Hear from Our Customers
You stop avoiding your back patio during the day. The glare that made it impossible to sit outside for more than ten minutes? Gone.
Your outdoor furniture stops fading. Those cushions you replaced last year stay vibrant because they’re not getting blasted by UV rays eight hours a day. Your energy bill drops because you’re not cooling a house that’s absorbing heat through every west-facing window.
Exterior roller shades block up to 99% of UV rays before they hit your windows or your skin. That means surface temperatures drop by 15 to 20 degrees, and your AC isn’t working overtime. You get shade without losing your view, privacy without feeling closed in, and a patio you can use during peak Texas heat.
If you want motorized options, you control everything from your phone. Schedule them to lower at noon, raise at sunset, or adjust them without getting up. It’s the difference between outdoor space you tolerate and outdoor space you use.
A Plus Shutters & Shades is part of A Plus Home Remodel, and we’ve spent more than ten years working on homes across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We’re based in Arlington, and we’ve installed exterior roller shades in Windermere, Southlake, Mansfield, and dozens of other communities where Texas heat isn’t optional.
We’re not a franchise. We measure, build, and install everything ourselves. That means when you call, you’re talking to the people who’ll actually show up at your house.
Windermere homeowners deal with intense sun exposure, especially on west- and south-facing patios. We’ve seen what works here and what doesn’t. Our shades are built to handle the heat, the storms, and the wear that comes with Texas weather.
First, we come to your home for a free consultation. We measure your patio, windows, or pergola. We talk about what you’re trying to solve—heat, glare, privacy, furniture protection—and show you fabric samples so you can see the difference between 5% openness and blackout roller shades.
Then we build your exterior roller shades to fit your exact measurements. Everything is custom. We’re not adjusting stock sizes or hoping it fits. If you want motorization, we integrate that during fabrication so it’s seamless.
Installation happens on your schedule. Our team mounts the shades, tests the operation, and walks you through how everything works. If it’s motorized, we sync it to your remote or app and make sure you’re comfortable using it. The whole process takes a few hours, depending on how many shades you’re installing.
After that, you’re covered by our warranty on materials, workmanship, and installation. If something’s off, we come back and fix it.
Ready to get started?
You’re getting outdoor roller shades built specifically for your space. We’re not selling you something off the shelf. Every shade is measured and fabricated to fit your patio dimensions, window openings, or pergola setup.
The fabric options range from light-filtering to blackout, depending on how much sun control you need. Most Windermere homeowners go with solar shades that block 90% to 95% of UV rays while keeping the view intact. If you want full privacy or complete darkness for a covered patio, blackout roller shades work better.
Motorization is available on every exterior roller shade we install. You can control them with a remote, a wall switch, or your phone. Some systems integrate with Alexa or Google Home if that’s how your house is set up. You can also schedule them to open and close automatically based on time of day or temperature.
These shades are built to last in Texas weather. The fabric resists mold, mildew, and fading. The hardware is corrosion-resistant. And because they’re mounted on the outside of your home, they stop heat before it ever reaches your windows—which is how you actually reduce energy costs.
Exterior roller shades can drop surface temperatures by 15 to 20 degrees, depending on fabric density and sun exposure. That’s the difference between a patio that’s 115 degrees in July and one that’s closer to 95.
The key is that these shades block heat before it reaches your windows or your outdoor furniture. Interior blinds trap heat between the glass and the fabric, so your AC still has to deal with it. Outdoor shades stop UV rays and solar heat outside, which is why they’re more effective at cutting energy costs.
Most homeowners in Windermere see a noticeable difference in how much time they can spend outside during peak heat. You’re not just making it tolerable—you’re making it usable.
You can motorize any exterior roller shade we install. Most people go that route because it’s easier and you’re more likely to actually use them.
Motorized options let you control the shades with a remote, a wall switch, or an app on your phone. Some systems connect to smart home platforms like Alexa or Google Home, so you can set schedules or control them with voice commands. You can program them to lower at noon when the sun hits your patio and raise at sunset when you want the view back.
Manual shades work fine if you’re on a tighter budget, but motorization makes a big difference in how often you adjust them. And if your shades are mounted high or cover a large area, motorized is the only practical option.
Yes, if they’re installed correctly and you bring them up during severe weather. Exterior roller shades are built to handle wind, rain, and sun, but they’re not designed to stay down during a storm with 50 mph gusts.
The fabric is weather-resistant and won’t rot, mildew, or fade the way cheaper materials do. The hardware is corrosion-resistant, so it holds up in humidity and rain. But if you know a storm is coming, you should retract the shades to avoid unnecessary stress on the mounting system.
Motorized shades make this easy because you can raise them from inside. Most Windermere homeowners keep them down during normal summer afternoons and only retract them when the weather turns. That’s the balance between durability and smart use.
It depends on the fabric you choose. Solar shades with 5% to 10% openness block 90% to 95% of UV rays while keeping your view mostly intact. You’ll see through them during the day, though the view is slightly dimmed.
If you want full privacy or complete darkness, blackout roller shades are the better option. Those block 100% of light and visibility, which works well for covered patios or outdoor rooms where you want total sun control.
Most people in Windermere go with solar shades because they want heat and glare reduction without losing the view. You’re not sitting behind a solid wall—you’re just filtering the intensity of the sun so it’s not blinding or unbearably hot.
Installation usually takes a few hours, depending on how many shades you’re adding and whether they’re motorized. A single patio door or window might take an hour. A full outdoor living area with multiple shades and motorization could take half a day.
We handle everything—mounting the brackets, installing the shades, testing the operation, and walking you through how to use them. If it’s motorized, we sync the remote or app and make sure you’re comfortable with the controls before we leave.
The timeline from consultation to installation is typically one to two weeks. We measure during the consultation, fabricate the shades to your exact specs, and then schedule installation once everything’s ready. You’re not waiting months, and you’re not dealing with a complicated process.
If you’re trying to reduce heat and energy costs, exterior roller shades are significantly more effective. Interior blinds trap heat between the glass and the fabric, so your AC still has to cool that heat. Outdoor shades block heat before it ever reaches your windows, which is why they can cut cooling costs by 20% to 30%.
Exterior shades also protect your patio furniture, flooring, and outdoor decor from UV damage. If you’ve ever had cushions fade or wood furniture crack from sun exposure, outdoor roller shades solve that problem.
The upfront cost is higher than interior blinds, but the energy savings and furniture protection add up. And if you’re trying to make your patio usable during the day, there’s no comparison. Exterior shading is the only thing that actually drops the temperature enough to make a difference in Texas heat.
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