Hear from Our Customers
You’ve got a beautiful outdoor space that sits empty half the year because Texas summers are brutal. Your AC runs constantly trying to cool rooms with west-facing windows. You’ve looked at big box store solutions but know they won’t hold up to the wind and heat we get in Bedford.
Exterior roller shades stop the problem before it starts. They block solar heat before it hits your windows, which means your HVAC isn’t fighting a losing battle all afternoon. That translates to real savings—up to 15% off your cooling costs when you’re already paying close to $180 a month just to stay comfortable.
But the bigger win is getting your outdoor space back. Covered patios become actual living areas instead of decorative concrete. You can sit outside without feeling like you’re melting. Your furniture stops fading. And when storms roll through, your shades are built to handle it instead of ripping apart like the cheaper alternatives.
A Plus Shutters & Shades grew out of A Plus Home Remodel, which means we’ve spent over 10 years working on homes across Arlington, Bedford, and the surrounding area. We’re not a franchise following a script. We’re local contractors who understand what Texas weather does to exterior products.
Bedford homeowners have different needs than someone in a milder climate. You need commercial-grade hardware that won’t fail when wind gusts hit. You need fabrics that won’t fade or weaken after a summer of 100-degree days. And you need someone who measures and installs precisely, because gaps mean hot spots and hot spots mean the whole system fails.
We handle the entire process—consultation, measuring, custom manufacturing, and installation. You’re not coordinating between multiple companies or dealing with a salesperson who’s never actually installed a shade. You’re working with people who do this work every day and stand behind it.
We start with a free consultation at your home. We measure your windows and outdoor spaces, look at sun exposure patterns, and talk through what you’re trying to solve. If you want to block heat on west-facing windows, that’s a different setup than creating a shaded outdoor living area. We bring samples so you can see fabric options and operating systems in person.
Once you decide to move forward, we custom-manufacture your exterior roller shades to fit your exact measurements. This isn’t about trimming down a standard size and hoping it works. Every shade is built specifically for your space with the mounting hardware needed for your home’s structure.
Installation day, we show up with everything needed to complete the job. We mount the hardware, hang the shades, make sure tensioning is correct, and test the operation. If you’ve chosen motorized outdoor shades, we program everything and walk you through the controls. You’re not left guessing how anything works.
The whole process typically takes a few weeks from consultation to installation, depending on customization. But you’re not waiting months, and you’re not dealing with multiple trips to fix mistakes.
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Your exterior roller shades are custom-manufactured with solution-dyed fabrics that won’t fade in Texas sun. The hardware is commercial-grade, designed to handle wind loads that would destroy cheaper alternatives. You’re getting a system engineered for the climate we actually have in Bedford, not something designed for California and shipped here.
Motorized options make managing your outdoor patio blinds simple. You’re not cranking handles or fighting with manual controls in the heat. Press a button and your shades adjust. Some homeowners integrate them with smart home systems, but that’s optional—manual operation works perfectly fine if you prefer it.
The mounting system matters more than most people realize. We’re securing these to your home’s structure in a way that distributes load properly and prevents damage. Poor installation creates stress points that fail over time. Professional installation means the system works as designed and lasts.
Bedford’s climate is tough on exterior products. Summer temperatures regularly hit the high 90s and push past 100. Sudden storms bring wind and rain. Your outdoor shade blinds need to handle all of it without constant maintenance or early replacement. That’s why we use materials and methods that hold up, not whatever’s cheapest to source.
You can expect to cut cooling costs by 10-15% when you install exterior roller shades on windows with direct sun exposure. That’s real money in Bedford where average electric bills run around $180 monthly and spike higher in July and August.
The reason exterior shades work better than interior blinds is simple physics. When sunlight hits a window, it turns into heat. Interior blinds absorb that heat inside your home, so your AC still has to remove it. Exterior roller shades block the sun before it reaches the glass, which means the heat never enters your home in the first place.
West and south-facing windows see the biggest impact because they get the most intense afternoon sun. If you’ve got a wall of windows facing west, you know exactly what happens around 3 PM when your AC can’t keep up. Exterior shades solve that problem at the source instead of trying to compensate after the fact.
Professionally installed exterior roller shades with commercial-grade hardware will handle normal Bedford weather, including the wind gusts and sudden storms we get. The key is proper installation and quality materials, not the cheap alternatives you’ll find at big box stores.
We use mounting systems engineered for wind load, which means the hardware is secured to structural points on your home and designed to distribute stress properly. The fabrics are solution-dyed and UV-resistant so they don’t weaken or fade after a summer of Texas heat. And the roller mechanisms are built to handle daily operation without failing.
That said, if a severe storm is coming with sustained high winds, you should retract motorized shades just like you’d bring in patio furniture. These are durable outdoor products, not storm shutters. But for normal use through spring storms, summer heat, and typical weather, they’re built to stay in place and keep working.
Blackout roller shades block nearly all light and visibility, which is great for bedrooms or media rooms but usually too much for outdoor living spaces. Solar shades (also called sun shades) block heat and UV rays while still letting you see through them. Most Bedford homeowners choose solar shades for patios and outdoor areas.
The openness factor determines how much you can see through the fabric. A 5% openness blocks more light and heat but reduces visibility. A 10% openness gives you a clearer view while still providing significant heat reduction. For covered patios where you want to see your yard but need relief from afternoon sun, solar shades make more sense than blackout options.
Blackout blinds for windows work well on interior applications where you need complete darkness or privacy. But exterior window blinds typically use solar fabrics because you’re trying to manage heat and glare, not block all light. We can walk you through fabric samples during consultation so you can see the actual difference in person rather than trying to guess from descriptions.
Installation day typically takes 3-6 hours depending on how many shades you’re having installed and whether you’ve chosen motorized or manual operation. The bigger time factor is the 2-3 weeks between consultation and installation while your custom shades are being manufactured.
We’re not installing off-the-shelf products. Your exterior roller shades are built to your exact measurements with the fabric, color, and operating system you selected. That customization takes time but ensures everything fits correctly without gaps or adjustments needed on installation day.
The process moves faster than most home improvement projects. You’re not waiting months or dealing with multiple site visits. One consultation, one installation appointment, and you’re done. If you need shades before a specific date—like you’re hosting an event or want them ready before summer heat peaks—just mention that during consultation and we’ll work with the timeline.
Most patios and windows can accommodate exterior roller shades, but the mounting method varies based on your home’s structure and the specific location. We evaluate mounting surfaces during consultation to determine the best approach for your situation.
Covered patios are straightforward—we typically mount to the overhead structure or fascia. For windows, we need solid mounting points above the window frame or on the exterior wall. Brick, stucco, wood, and vinyl siding all work but require different hardware and techniques. If you’ve got unusual architecture or challenging mounting locations, we’ll identify solutions during the initial visit.
The limiting factor is usually structural, not aesthetic. If there’s no solid mounting surface or the area is exposed to extreme wind with no protection, we’ll tell you upfront rather than install something that won’t perform correctly. But in 10+ years of doing this work across Bedford and Arlington, we’ve found workable solutions for the vast majority of homes. Chances are good your situation is manageable even if it seems complicated.
Most motorized outdoor shades run on battery power or plug into a standard outlet, so you don’t need an electrician or special wiring in most cases. Hardwired options exist if you want them, but battery-powered motors have gotten reliable enough that most Bedford homeowners choose that route for simplicity.
Battery-powered motors typically last 1-2 years depending on how frequently you operate the shades. When batteries run low, you swap them out—it’s not complicated. Some systems use rechargeable battery packs, others use standard batteries you can buy anywhere. We’ll explain the specific system during consultation so you know what to expect.
If you do want hardwired motorized shades, we can coordinate that, but it adds complexity and cost. You’ll need an electrician to run power to each shade location, which means more time and higher installation costs. For most applications, battery power gives you the convenience of motorization without the hassle of running new electrical lines through your exterior walls.
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