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Your AC is working overtime because solar heat is pouring through your windows and turning your patio into a furnace. When temperatures hit 108°F outside, unshaded glass can push indoor temps up another 15 degrees. That’s not just uncomfortable—it’s expensive.
Exterior roller shades stop that heat before it ever reaches your windows. You’re blocking up to 94% of solar heat gain, which translates to 20-30% lower cooling costs during summer months. Surface temperatures on your patio drop by 15-20 degrees, making outdoor spaces usable again.
You also get UV protection that matters. These outdoor patio blinds block 99% of harmful rays that fade furniture, damage flooring, and make sitting by the window unbearable. The right fabric openness—usually between 3-15%—gives you privacy while keeping your view intact. You see out clearly. Neighbors and passersby don’t see in.
A Plus Shutters & Shades is a branch of A Plus Home Remodel, and we’ve spent over 10 years working on homes across the Austin area. We know West Oak Hill—the two-story builds, the ranch-style layouts, the way those Heritage Oaks provide some shade but not nearly enough when July rolls around.
We focus on custom window treatments that actually fit your home and your climate. That means Texas-made products built to handle temperature swings, intense UV exposure, and the occasional storm. Our installers measure precisely, mount securely, and make sure your motorized controls work the way they should from day one.
You’re not getting a national franchise or a crew that’s never dealt with Texas heat. You’re working with a local team that understands what 100% severe heat risk means for your home and your budget.
You start with a free consultation at your home. We look at your outdoor spaces, measure your windows or patio openings, and talk through what you’re trying to solve—heat, glare, privacy, or all three. We bring fabric samples so you can see how different openness ratings affect visibility and light.
Once you choose your outdoor roller shades, we custom-build them to your exact measurements. If you’re going motorized, we program the controls and integrate them with your smart home system if you want app control or voice activation through Alexa or Google Assistant.
Installation typically takes a few hours depending on how many shades you’re adding. We mount the hardware, hang the shades, test the motors, and walk you through operation. You’ll know how to raise, lower, and adjust them for different times of day. If anything needs tweaking, we handle it before we leave.
After install, you’ve got exterior window blinds that respond to one-touch controls and actually make your patio comfortable when the sun’s directly overhead.
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Every outdoor roller shade we install is custom-built for your specific openings. You’re choosing fabric type, color, and openness rating based on how much light and privacy you need. We carry weather-resistant materials that hold up against West Oak Hill’s climate—fabrics that won’t fade, warp, or lose tension after a few seasons.
Motorization is available on every shade. That means remote controls, wall switches, or smartphone operation. You can set schedules so shades lower automatically during peak heat hours, or you can control them manually when you’re entertaining and want more shade coverage. Wind sensors are an option too—shades retract automatically when gusts hit a certain speed, protecting the fabric and mechanism.
We also install blackout roller shades if you need complete light blocking for covered patios or outdoor rooms. These work well for spaces where you’ve added a TV or want to create a darker, cooler environment during the day. The installation process is the same, but the fabric is denser and provides near-total sun protection.
You’re getting products designed to reduce your energy bills, extend the life of your outdoor furniture, and give you more usable square footage during the hottest months of the year.
Cost depends on the size of your openings, how many shades you’re installing, and whether you choose motorized or manual operation. For a standard patio door opening around 8-10 feet wide, expect to pay between $800-$1,500 per shade with motorization included. Larger openings or multiple shades bring the per-unit cost down slightly.
Motorized systems add roughly $200-$400 per shade compared to manual pull-down versions, but most homeowners in West Oak Hill go motorized because it’s more practical when you’re adjusting shades multiple times a day. Smart home integration—app control, voice commands, automated scheduling—adds another $100-$200 depending on the system.
The upfront cost pays back through energy savings. If you’re currently spending $300-$400 per month cooling your home during summer, a 20-30% reduction means you’re saving $60-$120 monthly. Over a few years, the shades cover their own cost while making your outdoor spaces functional again.
The terms get used interchangeably, but they’re describing the same product—a fabric shade that mounts outside your windows or patio openings and rolls up or down to block sun, heat, and UV rays. Some companies call them solar screens, sun shades, or exterior window blinds, but the function is identical.
What matters more is the fabric openness rating. A 5% openness fabric blocks 95% of light and heat while still allowing some visibility. A 10% openness blocks 90% and gives you a clearer view. A 15% openness provides less heat protection but maximum visibility. Most West Oak Hill homeowners choose 5-10% openness for south and west-facing exposures where heat is most intense.
Blackout roller shades are a separate category—they block 99-100% of light and are typically used for covered patios, outdoor rooms, or spaces where you need complete darkness and privacy. They’re heavier, more expensive, and don’t allow any view-through, but they create a cooler, more controlled environment.
Yes, if they’re built for it. The fabrics we use are specifically designed for high-heat, high-UV climates like West Oak Hill. They’re made from PVC-coated polyester or acrylic blends that resist fading, maintain tension in temperature swings, and don’t become brittle after years of sun exposure.
The hardware matters just as much. We use powder-coated aluminum housings and stainless steel components that won’t rust or corrode. Motors are rated for outdoor use and sealed against moisture. If you’re in an area that gets strong winds, we recommend adding wind sensors that automatically retract the shades when gusts exceed safe limits—usually around 20-25 mph.
Storm damage is rare with properly installed exterior roller shades, but it happens if shades are left down during severe weather. That’s why motorization with automated wind response is worth the investment. The system protects itself, and you’re not scrambling to manually retract shades when a storm rolls in unexpectedly.
Yes. Most motorized outdoor roller shades we install integrate with smart home platforms like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit. You control them through an app on your phone, with voice commands, or by setting automated schedules based on time of day or sun position.
The app lets you operate individual shades or group them together. If you want all south-facing shades to lower at 2 PM when the sun is most intense, you set that once and it happens automatically every day. You can also create scenes—”Entertaining” might lower patio shades halfway for partial coverage, while “Full Shade” drops everything completely.
Remote access works from anywhere, so if you’re away and realize you left shades up during a heatwave, you can lower them from your phone to keep your home cooler. The system uses your home’s Wi-Fi network, and setup typically takes 15-20 minutes during installation. If you don’t want smart integration, standard remote controls work just fine and don’t require any network connection.
Installation for a standard patio with 2-3 openings usually takes 3-4 hours. That includes mounting the brackets, hanging the shades, running power to motorized units, programming the controls, and testing everything to make sure it operates smoothly.
Larger projects with multiple outdoor areas or custom configurations can take a full day. If we’re integrating with your existing smart home system or adding wind sensors and automated scheduling, that adds another hour or two for programming and testing.
We handle all the prep work—measuring, ordering, and building your custom shades—before installation day. You don’t need to do anything except make sure we have access to the areas we’re working on and a power source nearby for motorized shades. Once we’re done, you’ll know how to operate everything, and we’ll leave you with instructions for any app-based controls or remote programming.
They do, and the impact is measurable. Exterior shades block solar heat before it reaches your windows, which is far more effective than interior blinds that trap heat between the glass and the fabric. When you stop that heat gain early, your AC doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain indoor temperatures.
West Oak Hill homes face severe heat risk—100% of properties are affected, and projections show a 214% increase in days over 108°F in the next 30 years. Unshaded windows can increase indoor temps by 15 degrees, forcing your cooling system to run constantly. Exterior roller shades reduce that heat gain by up to 94%, which typically translates to 20-30% lower cooling costs during peak summer months.
If you’re currently paying $350 per month to cool your home in July and August, that’s a $70-$105 monthly savings, or $140-$210 for the summer. Over five years, you’re looking at $700-$1,050 in reduced energy costs, which covers a significant portion of the initial investment. You’re also extending the life of your HVAC system because it’s not running at maximum capacity all day long.
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