While window treatments can help to add value to your home, there are some cases when the opposite holds true. If the blinds or shutters are outdated or in disrepair, that may end up lowering the value. Likewise, inexpensive plastic blinds purchased at hardware or home goods stores won't add anything to your home.
Investing in custom window treatments are just that – an investment, that when done by window treatment specialists such as Acadia Shutters, will increase your home value, decrease days on market, and provide energy-efficiency…all at a price you can afford!
Typical horizontal blinds have an average R-value of 2.5 while honeycomb shades are better insulators and have an R-value between 3.25 to 5.0. By increasing the R-value of your window coverings you can decrease your energy bills. Window treatments can be the greatest investment for energy savings.
There is one simple, surefire way to make your living space look bigger than it is, and that is by using blinds. The right kind of window treatment can make a huge difference in how it accentuates the area and gives the appearance of increasing a room's square footage.
Updating your blinds and window treatments has the potential to show your home at its best, which can help inspire buyers to make a more generous offer.
During this research, one company found that drawing your blinds in the evening can reduce heat loss by as much as 14%. And, if you decided to pair your blinds with curtains, you could further reduce this by an additional 17%. So yes, closing blinds really does help you to save energy!
Smart Home Cooling Tips. Close your blinds and curtains. Keeping your blinds closed during the day will reflect a surprising amount of heat radiating in through windows, especially during the time of day when the sun's rays shine directly on your home.
On the other hand, blinds will need to be cleaned more often. In addition, blinds are less efficient at keeping in the heat. The window blind slats can easily get damaged, especially if you choose aluminium or plastic blinds. Blind cords can be a hazard around young children.
The first thing you need to know about how to use blinds to make a room look bigger is that lighter colours and simple, clean lines and designs tend to be the most effective at doing this.
Blinds can be lighter or darker than your walls, but there are a few things to keep in mind before choosing a color. To ensure that everything blends well together, the blinds and walls should be at least one shade lighter or darker than each other, but most importantly, they should also be a similar tone.
Want to enjoy restful sleep in the middle of the day? Turn your blinds up. This direction is better for improved privacy too, as minimized gaps between the slats don't allow curious passersby to view the inside of the house. To let in a small amount of natural light, it's best to turn your blinds down and close them.
Insulated cellular shades are typically considered to have the highest R-values of all window coverings. The air pockets in the honeycomb cross-sections act as insulators, increasing the R-value and reducing the conduction of heat through the window.
Positioning your blinds downward also increases your overall privacy. The only time that it is recommended that you position your blinds in the up position during the nighttime hours is if you prefer to wake up with the sun.
Window treatments: Blinds, shutters, shades, Levolors: All window treatments need to stay. Even curtain rods shouldn't be removed. The curtains themselves are generally seen as OK to take, if they just slide off the rod, but it's best to check with your Realtor first to make sure.
Custom-made shades are more expensive, but when you consider that they will last many more years and fit perfectly while coordinating with your decor, they are worth it even at a designer's price. With custom shades, you will need to wait for your new window shading systems to be fabricated before you can use them.
Average Lifespan of Window Shades
On average, you can expect your window shades to last 7-8 years.
Gray can make a room look bigger. A light gray can be a great pick in place of white; it will reflect natural light, but it looks less architectural and cool than white, which you might prefer.
To make a room feel larger, factor in blinds in minimalistic styles and with plainer designs rather than those with a lot going on, and a sheen or gloss finish rather than a matte or textured finish.
Your aesthetics are important as well when choosing the size of your horizontal blind slats. Wider slats make your windows feel larger, making them look more aesthetically pleasing. Thinner slats make your windows feel more compact. As a rule of thumb, the larger your windows are, the wider slats you should get.
Study: Curtains or blinds should ALWAYS be closed to get a healthy night's sleep. The research team discovered that moderate light exposure caused the body to go into a higher alert state.
Because of their variety, shades also offer more stylish appeal and some types, like cellular shades, can offer more energy efficiency to your window treatments.
First of all, a burglar will usually only break into places that have sure treasures. So closing your blinds or curtains will prevent this exact information from being known, which cuts the chance of your place being burglarized in ha half.
Lack of light causes depression symptoms to plummet, so while you're rushing to grab your morning coffee be sure to lighten up your day by opening your blinds and curtains to allow natural light to flow through, this will help regulate hormones and neurotransmitters that have strong effects on mood, behaviour and the ...
Overall, white blinds can reasonably be considered to be better in terms of their ability to support an ambient temperature to some degree in both hot or cold weather; they're definitely better than black blinds in this respect if you look at the year-round picture.
In the winter, if you have south-facing windows, let the light shine in. The sun will help heat your home naturally, which takes some pressure off your furnace. For other windows, keep blinds and curtains close during the winter to keep heat inside your home.