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You know that feeling when it’s 105 degrees outside and your covered patio is still unbearable? That’s solar heat gain turning your outdoor space into an oven. Exterior roller shades stop that heat before it ever reaches your windows or living area.
When you install outdoor shade blinds on the outside of your home, you’re blocking up to 95% of the sun’s heat at the source. That means your AC isn’t fighting a losing battle all afternoon. Your energy bill drops. Your furniture stops fading. And you can actually sit outside without feeling like you’re melting.
These aren’t the flimsy patio blinds you see sagging after one summer. We’re talking about weather-resistant outdoor roller shades built for Texas heat, wind, and sudden storms. They roll up when you want sun. They drop down when you need relief. And if you go motorized, you control them from your phone or voice assistant without getting up.
A Plus Shutters & Shades has spent ten years figuring out what actually works in North Texas heat. We’re not a franchise following a script. We’re a local team that understands why your west-facing windows turn your living room into a sauna by 3 PM.
We serve Garfield, Arlington, Fort Worth, and the surrounding areas with custom exterior roller shades designed specifically for this climate. Every installation is handled by our own technicians who know how to mount on stucco, brick, and wood without creating problems down the road.
You’ll work with people who’ve done this hundreds of times and can tell you exactly what to expect. No surprises, no upselling, no disappearing after the install.
First, we come out to measure your space and talk through what you’re trying to solve. Some people want full blackout roller shades for sleeping porches. Others want solar screens that block heat but keep the view. We’ll show you fabric samples and explain what works best for your situation.
Once you approve the quote, we order your custom outdoor roller shades. Everything is made to your exact measurements—no generic sizes that kind of fit. When your shades arrive, we schedule installation at a time that works for you.
Our installers show up on time, handle the mounting, test the operation, and walk you through how everything works. If you chose motorized outdoor shades, we’ll sync them to your phone or smart home system before we leave. The whole process typically takes a few hours depending on how many windows we’re covering.
After installation, your shades are ready to use immediately. You’ll notice the temperature difference the same day, especially if we’re installing on west or south-facing walls where the sun hits hardest.
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Every exterior roller shade we install is custom-measured for your specific openings. We’re not trimming down stock sizes or leaving gaps where heat sneaks through. You get shades that fit exactly right and function smoothly every time you raise or lower them.
You’ll choose from fabrics that block anywhere from 90% to 99% of UV rays depending on how much light and visibility you want to keep. Darker fabrics give you more privacy and better heat blocking. Lighter weaves let you see outside while still cutting glare and temperature.
In Garfield and throughout Texas, we’re dealing with intense sun exposure that can push heat indexes past 110 degrees. The exterior window blinds we install are built to handle that. They’re made from materials that won’t crack, fade, or warp after a few seasons of punishment. And because they mount outside your windows, they stop heat before it penetrates your glass—which is significantly more effective than interior blinds.
If you go with motorized options, you can set schedules so your outdoor patio blinds lower automatically when the sun hits. You can also control them remotely if you’re away and want to protect your furniture from an afternoon of direct exposure.
You’re looking at potential cooling cost reductions between 15% and 30% depending on how many windows you cover and which direction they face. West and south-facing windows are the biggest culprits for solar heat gain in Texas.
When you install outdoor roller shades on those exposures, you’re blocking up to 95% of the sun’s heat before it hits your glass. That means your AC isn’t working overtime to compensate for all that radiant heat pouring through your windows every afternoon. The difference is measurable on your energy bill, especially during June through September when temperatures regularly exceed 100 degrees.
Interior blinds help, but they’re blocking heat that’s already inside your home. Exterior shades stop it outside, which is far more effective. Most of our customers in Garfield notice the temperature difference within the first week, particularly in rooms that used to be uncomfortably hot in the afternoons.
Yes, if they’re installed correctly and you retract them during severe weather. The outdoor shade blinds we install are built with weather-resistant fabrics and hardware designed for wind, rain, and sun exposure. They’re not decorative—they’re functional outdoor products.
That said, if we’re expecting a major storm with high winds, you should retract your shades. Motorized systems make this easy since you can raise them with a button press or through your phone. The shades themselves can handle normal Texas weather including sudden afternoon thunderstorms and gusty conditions.
We mount everything securely into your exterior walls using the right anchors for your surface type—whether that’s stucco, brick, or wood. Poor installation is usually why outdoor shades fail, not the product itself. Our installers have been doing this for years and know how to anchor properly so your shades stay put through typical weather conditions.
It depends on the fabric you choose. Solar screen fabrics let you see outside while blocking heat and UV rays. You’ll have visibility during the day, though it’s slightly dimmed like looking through sunglasses. People on the outside can’t see in clearly, which gives you privacy without total darkness.
Blackout roller shades block the view entirely along with blocking nearly all light and heat. These make sense for areas where you want complete privacy or need to sleep during the day, like a screened porch you’ve converted to a guest room.
Most homeowners in Garfield go with solar screens for main living areas because they want to maintain their view while cutting the heat and glare. You can mix and match too—blackout fabrics on bedroom windows for sleeping and solar screens on your patio where you want to see your yard. We’ll show you samples during the consultation so you can see exactly what each fabric looks like and how much visibility you’ll have.
Motorized outdoor roller shades use a small motor hidden inside the roller tube. You control them with a remote, wall switch, or smartphone app. If you have a smart home system like Alexa or Google Home, we can integrate your shades so you control them with voice commands.
The motors are reliable and designed for daily use. Most come with battery backup so they’ll still work during power outages. You can also set schedules—like having your shades automatically lower at 2 PM when the sun hits your west windows, then raise at sunset.
The main advantage is convenience. You’re not manually cranking or pulling shades up and down multiple times a day. And if you’re away from home, you can lower your outdoor patio blinds remotely to protect your furniture from UV exposure. The technology has been around long enough that it’s proven and dependable. We install the systems, program them for you, and make sure everything syncs properly before we leave.
Exterior roller shades mount closer to your windows and roll up into a compact housing. Retractable awnings extend outward from your wall and create a covered area. Both block sun and heat, but they serve slightly different purposes.
Roller shades are better for direct window coverage and precise control over light and privacy. They’re sleeker, take up less space, and work well on multi-story homes where awnings would be impractical. You can also get motorized control more affordably with roller shades.
Awnings are better if you want to create a shaded outdoor room or cover a large patio area. They project out from your house and provide overhead coverage. The downside is they’re bulkier, more expensive, and can be tricky to retract quickly if weather rolls in.
For most homeowners in Garfield dealing with heat coming through windows, exterior roller shades are the more practical choice. They’re effective, affordable, and easier to operate daily. If you’re trying to shade a large deck or patio area, we can talk through whether awnings make more sense for your specific situation.
Installation typically takes two to four hours depending on how many shades we’re putting up and whether you’re going motorized. A single large patio shade might take an hour. A whole house with six to eight windows takes most of a day.
We handle everything—mounting the brackets, installing the roller tube and fabric, testing the operation, and cleaning up. If you chose motorized outdoor shades, we’ll also program your remotes or app and make sure everything syncs with your smart home system if you have one.
The shades are ready to use as soon as we’re done. There’s no curing time or waiting period. You can start lowering them immediately to block the afternoon sun. Most installations happen in a single visit once your custom shades arrive, which usually takes two to three weeks from the time you approve your order.
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