Cheap window blinds aren’t usually the first choice of people who want to decorate their homes with quality stuff and who are keen in showing off in front of their peers. That’s easy to understand, as cheap blinds are usually not customizable and in time they tend to warp and to fade, therefore they can’t be a long-lasting solution for covering your windows. Nonetheless, there are situations in which inexpensive blinds are better than none, so when a big expense isn’t justified, going cheap can provide you a nice and cozy interior without you having to dig too deep in your wallet.
Let’s see a few of these situations when cheaper window treatments are the way to go:
Home rentals
If you are a homeowner and you rent the building, there’s no point in investing too much in interior decorations and accessories, because you never know how your tenants are going to behave, and you may end up with lots of damaged things to be replaced. We don’t discuss here luxury residences, as they are a separate category, where there’s no place for cheap if you want to find good customers. We are talking regular apartments and houses rentals, where the strong asset is not how the interior looks, but rather the proximity to some interest points or the very low price of the neighborhood.
If you don’t own a place to live in and you have to rent, you may not want to invest a lot in bringing improvements to the place, especially if you know from the start that’s going to be a short term commitment. However, most probably you’ll need to secure a decent level of comfort, so you may need to buy window treatments among other things. It’s perfectly understandable that you won’t buy customized Hunter Douglas blinds, but rather some made to measure ones to fit your windows.
Bad weather climate
If you don’t live in a sunny area, there’s no point in spending extra money for high quality features, such as UV resistance. If the sun doesn’t shine too many days a year, your cheap blinds are probably going to look like new for a long time. If you’re really bothered by the cheap aspect of such blinds, then you could go for exquisite ones for the rooms you spend most time in, but there’s no point in paying that much for storage room windows or for basement window coverings.
Low family income
There’s no shame in earning less, so there’s no point in trying to hide it from other people. Instead of getting in debt only to have high quality window blinds and kitchen fixtures while suffering from the empty fridge syndrome, you’d better get some cheap and decent looking ones and feed yourself better or minimize your debt. A tight control over the expenses is the first step in becoming debt free, even if buying cheap window blinds alone won’t sort out your financial issues.
Thermal curtains may sound like complicated stuff to may people, but they are in fact just common window coverings which have an additional layer, a lining made of a special material with insulating properties. More than this, for even better energy-efficiency, thermal curtains are firmly attached to the walls on all sides, so the cold air drafts can't travel towards the center of the room. Attachments can be with Velcro tape or magnetic strips. Both methods are very efficient and allow the curtain to be easily detached when necessary.
How Thermal Insulating Curtains Work
The thermal lining of insulating curtains is usually reflective and it gets attached to the outer side of the curtain, with the reflective face towards the exterior. This helps reflecting the sunlight, so thermal curtains can be used with success not only in winter but also during summer time, in order to maintain a cool atmosphere inside your home without spending a fortune on air conditioning. If you don't want to buy new curtains, you can insulate your old ones by adding this layer. You'll need a sewing machine, but if you're very methodical and patient, you can sew the lining by hand. In order to get it right from the first attempt, make sure to cut the lining about one inch smaller than the curtain size, so you can make a small hem over it. Thus it won't be visible from inside the room and that's probably how you want it to be. One drawback to thermal curtains is that they are always the blackout type, so if you enjoy the light filtering window treatments, you'll need to make use of a trick to allow you switch whenever you want: leave your curtains alone, but double them with thermal draperies. When you don't need the insulation, fully open the draperies, or even remove them completely. When it's time to save money on the energy bills again, hang the drapes at the windows and enjoy the warmth of your home while spending less for keeping the heat inside.
Can Thermal Curtains Be Used for Bathrooms?
If you have small children or if you're rather the sensitive type, you may want to use thermal curtains in your bathroom, so you can relax and take your time while taking a bath, without feeling cold. However, because of the special humidity conditions, placing thick curtains at the bathroom windows needs a lot of attention, as they are prone to become the nursery and shelter of mold and mildew, because they may never have the chance to dry. One particular tip: if you want insulating bathroom curtains, make them small, don't let them touch the floor. Wash them regularly, ventilate the room after you take a bath or a hot shower and you won't have any problem with molds or strange smells. There are two ways of having more money: earn more or spend less. I'd say there's also a third one, which can be applied by virtually anybody at home: spend wiser. Insulating your doors and windows is one of the smart ways of decreasing your bills while enjoying the same level of comfort you've been used to.
Plantation shutters are built-in window treatments consisting of a row of movable louvers attached to a frame. They can be made of hardwood, faux wood or vinyl. Such shutters used to be very popular some time ago, but they are somehow forgotten these days, with all modern roller blinds and sheer curtains that are very easy to install, to maintain and to change when redecorating.
How Plantation Shutters Work
However, not all modern people are really "modern", so there are enough individuals who seek to decorate their homes in classical style. For them, plantation shutters are as elegant as can be. Besides, such window treatments offer several advantages such as very good insulation, privacy, control of light and of ventilation. The negative side is that plantation shutters aren't made to be folded up against the wall frequently, they are designed to fit in an opening, in a fixed position, except from the situations when they need to be cleaned, case in which they can be removed. Moving them every day will result in early deterioration, so if you're a "light-lover" type of person, you'd better consider other types of window treatments for your home. The flexibility of plantation shutters can be secured by using divider rails, which allow independent movement of the louvers above the divider from the ones below. That's an useful feature in case you want privacy, but still need to let some fresh air inside your room. Nonetheless, keep in mind that if you have arched windows, you may need to use curved shutters, which could result in the upper louvers not being able to pivot anymore.
Plantation Shutters Hardware
Perhaps the most beautiful detail of plantation shutters are the hardware hinges. Here you can let your imagination and creativity flow, as a wide array of finishes and materials are available, from antique brass to bright brass, brushed aluminum, wrought iron or powder coated metal. Hinges can be inside-mount, Z-mold or outside-mount. Mortised or non-mortised, hinges offer that classic touch we often see in old movies. Some companies offer a tenon joint and louver lock mechanism that prevents the shutter elements from sagging.
Although most plantation shutters have the tilt bar that controls the louvers movement placed in the center, it is possible to have it on either to the left or to the right edge, for a special effect on the eye. This is a personal choice, and probably the shop assistant will be able to show you some samples so you can decide by yourself what's the best style for your home.
Plantation Shutter Prices
In terms of prices, nobody can say plantation shutters are cheap or expensive. It's all in the quality of the materials used. If you want the finest wood selection, such as yellow poplar or elm, or if you long for the most durable and exquisite hinges, you may pay more than another customer who's perfectly happy with those vinyl or faux wood shutters which are so durable and so easy to clean. If you are interested in redecorating your home and you're considering plantation shutters as an option, take some time for a thorough research and ask for several quotes before buying. Don't forget to check on discount coupons from Home Depot or from other home and garden stores.
Conservatory blinds are among the most delicate and difficult to choose home improvement accessories, because they have more than a decorative role, their functionality being vital for making the conservatory a comfortable living space, regardless the outside weather conditions and temperatures.
First of all, if you don't know what is a conservatory, please find out that it's just another room in a house, which has glass windows instead of walls and roof. With so much glass around, your privacy would suffer if you didn't take care of buying appropriate window treatments for both the side glass walls and for the roof. On the other hand, the conservatory window treatments you choose have to allow you to enjoy the landscape around your home whenever you want it, so they have to be flexible and easy to operate.
Not all types of blinds are suitable for a conservatory, so you may need to ask a specialist for advice prior to purchasing anything. Here's a brief guide to help you started:
Conservatory Roof Blinds
The roof is exposed to direct sunlight for the whole period when the sun is shining, therefore an excellent thermal insulation is one of the top priorities for its coverings. Even if your windows feature a very good R-value, you still have to take care what material you choose for the roof blinds.
Among the best options there are the cellular pleated blinds. Being also very elegant and available in a wide range of colors, light-filtering degrees and patterns, cellular shades provide a very good value for money. However, they aren't the cheapest of all, so you need to check if you can afford them. Keep in mind that there's a lot of glass surface to be covered, so even a small difference in the price per unit can make a huge difference for your wallet.
Pinoleum Roman blinds can also be a good choice for your roof. They fit very well in place, because they are manufactured especially to serve conservatory roofs. They are very efficient in reducing glare, while allowing the light to enter the room. Their thermal insulation is very efficient. However, you should be aware that Pinoleum blinds darken the room a bit too much. If you want more light, you could opt for Roman blinds made of other types of fabrics.
As the main rule of choosing blinds for the roof, you have to make sure they are UV resistant, otherwise they would fade very quickly. Don't underestimate the power of the glowing sun which can turn your brand new blinds into vintage ones in as little as three months of summer.
When it comes to the operation type, electric blinds are the best solution, because of the height where they are placed. This is one of the cases when paying extra for having a remote control operated motor to move your blinds is worth every penny. Manual solutions can also be used, but only think what happens in case something gets stuck and you have to climb on a huge stair to fix it.
Conservatory Side Blinds
The side walls aren't so exposed to direct sunlight, so insulation isn't the main priority when choosing their coverings. Of course, many homeowners and interior decorators will want the sides to match the roof, but that's not compulsory. For instance, you can have pleated blinds for the roof and Venetian blinds or roller blinds for the sides, in either matching or contrasting colors and in various materials such as wood, bamboo or matchsticks. Side window treatments can also be motorized. This could be considered especially if you have small children or pets, because cords are a serious danger for them. If that's your case, going cordless is strongly recommended for all windows in your home, not only for the conservatory.
When it comes to fitting, conservatory blinds can be either surface-mounted or recessed friction-controlled. Price quotations for any of the variants can be obtained by request from most of the manufacturers such as Hillary's, Reynolds, Thomas Sanderson or Hunter Douglas. All you have to do is ask. Keep in mind that more quotes are always better than one, so be sure to get as many as you can, in order to settle for the best deal for your conservatory blinds.
