Hear from Our Customers
You stop waking up at 5:47 a.m. because the sun decided your bedroom needed a spotlight. Your living room becomes usable again in the afternoon instead of turning into a greenhouse. Your AC stops running overtime trying to fight the heat pouring through your windows.
Blackout roller shades give you complete control over light and temperature. That means deeper sleep, lower energy bills, and rooms that stay comfortable even when it’s 102 degrees outside. You’re not just covering windows – you’re fixing problems that have been costing you money and comfort every single day.
The difference shows up fast. Your furniture stops fading. Your floors last longer. You actually use the rooms you’re paying for instead of avoiding them during certain hours. And if you work from home, you can finally take video calls without glare turning your screen into a mirror.
A Plus Shutters & Shades specializes in custom window treatments built specifically for Texas homes. We’ve spent over a decade in construction and installation, which means we understand how Austin homes are built and what actually holds up in this climate.
We measure, custom-fit, and install every roller shade ourselves. No subcontractors. No guesswork. We use Texas-made products when possible because they’re designed for the conditions we deal with here – extreme heat, intense UV exposure, and humidity swings that cheaper materials can’t handle.
You get a free consultation where we walk through your space, discuss what’s not working, and show you options that fit your budget. Most installations wrap up within a few weeks of that first meeting.
First, we schedule a free in-home consultation at a time that works for you. We measure your windows, talk through what’s bothering you about your current setup, and show you fabric samples so you can see and feel the difference between sheer, light-filtering, and blackout options.
Once you choose your style, opacity level, and any add-ons like motorization or cordless operation, we order your custom roller shades. Everything gets built to your exact window dimensions – not adjusted from stock sizes, but actually made for your home. This typically takes a couple of weeks.
When your shades arrive, our installation team comes back and handles the entire setup. We mount the brackets, hang the shades, test the operation, and make sure everything works smoothly before we leave. If you went with motorized options, we’ll sync them to your phone or smart home system and show you how to use them.
You get warranty coverage on both the product and the installation. If something’s not right, we come back and fix it.
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Every roller shade we install is custom-measured for your specific windows. That includes standard sizes, oversized windows, odd shapes, and even small spaces like kitchen doors or attic dormers. You’re not trying to make a stock size work – the shade fits the opening exactly.
You choose from multiple fabric options depending on what you need. Blackout fabrics block nearly all light and provide insulation against heat. Solar shades cut glare and UV rays while maintaining your view. Light-filtering options give you privacy without making rooms feel dark. Each fabric type comes in different colors and textures so you’re not sacrificing style for function.
Motorization is available on any shade. You can control them with a remote, your smartphone, or voice commands through Alexa or Google Home. This matters in Austin homes where you want to drop the shades during peak heat hours without walking around to every window. Cordless manual options are also available and work well for families with kids or pets.
All shades include UV protection to stop your furniture and flooring from fading. In Austin’s intense sunlight, this protection pays for itself by extending the life of everything in your home. You also get insulation benefits that reduce heat transfer, which directly lowers your cooling costs during summer months when your AC is working hardest.
Blackout roller shades block 95-100% of incoming light using a dense, opaque fabric. When properly installed, they create near-total darkness even in the middle of the day. You’d use these in bedrooms where you need complete darkness for sleep, home theaters, or any room where light control is critical.
Light-filtering shades use a semi-transparent fabric that softens incoming light while still providing daytime privacy. You can see light coming through, but people outside can’t see clear shapes or details inside. These work well in living rooms, kitchens, or offices where you want natural light without glare or visibility issues.
The choice depends on the room’s purpose. Most Austin homeowners use blackout shades in bedrooms and light-filtering or solar shades in common areas. You can mix types throughout your home based on what each space needs.
Motorization typically adds $150-$300 per shade depending on the size and control system you choose. A basic remote-controlled motor costs less than a smart home-integrated system that connects to your phone and voice assistants.
The cost makes sense when you consider convenience and energy savings. In Austin’s heat, you can program motorized shades to lower automatically during peak sun hours and raise when temperatures drop. This happens whether you’re home or not, which prevents heat buildup and reduces AC costs.
For hard-to-reach windows or homes with many windows, motorization pays for itself in time saved and consistent use. Manual shades work fine, but people often skip adjusting them throughout the day because it’s inconvenient. Motorized shades actually get used, which means you capture the energy savings and comfort benefits you paid for.
Yes, but the savings depend on which type you install and how you use them. Blackout and solar roller shades reduce heat gain through windows, which is where 25-30% of cooling energy is typically lost in Texas homes.
During Austin summers when outdoor temps hit 100+ degrees, closing blackout shades on sun-facing windows can reduce indoor temperatures by 10-15 degrees in those rooms. That’s less work for your AC and lower electricity bills. Homeowners typically see a 15-20% reduction in cooling costs during peak months.
Solar shades work differently – they block UV rays and heat while maintaining your view. They’re less effective than blackout options for temperature control, but they prevent glare and furniture fading while still letting you see outside. The energy savings are smaller but still measurable, usually around 10-12% during summer.
The actual installation day usually takes 2-4 hours depending on how many windows we’re covering. A single room might take 30-45 minutes. A whole house with 15-20 windows typically takes half a day.
The timeline from consultation to finished installation runs about 2-3 weeks total. Week one is your consultation and ordering. Weeks two and three are manufacturing time since everything is custom-built to your measurements. Then we schedule installation at your convenience.
If you need faster turnaround, let us know during the consultation. We can sometimes expedite orders for an additional fee, though custom manufacturing always requires some lead time. The wait is worth it – custom-fit shades look cleaner and perform better than anything you’d get same-day from a big box store.
Cordless roller shades eliminate the dangling cords that create strangulation hazards for young children and entanglement risks for pets. Instead of pulling a cord, you lift or lower the shade directly using a bottom bar or a spring-loaded mechanism.
This isn’t just a convenience feature – it’s a significant safety upgrade. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that corded window coverings are one of the top hidden hazards in homes with young children. Cordless designs remove that risk entirely.
Cordless operation also tends to be smoother and easier to use. There’s no cord to tangle, break, or get stuck. Kids can operate them safely under supervision, and pets can’t accidentally get caught. For Austin families, cordless roller shades offer peace of mind without sacrificing functionality or adding complexity.
You can install roller shades yourself if you’re comfortable with basic tools and precise measurements. The challenge isn’t the installation itself – it’s getting accurate measurements and ensuring the brackets are level and properly anchored.
DIY installation risks include shades that don’t fit the window opening correctly, uneven mounting that causes operational issues, and brackets that pull out of the wall because they weren’t anchored into studs. These mistakes are expensive to fix and often require reordering custom shades.
Professional installation includes accurate measuring, proper mounting into studs or using appropriate anchors, and warranty coverage on both the product and the installation work. If something goes wrong, we fix it at no cost to you. For custom roller shades that cost several hundred dollars per window, professional installation protects your investment and ensures everything works correctly from day one.
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