Hear from Our Customers
Your AC stops running nonstop because the sun isn’t pouring heat through every south-facing window. Standard glass lets in about 70% of solar heat—that’s why your living room feels like a greenhouse by 2 PM. Blackout roller shades with the right solar rating can block up to 75% of that heat before it even gets inside.
You’ll notice the difference on your utility bill. Most homeowners around Pecan Acres see energy savings between 15-25% during peak summer months. That’s $45 to $75 a month if you’re paying $300 in cooling costs—real money that adds up over a Texas summer.
And it’s not just about temperature. You get full control over light and privacy. Light-filtering fabrics let in a soft glow without the glare on your TV. Blackout blinds for windows give you complete darkness when you need it—bedrooms, media rooms, anywhere you want total control. Motorized options mean you’re not walking around adjusting every window twice a day.
We’ve been doing this for over a decade at A Plus Shutters & Shades, starting in construction before opening our dedicated showroom in Arlington. That background matters because installation isn’t just about mounting brackets—it’s about understanding how homes are built and making sure everything fits right the first time.
We’re based in the area and we’ve worked in plenty of Pecan Acres homes. The lakefront properties, the larger estates on acreage, the newer builds from the 2000s—we know what you’re dealing with. Big windows, high ceilings, intense afternoon sun coming off the water. You need window treatments that can handle it.
Everything we install is Texas-made, and we back it with a satisfaction guarantee. You’ll meet with someone who actually knows the products, measures your windows in person, and walks you through fabric options, opacity levels, and whether motorization makes sense for your setup.
It starts with a free consultation at your home. We measure your windows, talk through what you’re trying to solve—heat, privacy, light control, all of it—and show you actual samples so you can see the fabrics and colors in your space. No pressure, no upselling. Just information.
Once you pick your materials and operating system, we custom-build each roller shade to fit your exact window dimensions. Interior roller shades get built to the eighth of an inch because gaps mean light leaks and heat transfer. If you’re going with motorized roller shades, we’ll coordinate the wiring or battery setup depending on your home’s layout.
Installation day is straightforward. Our team shows up on time, brings all the tools and hardware, and mounts everything with precision. We test every shade to make sure it operates smoothly—no binding, no uneven rolling. Then we clean up and walk you through how to use and maintain them. Most homes are done in a few hours, and you’re left with roller shade blinds that actually work the way they should.
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You’re getting custom-measured roller blinds for windows built specifically for your home. That means no gaps, no sagging, no “close enough” measurements that leave you with light bleeding in around the edges. Every shade is made to order using fabrics designed for Texas heat—UV-resistant, fade-resistant, and available in solar ratings that actually block heat, not just dim the light.
Blackout blinds for windows are a big request around here, especially for primary bedrooms and kids’ rooms. Total darkness, total privacy. But you’ve also got light-filtering options if you want natural light without the glare, and sheer fabrics if you just need to soften the view without losing brightness.
Motorization is available on any setup. You can control individual shades or group them by room using a remote, wall switch, or smartphone. It’s not a gimmick—it’s genuinely useful when you’ve got high windows, multiple shades in one room, or you just want to automate your home based on time of day. And with new safety regulations eliminating corded blinds, motorized systems are becoming the standard for families with young kids.
You’ll also get professional installation from our team that’s done this in hundreds of homes across Tarrant County. We handle everything—mounting hardware, leveling, programming remotes if you go motorized—and we don’t leave until it’s right.
Blackout roller shades block 100% of light. You pull them down and the room goes dark—no light leaks, no glow around the edges. They’re the go-to for bedrooms, nurseries, and media rooms where you need total darkness and privacy. The fabric is thicker, usually backed with a layer that stops light completely.
Light-filtering roller shades let some natural light through but diffuse it so you don’t get harsh glare or hot spots. You can still see outside during the day, but people can’t see in clearly. They’re great for living rooms, kitchens, and offices where you want brightness without the blinding afternoon sun.
Both options can block heat if you choose the right fabric. Look for a low solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC)—anything under 0.25 means the shade is blocking at least 75% of the sun’s radiant heat, which makes a real difference on your cooling costs during a Texas summer.
Motorized roller shades typically add $150 to $400 per window depending on the size, fabric, and control system you choose. Manual shades might run $100 to $300 per window for a quality custom setup, so you’re looking at roughly a 50-100% increase to add motors.
That sounds like a lot until you factor in convenience and energy savings. Motorized systems let you program shades to close automatically when the sun hits certain windows, which can cut your cooling costs by another 10-15% on top of what the shades already save you. Over time, that pays for itself—especially on larger windows or hard-to-reach installations.
Battery-powered motors are the simplest install and cost less upfront. Hardwired systems cost more to install but you never change batteries. Most homeowners around Pecan Acres with bigger homes or lots of windows go motorized on at least the main living areas and primary bedroom. It’s one of those upgrades that feels like a luxury until you use it every day.
Yes, but only if you get the right fabric and install them properly. Standard clear glass has a solar heat gain coefficient around 0.70, meaning 70% of the sun’s heat comes straight into your home. That’s why your AC runs constantly and your living room feels like an oven by mid-afternoon.
Roller shades with a low-E or solar-blocking fabric can drop that SHGC to 0.25 or lower, blocking 75% of radiant heat before it gets inside. That translates to 15-25% savings on cooling costs during peak summer months. For a home paying $300 a month to cool down in July and August, that’s $45 to $75 a month back in your pocket.
The key is custom fit. Gaps around the edges let heat and light through, which defeats the purpose. You also want to make sure the fabric is rated for solar heat rejection, not just opacity. Plenty of blackout blinds block light but don’t do much for heat. We’ll walk you through the specs during your consultation so you know exactly what you’re getting.
Most homes take between two and four hours depending on how many windows you’re covering and whether you’re going motorized. A single room with three or four windows might be done in under an hour. A whole-house install with 15-20 windows usually wraps up in half a day.
Motorized setups take a bit longer because we’re programming remotes, syncing controls, and making sure everything operates smoothly. If you’re hardwiring motors, we’ll coordinate with your electrician or handle the wiring ourselves depending on your home’s setup and what makes sense.
We schedule installations based on your availability and we show up on time with everything we need—no trips to the hardware store, no “we’ll come back next week to finish.” You’ll have functional roller shade blinds by the time we leave, and we’ll walk you through operation and care before we go.
South-facing windows get hammered by direct sun all afternoon, especially in summer. You want a solar shade fabric with a low openness factor—ideally 1% to 3%—and a low SHGC rating to block heat while still letting you see outside. These fabrics are specifically designed to reject solar heat and UV rays without making the room feel like a cave.
If you’d rather have total privacy and darkness, blackout roller shades are the move. You lose the view, but you gain complete light control and even better heat rejection. A lot of homeowners around here use solar shades in living areas where they want to see the lake or yard, and blackout shades in bedrooms where privacy and sleep quality matter more.
The fabric color makes a difference too. Lighter colors reflect more heat on the exterior side, while darker colors absorb it. If your main goal is cooling, go with a lighter shade. If you want a specific look or you’re pairing the shades with your interior design, we’ll help you balance aesthetics with performance during your consultation.
Yes, but the approach changes depending on the size. Single roller shades can handle widths up to about 12 feet, but anything larger than 8-10 feet starts to get heavy and harder to operate smoothly. For oversized windows—especially the big lakefront picture windows common in Pecan Acres—we’ll often recommend splitting the window into two or three shades mounted side by side.
Motorization makes a huge difference on large windows. Manual operation gets awkward and annoying when you’re pulling down a shade that weighs 20-30 pounds. Motors handle the weight easily and you’re not straining the fabric or mechanism every time you use it.
We’ll measure and assess your windows during the consultation and recommend the best configuration. Sometimes that’s one large shade, sometimes it’s multiple shades that operate independently or sync together. The goal is smooth operation, even coverage, and a clean look that doesn’t feel like a compromise.
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