Hear from Our Customers
Your patio stops feeling like a furnace by mid-morning. You can actually sit outside without squinting or sweating through your shirt. Your AC isn’t running nonstop trying to cool rooms that face west.
Exterior roller shades block heat before it ever reaches your windows or glass doors. That means your home stays cooler without your HVAC system working overtime. Most Skyview homeowners see their cooling costs drop noticeably within the first billing cycle.
And it’s not just about temperature. Your furniture stops fading. Your floors don’t bleach out in patches. You get UV protection that keeps your home looking newer, longer. The shades themselves are built for Texas weather—wind, rain, and relentless sun—so they’re not something you’ll need to replace in a year or two.
You also get your outdoor space back. Patios, porches, and pergolas become usable again, even during the hottest part of the day. If you’ve been avoiding your backyard because it’s just too brutal out there, outdoor shade blinds change that.
A Plus Shutters & Shades grew out of A Plus Home Remodel, a construction company that’s been working in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for over a decade. We didn’t start as a shutter company. We started as builders who kept running into the same problem: homeowners needed window treatments that actually worked, installed by people who understood how homes are built.
That’s why we opened a dedicated showroom and brought in Texas-made products that hold up to the climate here. Skyview sits in one of the hottest parts of Tarrant County, and we’ve done enough installs in this area to know what works and what doesn’t.
We’re not a franchise. We’re not a national chain sending out whoever’s available. You’re working with a local team that’s been here, knows the area, and has the construction background to install exterior roller shades the right way the first time.
It starts with a free consultation at your home in Skyview. We measure your windows, doors, or outdoor structures. We talk about what you’re trying to solve—heat, glare, privacy, or all three. You’ll see fabric samples, color options, and we’ll explain what works best for your setup.
Once you decide to move forward, we custom-build your outdoor roller shades to your exact measurements. Everything is made to fit your home, not adjusted from a standard size. If you want motorized operation, we set that up so you can control your shades from an app or a wall switch.
Installation day is straightforward. Our team shows up on time, brings everything needed, and handles the full install. We mount the shades, test the operation, and walk you through how to use them. If something’s motorized, we make sure you’re comfortable with the controls before we leave.
After that, you’re set. The shades are built to last, and if anything comes up down the road, we’re still here. We don’t disappear after the install.
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You’re getting custom-measured exterior window blinds built specifically for your home. That means they fit tight, operate smoothly, and don’t leave gaps where heat or light sneaks through. We use outdoor-rated materials designed to handle sun, wind, and rain without warping or fading.
If you want blackout roller shades, we can do that. These block nearly all light, which is helpful if you’re covering windows in bedrooms or media rooms. For patios and outdoor areas, most people go with a solar screen fabric that blocks heat and UV but still lets you see outside.
Skyview homes deal with intense afternoon sun, especially on west-facing walls. That’s where exterior shades make the biggest difference. They stop the heat outside, which is far more effective than interior blinds that let heat in first and then try to manage it. You’ll feel the temperature drop as soon as the shades go down.
Motorization is available on any setup. You can control individual shades or group them together. Some customers tie them into their smart home systems. Others just use a remote. Either way, it’s easier than manually cranking shades up and down, especially if you have several.
Most homeowners see a noticeable drop in their energy bills within the first month, typically around 10-15% during summer. The savings come from stopping solar heat before it enters your home, which means your AC doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain a comfortable temperature.
Skyview sits in an area where afternoon sun hits hard, especially on west-facing windows. When you block that heat outside with exterior roller shades instead of inside with curtains or blinds, you’re preventing the greenhouse effect that makes rooms unbearably hot. Your HVAC system cycles less frequently, uses less energy, and lasts longer because it’s not constantly fighting against solar heat gain.
The exact savings depend on how many windows you cover, the direction they face, and how much sun exposure your home gets. But if you’re currently cranking your thermostat down just to keep certain rooms livable, outdoor roller shades will make a measurable difference in both comfort and cost.
Exterior shades stop heat before it reaches your glass. Interior shades try to manage heat that’s already inside. That’s the fundamental difference, and it’s why exterior roller shades are far more effective for temperature control.
When sunlight hits a window with interior blinds, the heat passes through the glass first. Even blackout roller shades on the inside can’t prevent that heat from entering your home—they just absorb or reflect it after the fact. Your room still heats up. With outdoor shade blinds, the sun never makes it to your windows. The heat stays outside where it belongs.
This matters especially in Skyview, where summer temperatures regularly push past 95 degrees. Interior treatments might reduce glare, but they won’t keep your rooms cool. Exterior shades create a buffer zone that blocks up to 95% of solar heat and UV rays before they ever hit your glass. If your main goal is controlling temperature and cutting cooling costs, exterior is the only option that actually works.
Yes, if they’re installed correctly and built with outdoor-rated materials. The shades we install in Skyview are designed specifically for exterior use, with fabrics and hardware that handle wind, rain, and sun exposure without breaking down.
That said, we do recommend retracting your shades during severe weather. High winds can stress any outdoor structure, and it’s smarter to bring them up when a storm’s coming through. Most of our customers with motorized shades just hit a button when they see bad weather rolling in. It takes seconds and protects your investment.
The materials themselves—marine-grade fabrics, powder-coated aluminum, stainless steel hardware—are built to last in harsh climates. We’ve installed outdoor roller shades that have been up for years without fading, tearing, or rusting. Texas weather is tough, but these shades are tougher as long as you treat them reasonably. They’re durable, not indestructible.
Most residential installs in Skyview take between four and eight hours, depending on how many shades you’re putting up and whether they’re motorized. A single patio shade might take an hour. A full home with multiple windows and outdoor areas takes longer.
We handle everything on-site. That includes mounting the brackets, installing the roller mechanism, attaching the fabric, and testing the operation. If you’re adding motorized controls, we wire those in and program them so everything works smoothly before we leave. You’re not left with half-finished work or a list of things to figure out on your own.
The process is straightforward because we’ve done this hundreds of times. We know how to mount shades on brick, stucco, wood, and metal without damaging your home or creating weak points. Our background in construction means we’re not just hanging blinds—we’re installing them the way they should be installed, with proper support and weatherproofing. When we’re done, your outdoor shade blinds look clean, operate correctly, and stay put.
Not much. A quick rinse with a garden hose a few times a year is usually enough to keep them looking good. The fabrics we use are designed to shed dirt and resist mildew, so they don’t require constant attention.
If you notice dust or pollen building up, just spray them down. For tougher spots, a soft brush and mild soap work fine. Avoid pressure washers or harsh chemicals—they can damage the fabric or coating. Most Skyview homeowners clean their shades once in spring and once in fall, and that’s plenty.
The mechanical parts—rollers, motors, brackets—are built to last without much maintenance. If you have motorized shades, the motors are sealed and weather-resistant. They don’t need lubrication or adjustments under normal use. If something does go wrong, we’re local and we’ll come out to fix it. But honestly, once these are installed, they’re pretty low-maintenance. You’re not babysitting them. You’re just using them.
You can get blackout roller shades for both. For windows, blackout fabric blocks nearly all light, which is great for bedrooms or rooms where you want total darkness. For outdoor spaces like patios or pergolas, most people choose solar screen fabric instead because it blocks heat and UV while still letting you see outside.
Blackout fabric on a patio would make the space feel closed off and dark, which defeats the purpose of being outdoors. Solar screens give you shade and cooling without turning your patio into a cave. They block up to 95% of UV rays and significantly reduce heat, but you still get airflow and visibility.
If you’re covering windows in Skyview, blackout roller shades make sense for rooms where light control matters. If you’re covering outdoor areas, solar screens are usually the better call. We’ll walk you through the options during your consultation and show you samples so you can see the difference. It’s not a one-size-fits-all decision, and we don’t push you toward the most expensive option. We help you pick what actually works for how you use the space.
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