Window Coverings

[dt_toronto_geek]

I'm glad i stumbled onto this page since I have a different window covering issue.
Anyone know of a window covering solution that starts at ground and can move up in height? My problem is I would like a bit of privacy from the top floor of the building across from me but don't want to block the light from the window completely.
I've seen bottom-up blinds but they all seem kind of "rickety" and something akin to cheap folded paper lanterns. i would like something substantial like roller blinds but again, with the capability to cover from ground up.
Tall order, I know. Hopefully someone knows of a solution!

I had those in my bedroom in one of my places. They were Hunter Douglas, pretty pricey but worth it. They opened two ways, bottom down or bottom up with top open. They were easy to operate, not rickety at all and I had no problems with them in the five years I had them. I had them designed with black on the inside of the room and of course white facing out, plus I had the blackout design so no sun came through.

Two very crappy photos is all I have of them in the bottom up position:

 

[JayBee]

I have decided to get roller shades. Now, there are different kinds...there's 97% sun blockage all the way down to 70% sun blockage. I don't need to have a completely dark room, but I need to be able to watch tv or work on my laptop when the sun's out without any glare. I was looking at 78% sun blocking shades and was told that I would have 0 glare but the salesguy could have been talking ****.

For those of you who have roller shades, could you share your experiences?

 

[CityTownBoy]

I have decided to get roller shades. Now, there are different kinds...there's 97% sun blockage all the way down to 70% sun blockage. I don't need to have a completely dark room, but I need to be able to watch tv or work on my laptop when the sun's out without any glare. I was looking at 78% sun blocking shades and was told that I would have 0 glare but the salesguy could have been talking ****.

For those of you who have roller shades, could you share your experiences?

Here is a great company and website for Roller Blinds. Window Shade Supply of Markham. www.windowshade.com
Their website will explain the different materials, light blocking ability and visability levels of roller blinds available. This company manufactures the blinds. They even tell you which ones to avoid depending on which direction your windows face. These products are available to order thru Alleen's Window Coverings.

I always go with Alleen's for my window blinds. www.alleen.com
I like at staff at the College Park Location. They are truly helpful and match the correct product to your needs and taste without breaking the budget. Window coverings are an investment, you get what you pay for.

 

[eloodi95]

Avoid Alleen's in College Park

I went to Alleen's in College Park for the blinds in my condo - They did a horrible job - The roller blinds were poorly measured, crooked and installed improperly. Since then they've fallen apart over a two year period and will soon need to be replaced, even though they were over $2,500 to have put in. They refused to repair them and demanded immediate payment. Customer service was dreadful. I would urge you to avoid them - there are lots of better options in the City.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I went to Alleen's in College Park for the blinds in my condo - They did a horrible job - The roller blinds were poorly measured, crooked and installed improperly. Since then they've fallen apart over a two year period and will soon need to be replaced, even though they were over $2,500 to have put in. They refused to repair them and demanded immediate payment. Customer service was dreadful. I would urge you to avoid them - there are lots of better options in the City.

I have no vested interest in Alleen's but this sounds like you got someone who who is new or temporary, try phoning them again. I've bought from them six times in the past 20 or so years and they've always been great. They even took down and reinstalled blinds for me when I moved from one apartment to another when I went from a one to two bedroom where I currently live for a nominal fee, something like $75.

 

[kdub333]

I had those in my bedroom in one of my places. They were Hunter Douglas, pretty pricey but worth it. They opened two ways, bottom down or bottom up with top open. They were easy to operate, not rickety at all and I had no problems with them in the five years I had them. I had them designed with black on the inside of the room and of course white facing out, plus I had the blackout design so no sun came through.

Two very crappy photos is all I have of them in the bottom up position:

Hey dt_toronto_geek,
Thanks for the post last month. I'll check these out. Do you recall which line of Hunter-Douglas you had?

 

[M5Vgirl]

I just got Sun Project roller shades and spent about $1700 to cover 10ft x 14ft. The lady at the store is very knowledgable and has been in business for a very long time so I trust her opinion. Plus she could have made more money trying to sell me on Hunter Douglas. Basically she told me that Sun Project is equivalent to Hunter Douglas quality without paying the brand name price. Hunter Douglas is like Starbucks (great marketing but not necessarily better). Sun Project has a 10 year warranty and lots of colours to chose from too. Send me a private message if you want a referral!

 

[Monaco]

I'm glad you had a good experience.

But just because the Sun Project cost you less, doesn't mean the profit for the store is less. I'm not talking about Hunter Douglas specifically, because I don't know about these products. However, sometimes the non-name brand actually has a larger profit margin for the store compared to the top brand

 

[BlueCat]

I have vertical blinds in my condo that were installed by the developer. They have to stay as they are white (condo rules) and I like the privacy they offer. I want to add curtains to go over the blinds because of cold drafts that come in. My problem is the bulkheads. The blinds are installed right into the window frame so there's no where for me to install my curtains except the ceiling.

This would not be a problem except that the bulkhead extends from the ceiling on one side of the room right down to the window frame making it impossible for me to hang curtains all the way across the window. I have the same problem in both the living room and bedroom. Has anyone here had this same problem? I have absolutely no idea how to install the curtain rods. I'll take some pictures tonight and post it tomorrow.

Blue

 

[BlueCat]

Here's some pictures of my windows for my post above.

Bedroom

Living Room

Living Room closeup of bulkhead