product is not suitable for an architectually designed home and i think in time you will be disappointed. Find a custom made supplier and save money by fitting yourselves. $4000 seems a reasonable price for that many blinds, especially if the quote includes venetians.
May 24, 2016
asquithoatley
I agree- you have a beautiful home- don;t spoil it with off the rack blinds from spotlight as you will be disappointed with the quality. We have just built our own home and saved up during the build process to invest in shutters and textured woven blinds from Peter meyer- the quality is great and our installer was a perfectionist.
May 24, 2016last modified: May 24, 2016
Sarah Tarlinton thanked asquithoatley
rlights
I was certainly not buy off the shelf diy blinds. You want quality to match your house. They are cheap for a reason and you will also look at them and be disappointed.
May 24, 2016
wuff
I agree with comments, you have a top end house, off shelf blinds would bring it down (and I have off shelf temporally permanent blinds) if you can get custom made you will get a better product. I am waiting to get custom curtains as I no longer like blinds but I can see that quality blinds would suit your stylish home .. Good luck and enjoy your new home, exciting time for you.
May 24, 2016
Sarah Tarlinton thanked wuff
PRO
Wild River Store
For a clean modern look, you can't go past the white block-out roller blinds from Ikea! They come in many sizes but you can cut them to custom size too- plus they are very easy to install yourself and most importantly, the quality is pretty great for the price. They are also extremely safe as they don't have cords- so no choking hazard for little ones. IKEA TUPPLUR Block-out Roller Blind
May 24, 2016
Sarah Tarlinton thanked Wild River Store
Hilde Gard
You could do the smaller, standard windows with IKEA or Freedom blinds, which are easy to install yourself, and then get custom made for your showpiece rooms. It's only worth spending $4000 to get everything done and dusted in the one wash-up. But possibly it could pay-off to do the special rooms later if you need a bit more time to decide on colours, textures, degree of block-out and thermal qualities. It's a lot to think about. We've bought most of our window furnishings from Dollar Curtains and Blinds (Melbourne) over the years and have been very happy with their workmanship.
May 25, 2016
PRO
Focus Kitchens & Bathrooms
If you have built a beautiful architecturally designed home DON'T buy off the shelf blinds. I previously worked in the curtain and blind industry for 10 years and there is such a difference in quality. People always say they have standard windows - there is no such thing. Even if you have the same window in different rooms the finished size is generally different by a few millimetres. This can make a difference especially in the recess. There is a reason the DIY are cheaper and that is because the quality of the components such as brackets and chain winders is inferior to the custom made product. The fabrics also need to be considered because you will get bagging and rippleing on a cheaper product. $4000 is not a lot to spend to get a good quality product, it averages out to $285 per window. Consider this, how much did you spend on your appliances, did you get a cheap overseas copy or did you buy something that will last? I agree with your husband. If you are in Victoria I can recommend a couple of very good Curtain & Blind companies.
May 26, 2016
Sarah Tarlinton thanked Focus Kitchens & Bathrooms
philippawright
HI, I have had good products from rodandblind.co.nz and they are easy to install. I suggest you check out their website and they send their samples promptly. I then suggest you order one blind and see how you like the product- perhaps a spare bedroom. Their sunblinds are excellent value and a good range of colours. It is definitely worth looking at the site - you get an instant quote.
May 29, 2016
Gallifrey
Hi
I just finished a new house and had them custom made roller blinds and installed for about $5k. Definitely go for roller blinds. Easier to install, modern look and don't collect dust.
May 31, 2016
suancol
Lovely new home you have created. I am planning a new house and have decided dual blinds blackout and sheer with side curtains for softening sounds and for decoration. Spotlight has a platinum quality blinds with 3 year warranty. One thing to consider is pelmets over each window which save $$$ on heating and cooling since cooled or warmed air does not go behind the curtains to be effected by the hot or cold glass in the window.. I used polar fleece as curtain liners in this house which was effective in cutting heating and cooling costs.
May 31, 2016
PRO
Zone Interiors
Hi Sarah, what a beautiful home you have! Such an exciting time.
On this topic we want to introduce ourselves as we create and supply DIY roller blinds and venetians in a simple colour palette.

From what you were mentioning above some block out roller blinds may be just the thing you need, and I've included a sample image below for your convenience:

Amor Roller Blinds Installation · More Info

I hope this helps - let me know if you need anything else and good luck with the final stages of renovation!
May 31, 2016
lpritchard1717
Depends on your budget. If you are happy to spend that amount of money and you don't need the $4000 to go towards something more important that cannot be done DIY, then you could choose the ease of custom.
For a bit more work and a whole lot less money you could just install them yourself and measure, cut them to fit.
We have done both custom and DIY. The custom blinds (same size) cost $700/window. DIY cost $100. They both look as good as each other. My husband is handy, and just cut it all to size. Took him an hour per window treatment. Quality seems to be the same. Just don't be fooled into spending ALOT of money because specialised companies sales tactics promote the fear factor of DIY and buying from a shop.
June 1, 2016
PRO
iseekblinds.com.au
Hi Sarah

DIY can be a great option to stay within your budget and find an agreeable solution to your current dilemma.

Window furnishings are generally one of the last jobs required after going through the process of building your house, which means the budget is always tight at this point after all the other 'extra expenses'

Therefore you are now potentially starting to look at compromising on the quality that you originally wanted to finish your off your house.

Window furnishing can have a fairly visual impact, as well as influencing how the room 'feels', on both the inside and outside of you rooms and home.

In the first instance we need to define the difference between a DIY 'Ready Made / Ready to Hang Product' which is what you would purchase from somewhere such as Spotlight vs DIY "Custom Made" products.

The difference in quality is significant, however the price points don't have to be.

At iseekblinds, we offer genuine custom made blinds, made in Australia. If you visit our website, you can get an instant price online - It would be interesting to see the difference between what you have been quoted and what we can offer.

We can turn Roller Blinds around within 3 weeks or sooner if requested and deliver nationally. Everything you need to know regarding measure and installation is on our website and we teach and guide you through the process to ensure you get it right.

Please see some of our reviews to hear how our other customers have been surprised at just how easy the installation process has been and are over the moon in regards to the product quality they received.

Get Your DIY On! I say. And please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance

Cheers, Sally
June 3, 2016
lrstanley
Just a tip, if you install roller blinds yourself make sure you use a level !! If you don't, (I learned about this when a friend installed some for me) when roll them up or down they will roll unevenly, the edges will fray and they become shabby very quickly.
June 4, 2016
John Henson
There is enough info in all the comment above about blinds. I just want to say that your house look amazing
June 4, 2016
Tribbletrouble44152k7 Trek
Irstanley, my vision is poor. If I tried to do that it would just be a case of the half blind leading the blind.
June 4, 2016
Sarah Tarlinton
Thanks everyone for all the comments and information (and compliments!). To be honest, we are still undecided but probably thinking we will do just a couple of windows to start with, whichever way we go. Because we have arranged with the neighbours to get the fence put in on one side soon, that gives us some breathing space with a few of the rooms and possibly which windows might not need anything at all. This is as much about being sure what window covering will be right once we have been moved in for a few weeks, as about spreading the cost at the pointy end of the project!
Thanks again, this forum has been so helpful.
June 4, 2016
rosh96
I've had custom made roller blinds installed for my new house from Lovelight and have no regrets. Agree with some of the others here to definitely go for roller blinds. Easier to install, modern look and don't collect dust.
September 3, 2017
PRO
Urban Curtains + Blinds
Hello,

That's exactly what we do. We are a company that manufactures and sells high end window furnishing at a great price. You can buy online or via one of our consultants. If you would like to send us or call us with your measurements we can quote from them. We offer an install service in many places of the county or we can recommend people to do this for you. We can also talk you though and send instructions on how to do this yourself. If you go ahead with us we offer a check measure to ensure things are right before making your blinds. Take a look at our projects on Houzz and our website. Read our reviews on Houzz and facebook.

Please feel free to call me on 0277478953
November 21, 2017
PRO
Urban Curtains + Blinds
Here's just a few examples of our work.
November 21, 2017