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You stop avoiding your own patio when it hits 100 degrees in August. Your outdoor furniture quits fading after one summer. Your AC bill drops because you’re not cooling a house that’s baking in direct sun all afternoon.
Exterior roller shades give you control over how much heat, light, and bugs make it onto your porch or patio. You pick the fabric openness—1% to 10%—based on how much visibility you want versus how much sun you need to block. Most people in Mustang Ridge go with 5% because it cuts the heat without turning your outdoor space into a cave.
And if you’re dealing with mosquitoes, flies, or scorpions (because we all are), motorized outdoor shades with zipper-track systems seal the sides so bugs can’t sneak through. You get shade, airflow, and a space you can actually enjoy after work instead of surrendering it to the weather.
A Plus Shutters & Shades is part of A Plus Home Remodel, and we’ve spent more than 10 years working on homes across Central Texas. We’re based in Arlington, but we serve Mustang Ridge and the surrounding area because we know what the climate does to outdoor spaces here.
We install custom outdoor roller shades, blackout roller shades, and motorized systems that hold up in Texas weather. Our products are made locally in Austin, so lead times are shorter and pricing stays competitive. We use Somfy motors because they’re reliable, and we back every install with a five-year warranty on labor.
You’re not getting a national franchise or a crew that’s never worked in this heat. You’re working with people who understand what it takes to keep outdoor patio blinds functional when the UV index is extreme and storms roll in without warning.
First, we come out to your place in Mustang Ridge and measure the space. We talk through what you’re trying to solve—heat, glare, bugs, privacy—and recommend fabric options based on that. If you want motorized control or smart home integration with Alexa or Google Assistant, we walk through those options too.
Once you approve the quote, we order your custom outdoor roller shades. Most orders are ready in two to four weeks since everything’s made in Austin. When they arrive, we schedule the install at a time that works for you.
Installation usually takes a few hours depending on how many shades you’re adding. We mount the housing, run the motor wiring if it’s motorized, and test everything before we leave. If it’s a zipper-track system, we make sure the sides seal properly so bugs stay out and the fabric doesn’t flap in the wind.
You’ll know how to operate them, whether that’s a remote, wall switch, or your phone. And if anything goes wrong in the next five years, we come back and fix it.
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You’re getting custom-measured outdoor roller shades built to fit your exact openings. The fabric is exterior-grade synthetic material designed to handle UV exposure, high winds, and the kind of temperature swings we see between July and January in Mustang Ridge.
Depending on what you choose, you can block 85%, 90%, or 95% of UV light. That directly affects how much heat makes it through and how much you can see out. A 5% openness fabric is the sweet spot for most people—it cuts the glare and heat but doesn’t make your patio feel closed off. If you want near-total darkness or maximum cooling, blackout roller shades with 1% openness do that.
Motorized options let you control shades individually, in groups, or on a schedule. You can set them to lower automatically when the sun hits a certain angle, then raise again at sunset. No cords, no cranking, no hassle. And if you go with a zipper-catch side channel system, the edges stay sealed so insects can’t get in—a big deal when you’re trying to enjoy an evening outside without getting eaten alive.
Everything’s designed to reduce your energy costs too. When you block that much sun from hitting your windows and walls, your AC doesn’t have to work as hard. That adds up over a Texas summer.
Most motorized outdoor roller shade projects run between $1,500 and $5,000 depending on the size of the area, the number of shades, and whether you want smart home integration. A single standard-sized patio shade with a motor typically starts around $1,200 to $1,800 installed.
If you’re covering a large outdoor living area or adding multiple shades with zipper-track systems for bug protection, you’ll be closer to the higher end. Manual exterior roller shades cost significantly less—usually about one-tenth the price of motorized systems—but you lose the convenience of remote or automated control.
We give you an exact quote after measuring your space and talking through fabric options. There’s no guessing, and we don’t upsell you on features that don’t make sense for how you’ll actually use the shades.
The openness percentage tells you how much light and air pass through the fabric. A 5% openness fabric blocks about 95% of UV rays and gives you a good balance between visibility and heat control. You can still see outside clearly, but the sun’s intensity is cut way down. Most people in Mustang Ridge go with 5% because it handles the heat without making the space feel dark.
A 10% openness fabric blocks around 90% of UV rays. It lets in more light and gives you slightly better visibility, but it doesn’t reduce heat as aggressively. That works well if your patio gets morning or late-afternoon sun but isn’t baking in direct midday heat.
If you want maximum cooling and near-total privacy, 1% to 3% openness (basically blackout roller shades) blocks the most heat and light. You lose some outward visibility, but it’s the best option if your outdoor space is unusable because of extreme sun exposure.
Yes, but only if you get a zipper-track system that seals the sides. Standard outdoor roller shades leave gaps where the fabric meets the frame, and bugs will absolutely find those gaps. Mosquitoes, flies, spiders, and even scorpions don’t need much space to get through.
A zipper-catch side channel system keeps the fabric edges locked in place as the shade moves up and down. That creates a nearly perfect seal so insects can’t sneak in. You still get airflow depending on the fabric openness you choose, but you’re not dealing with bugs every time you sit outside after sunset.
If bug control is a priority—and in Mustang Ridge it probably should be—make sure you’re looking at motorized outdoor patio blinds with side channels, not just a standard drop shade. The price difference is worth it if you’re trying to actually use your porch or patio in the evening without getting swarmed.
Installation usually takes a few hours for a typical patio setup with two to four shades. If you’re adding motorized systems with smart home integration or covering a large outdoor area with multiple shades, it might take half a day.
The longer part is the lead time before installation. Once you approve the order, custom exterior roller shades are typically ready in two to four weeks since they’re made locally in Austin. We’re not waiting on a national supplier or dealing with long shipping delays, which keeps the timeline predictable.
We schedule the install at a time that works for you, and we don’t leave until everything’s tested and you know how to operate the shades. If it’s motorized, that includes pairing remotes, setting up app control, and making sure any automation schedules are working the way you want.
Yes, if you go with motorized outdoor roller shades and add smart home integration. We use Somfy motors, which are compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings. That means you can raise or lower your shades with a voice command or through an app on your phone.
You can also set schedules so your shades automatically lower when the sun hits a certain angle in the afternoon, then raise again at sunset. That’s useful if you’re not home during the day but want to keep your house cooler and protect your furniture from UV damage.
If you don’t need smart features, you can still get motorized shades with a remote or wall switch. You’ll have the convenience of one-button control without dealing with app setup or voice commands. It’s up to you how much automation makes sense for how you live.
They will if they’re installed correctly and you bring them up when severe weather’s coming. Exterior roller shades are built with heavy-duty, weather-resistant fabric that handles rain, wind, and UV exposure better than indoor materials. But they’re not designed to stay down in 50+ mph winds or hail.
If you have motorized shades, you can raise them quickly from inside when a storm rolls in. Some systems even let you set wind sensors that automatically retract the shades if gusts hit a certain speed. That protects the fabric and the motor from damage.
Most people in Mustang Ridge use their outdoor shades daily during summer and spring, then raise them during storms or when they’re not needed. The fabric and hardware are made to last years in Texas heat and humidity, but treating them like an outdoor investment—not a permanent fixture you ignore—keeps them working longer.
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