Hear from Our Customers
Your air conditioner stops running nonstop. That’s the first thing you’ll notice when exterior roller shades go up on your south and west-facing windows.
These outdoor shade blinds block up to 90% of UV rays before they ever reach your glass. That means your living room stays cooler without cranking the thermostat down to 68 just to feel comfortable. In Briar, where summer temps regularly push past 100°F, that difference shows up fast on your energy bill.
Your furniture stops fading. Your floors keep their color. And you can actually use your patio in July without feeling like you’re standing in a convection oven.
Blackout roller shades give you full control over how much light and heat you let in. Adjust them throughout the day or set them on a timer. Either way, you’re deciding what comes into your home instead of just reacting to it.
A Plus Shutters & Shades grew out of A Plus Home Remodel, a company that’s been working on North Texas homes since 2014. We’re not new to construction, installation, or dealing with what Texas weather does to exterior materials.
We opened our shutter and shade showroom because homeowners kept asking for better options than the big-box stores were offering. Now we design, measure, and install custom exterior roller shades across Briar, Southlake, Fort Worth, and the surrounding areas.
Everything we install is built to handle the heat, wind, and storms that come with living in Wise County. And because we’re local, we’re around if you need adjustments, repairs, or just have questions a year down the road.
We start with a free consultation at your home in Briar. You show us the windows, patios, or outdoor spaces you want to shade. We measure everything, talk through your goals, and show you fabric samples so you can see the difference between 1%, 5%, and 10% openness.
Once you pick your materials and operating system—manual, motorized, or smart home integrated—we order everything custom-built to your exact measurements. Most orders are ready within a few weeks.
Installation day is straightforward. Our team shows up with everything needed to mount your outdoor roller shades to your exterior windows, patio roof, or pergola. We make sure the shades operate smoothly, walk you through the controls, and clean up completely before we leave.
If you go with motorized shades, we’ll sync them with your phone or smart home system so you can adjust them from anywhere. And if anything needs tweaking after install, we come back and handle it.
Ready to get started?
Every exterior roller shade we install is custom-measured for your home. You’re not buying something off a shelf and hoping it fits. We build each shade to cover your exact window or patio dimensions.
You pick the fabric opacity based on how much light and privacy you need. A 1% openness fabric blocks nearly all visibility and light—great for bedrooms or west-facing windows. A 5% or 10% openness lets you see outside while still cutting glare and heat. All fabrics block at least 90% of UV rays, which is what protects your furniture and floors from fading.
In Briar, most homeowners go with motorized outdoor roller shades because it’s easier to adjust them throughout the day as the sun moves. You can set schedules, control them from your phone, or link them to Alexa or Google Home. Manual operation works fine too if you prefer to keep it simple.
These shades are built for Texas weather. The materials resist wind, rain, and constant sun exposure without warping or fading. And because they mount on the outside of your windows or patio structure, they stop heat before it ever gets inside—which is way more effective than interior blinds.
Exterior roller shades can cut solar heat gain by up to 77% on west-facing windows and 65% on south-facing ones. In real terms, that means your air conditioner runs less because your home isn’t absorbing as much heat through the glass.
Most Briar homeowners see a noticeable drop in their summer energy bills within the first month. The exact savings depend on how many windows you shade, what direction they face, and how much sun exposure they get. But when you’re blocking heat before it enters your home instead of trying to cool it down after, the difference is measurable.
The ROI improves over time. These outdoor shade blinds last for years with minimal maintenance, so the energy savings add up season after season while your upfront cost stays fixed.
Blackout roller shades block nearly all light and visibility. They’re what you’d use on a bedroom window or any space where you want complete privacy and darkness. When they’re down, you can’t see in or out, and almost no sunlight gets through.
Solar screen fabrics have different openness levels—usually 1%, 5%, or 10%. These let you see outside while still blocking UV rays and reducing heat. A 5% openness fabric cuts glare and heat but doesn’t make the room dark. You can still watch TV without reflections and look out at your yard.
For outdoor patio blinds, most people choose solar screens because they want shade and UV protection without losing their view. For exterior window blinds on bedrooms or living rooms, blackout options are more common. We’ll show you samples during the consultation so you can see exactly what each fabric does.
Yes, but only if they’re installed correctly and built with the right materials. Cheap outdoor shades will rip, bend, or blow off in a strong storm. The ones we install are designed specifically for Texas weather.
We use reinforced mounting hardware and wind-rated fabrics that can handle gusts without tearing. For motorized shades, the system includes tension controls that keep the fabric taut even when it’s windy. And if a severe storm is coming, you can retract them completely with a button press.
Most of our customers in Briar leave their exterior roller shades down year-round because they’re built to stay up. But if you ever feel more comfortable retracting them before a big storm, the option’s there. We’ve installed hundreds of these across Wise County and the DFW area, and they hold up season after season.
For most homes in Briar, installation takes between two and six hours depending on how many shades you’re adding and whether they’re motorized. A single patio shade might only take an hour. A full set of exterior window blinds across multiple windows will take longer.
We handle all the mounting, wiring (if motorized), and adjustments on-site. You don’t need to prep anything or move furniture unless the shades are going on interior-accessible windows. Most outdoor roller shades mount to the exterior, so we work from outside.
After installation, we test every shade to make sure it operates smoothly and show you how to use the controls. If you chose smart home integration, we’ll sync everything with your system before we leave. Then we clean up and you’re done.
Not much. These outdoor shade blinds are designed to handle dust, pollen, and weather without constant upkeep. Most homeowners clean them once or twice a year, and that’s plenty.
When you do clean them, just use mild soap and water with a soft brush or cloth. Hose them down gently, wipe off any buildup, and let them air dry. Don’t use harsh chemicals or pressure washers—those can damage the fabric coating.
If your shades are motorized, the mechanical parts are sealed and don’t need maintenance. The motor systems we install are built to last for years without service. If something ever does go wrong, we’re local and we’ll come take a look.
It depends on the system. Some exterior roller shades are designed to be upgraded later, but most aren’t. If you think you’ll want motorization eventually, it’s easier and cheaper to install it from the start.
Motorized outdoor patio blinds cost more upfront, but they’re worth it if you have multiple shades or hard-to-reach windows. You can control everything from your phone, set schedules based on the time of day, or link them to your smart home system so they adjust automatically.
If budget’s tight now, manual operation works fine. But if you’re on the fence, we’d recommend going motorized. It’s one of those upgrades that people use every single day and never regret.
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