Hear from Our Customers
Right now, your patio’s probably unusable by noon. The sun beats down, the temperature climbs, and you head back inside earlier than you planned. That’s not how outdoor living should work in Manor.
Exterior roller shades change that. They can drop the temperature in your outdoor space by up to 30 degrees in summer while blocking 99% of UV rays. That means you’re not just more comfortable—your outdoor furniture stops fading, your energy bills go down because your AC isn’t fighting solar heat gain, and bugs stay on the other side of the shade where they belong.
You also get privacy without losing your view. The tinted shades let you see out, but neighbors and passersby can’t see in. And if you go motorized, you control everything from your phone or with a voice command. No cranks, no cords, no hassle.
A Plus Shutters & Shades is a local Texas business with over 10 years of construction experience and a dedicated showroom. We’re not a franchise. We’re based in Arlington, and we’ve been serving Manor and the surrounding Austin area long enough to know what works here and what doesn’t.
We specialize in custom roller shade solutions—meaning we’re measuring, building, and installing shades that fit your exact openings. We use Texas-made products because the quality’s better and they’re built to handle the climate you’re dealing with. Our installers have seen every type of patio, pergola, and porch configuration, and they know how to handle the wind, rain, and heat that come with living in Central Texas.
First, we come out to your place in Manor for a consultation. We measure your space, talk through what you’re trying to accomplish, and show you material and color options. You’ll see samples, not just pictures. We’ll also discuss whether manual or motorized operation makes sense for your setup.
Once you approve the quote, we order your custom shades. These aren’t off-the-shelf—they’re built to your exact measurements. When they’re ready, our install team schedules a time that works for you. Installation typically takes a few hours depending on how many shades you’re adding.
After install, we walk you through operation and maintenance. If you went motorized, we make sure your system’s connected and you know how to control it. Then you’re done. You’ve got outdoor roller shades that’ll last years and actually make your patio usable during Texas summers.
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You’re getting weather-resistant roller shades designed to handle Manor’s climate. That means they’re built to endure wind, heavy rain, and over 100 days of temperatures hitting 100°F or higher. The materials won’t fade, crack, or lose functionality after a season or two.
You’re also getting UV protection that blocks up to 99% of harmful rays. This protects your skin when you’re outside and keeps your patio furniture, cushions, and decking from fading. If you’ve ever replaced outdoor furniture because the sun destroyed it, you know how much that costs.
We offer a range of opacity levels—from sheer outdoor shade blinds that let light through while cutting glare, to blackout roller shades that block nearly all light. Motorized options integrate with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung Smart Things, so you can adjust your shades without getting up. And because these are custom, we’re fitting them to your exact space, whether that’s a standard patio door or an oversized pergola opening.
Exterior roller shades can reduce the temperature in your outdoor space by up to 30 degrees during Texas summers. That’s not a small difference—it’s the difference between sitting outside comfortably at 2 p.m. and retreating indoors because it’s unbearable.
The shades work by blocking direct sunlight before it heats up your patio surface, furniture, and the air around you. They also reduce solar heat gain on any windows or doors behind them, which means your AC isn’t working as hard to cool your home. That shows up on your energy bill.
In winter, the shades help retain heat, so if you have a heated patio or you’re just trying to make your outdoor space usable a bit longer into the evening, they help with that too.
Yes, if you choose a tinted or solar shade fabric. These materials are designed so you can see out clearly from inside your patio or porch, but people outside can’t see in. It’s the same concept as tinted car windows.
This is a big deal in Manor, especially if your outdoor space faces the street or a neighbor’s yard. You get privacy without feeling closed in or losing your view. If you want to watch the kids play in the yard or keep an eye on the driveway, you can do that while staying shaded and out of sight.
If you need full blackout—say, for a sleeping porch or a media area—we also offer blackout roller shades that block nearly all light and visibility in both directions. We’ll walk you through the options during your consultation so you can pick what makes sense for how you use the space.
Yes, when they’re installed correctly and built with the right materials. We use weather-resistant fabrics and hardware designed specifically for exterior use. These aren’t interior blinds being used outside—they’re engineered to handle wind, rain, and UV exposure without breaking down.
That said, if a severe storm’s coming through Manor with high winds, we recommend retracting motorized shades or rolling up manual ones. It’s the same logic as bringing in patio cushions. The shades can handle normal weather, but you wouldn’t leave them down in a tornado warning.
We also make sure the mounting is solid during installation. If your structure can’t support the shade properly, we’ll tell you up front. We’re not going to install something that’s going to fail in six months because the attachment point wasn’t right.
If you have large shades, multiple shades, or hard-to-reach installations, motorized is worth it. You’re not dealing with cranks or pull cords, and you can adjust your shades from inside the house using your phone or a voice command. That’s especially useful if the weather changes suddenly or you want to lower the shades before you get home.
Motorized systems also integrate with smart home setups, so if you’re already using Alexa or Google Assistant, your shades just become another device you control the same way. Some people set schedules—shades go down automatically when the sun hits a certain angle, then retract in the evening.
The upfront cost is higher than manual operation, but the convenience is real. And if you’re older or have mobility issues, motorized eliminates the physical effort of raising and lowering shades, which can be significant if they’re large exterior window blinds covering a wide opening.
Installation usually takes a few hours, depending on how many shades you’re adding and the complexity of your setup. A single patio door shade might take an hour. A full pergola with multiple large openings could take half a day.
The process involves mounting the hardware, hanging the shade, making sure it operates smoothly, and—if you went motorized—connecting and programming the system. Our installers have done this enough times that they move efficiently, but they’re not rushing. We’d rather take the extra time to get the fit and function right than leave you with a shade that binds or doesn’t retract evenly.
After install, we test everything in front of you and show you how to operate and maintain your new outdoor patio blinds. If something’s not right, we fix it before we leave. You’re not waiting on a callback to get things working correctly.
Exterior roller shades mount vertically and roll up or down to cover openings like windows, doors, or open sides of a pergola or patio. Retractable awnings mount horizontally above a space and extend outward to provide overhead coverage. Both block sun and heat, but they serve different purposes.
Roller shades are better if you need to enclose a space, control side sun exposure, or add privacy and bug protection. Awnings are better for overhead shade when you want to keep the sides open. Some people use both—an awning for overhead coverage and roller shades on the west-facing side where the afternoon sun comes in low.
In Manor, where summer sun is intense from multiple angles depending on time of day, exterior roller shades give you more control. You can lower just the shades that need to be down and leave others up. And if you go motorized, adjusting them throughout the day as the sun moves is effortless.
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