Hear from Our Customers
When the Texas sun hits your windows and outdoor spaces, you’re not just dealing with glare. You’re paying to cool air that’s already been heated by direct sunlight. That’s expensive and uncomfortable.
Exterior roller shades block up to 97% of UV rays before they reach your glass. That means your AC isn’t fighting a losing battle, your energy bills drop, and your outdoor furniture stops fading in the brutal Cedar Valley sun.
You get more hours outside without feeling like you’re standing in an oven. Your deck or patio becomes usable during the day, not just after sunset. And you’re not squinting through glare every time you try to relax with a drink or host friends.
This isn’t about decoration. It’s about making your outdoor space work the way you wanted it to when you built it.
A Plus Shutters & Shades has spent ten years installing custom window treatments across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including Cedar Valley and surrounding communities. We’re not a franchise following a script. We’re a local team that understands what Texas weather does to outdoor spaces.
We use Texas-made products because they’re built for this climate. Our installations are done by people who’ve seen every type of patio, pergola, and deck configuration you can imagine. We measure precisely, install correctly, and make sure your outdoor shade blinds actually hold up when the wind picks up or the temperature swings.
You’re not getting a sales pitch. You’re getting straight answers about what works, what your space needs, and what your options are. That’s how we’ve built a reputation here.
First, we come to your home in Cedar Valley, TX and look at your space. We measure your openings, check your structure, and talk through what you’re trying to solve—whether that’s heat, privacy, glare, or all three.
Then we walk you through fabric options. Openness percentages matter here. A 90% solar screen blocks more heat and UV but reduces your view slightly. A 70% screen gives you more visibility but lets in a bit more light. We explain the trade-offs so you can decide what fits your priorities.
Once you choose, we order your custom exterior roller shades. These are made to your exact measurements, not adjusted from stock sizes. When they arrive, our install team comes out and mounts them properly—secured into structure, leveled, and tested for smooth operation.
If you want motorization, we integrate that during install. Voice control through Alexa or Google Assistant is standard if you want it. You’ll get a walkthrough on how everything works before we leave. The whole process takes a few weeks from consultation to completion, and you’ll know the timeline upfront.
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Every exterior roller shade we install is custom-built for your specific opening. You’re choosing the fabric density, color, and operation type that makes sense for how you use your space.
Cedar Valley homeowners deal with intense UV exposure—Texas ranks 7th nationally for UV index, and midday levels regularly hit 12 or higher during summer. Our solar screen fabrics are rated to block between 70% and 97% of that radiation, depending on what you select. That protection extends to your furniture, flooring, and anything else sitting in direct sun.
You’ll also see the energy impact. Exterior shading reduces solar heat gain by up to 59% compared to interior blinds, according to Department of Energy testing. Your AC runs less. Your rooms stay cooler. Your utility bills reflect that difference.
For privacy, these outdoor shade blinds create a one-way view effect during the day. You can see out clearly, but people outside see a dark screen. At night with interior lights on, that reverses—so most people pair these with interior blackout roller shades or blackout blinds for windows if bedroom privacy matters.
We also offer motorized operation as standard or upgrade. If you’re covering a large patio or multiple openings, motorization makes daily use realistic. You’re not manually cranking shades up and down in the heat.
The reduction depends on how much glass you’re covering and how much sun hits it, but exterior shades consistently outperform interior window treatments. Studies show exterior shading can cut solar heat gain by up to 59%, which directly reduces how hard your AC works during peak hours.
In Cedar Valley, TX, where summer temperatures regularly push into the high 90s and UV levels spike above 12, that difference is noticeable. Homeowners typically report lower energy bills within the first month, especially if they’re shading west- or south-facing glass.
Interior blinds trap heat between the glass and the fabric, so your AC is still fighting that warmth. Exterior roller shades stop it outside, before it ever reaches the window. That’s why the Department of Energy recommends exterior shading as the most effective option for solar heat control.
The percentage refers to how much light and heat the fabric blocks. A 70% solar screen blocks 70% of UV rays and sunlight, while allowing 30% through. A 95% screen blocks 95%, letting only 5% through.
Higher percentages give you better heat and UV protection, but they reduce visibility slightly. A 90% or 95% fabric creates more privacy and keeps spaces cooler, but your view out will be a bit darker. A 70% screen gives you a clearer view and more natural light, but doesn’t block as much heat.
For most Cedar Valley patios and outdoor spaces, 90% is the sweet spot. You get strong UV protection and heat reduction without losing too much visibility. If you’re covering a pergola or area where you want maximum cooling and don’t care about the view, 95% makes sense. If you’re shading windows where you want to preserve the view, 70% works better.
Yes, if they’re installed correctly and built with the right materials. Our exterior roller shades use high-tension fabric and reinforced mounting systems designed for outdoor exposure. They don’t flap or bend in normal wind conditions.
That said, these are shade systems, not hurricane shutters. If a severe storm is coming through Cedar Valley, you should retract motorized shades or manually roll them up to protect the fabric and mechanism. Leaving them down in high winds can damage the material or hardware.
Most of our customers use motorized shades specifically because it makes retracting them fast and easy when weather moves in. You’re not outside struggling with manual cranks. You hit a button or use your phone, and they’re up in seconds. The fabrics themselves resist fading, mildew, and temperature stress, so they hold up to daily Texas weather without deteriorating quickly.
Manual operation works if you’re covering one or two smaller openings and you don’t mind adjusting them by hand. For larger patios, multiple shades, or spaces where you’re adjusting them daily, motorization makes a big difference in whether you’ll actually use them.
Most Cedar Valley homeowners go motorized because Texas heat makes you less likely to walk outside and crank a shade down manually. With a remote or voice control, you adjust them from inside, which means you’ll use them more consistently. That consistency is what delivers the energy savings and UV protection you’re paying for.
Motorization also lets you integrate with smart home systems. You can set schedules so shades lower automatically during peak sun hours, or link them to temperature sensors. If you’re adding exterior roller shades to a covered patio where you entertain, motorized control is cleaner and more convenient when guests are over.
Installation typically takes a few hours, depending on how many shades you’re adding and the complexity of your setup. For a standard patio with two or three openings, we’re usually done in half a day.
We mount exterior roller shades into solid structure—beams, headers, or reinforced fascia. The mounting brackets are secured with appropriate fasteners for your material, whether that’s wood, metal, or composite. We’re not drilling randomly or guessing. We locate studs, check load points, and make sure everything is anchored properly.
Any penetrations are sealed to prevent water intrusion, and we test the shades before we leave to make sure they operate smoothly. You won’t see sloppy holes or misaligned hardware. The goal is a clean install that looks intentional and lasts. If your structure needs reinforcement before we can mount safely, we’ll tell you that upfront during the consultation.
During the day, yes. Exterior roller shades create a one-way visibility effect when it’s brighter outside than inside. You can see out through the fabric clearly, but people outside see a dark screen. That works well for Cedar Valley homes where neighbors or street traffic are close to your patio or windows.
At night, that effect reverses. When your interior lights are on and it’s dark outside, people can see in through the screen fabric. If nighttime privacy matters—especially for bedrooms or living areas—you’ll want to pair exterior shades with interior blackout roller shades or blackout blinds for windows.
Most of our customers use exterior shades for daytime heat and UV control, then rely on interior treatments for nighttime privacy. That combination gives you full control over light, temperature, and visibility throughout the day. If privacy is your main concern and heat is secondary, we’ll recommend a different approach during your consultation.
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