Sticker Shock on Curtain Costs.... Any alternatives?

[westcott]

Just received my first quote for curtains with black out linings. US$6,400.00.
That is more than I paid for my complete reference series Klipsch system with the RSW 15 subwoofer.

Any cost effective solutions around half this cost?

The room is 16'W X 23'L X 18'H. The left wall is my concern and is 2/3rds glass. I prefer something that will not permanently block out the light.

I will seek other estimates but would consider any cost effective solution.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Faux wood blinds run $40 a window (at least up to a 36" x 72" window) at local home improvement stores. We installed them on every window in the house, then installed valences over the top 20% of the windows.

You can tint the windows. Everyone does it down south, but it might not help with room acoustics. Is this to curb the light, or help with the sound?

 

[brian32672]

Faux wood blinds run $40 a window (at least up to a 36" x 72" window) at local home improvement stores. We installed them on every window in the house, then installed valences over the top 20% of the windows.

You can tint the windows. Everyone does it down south, but it might not help with room acoustics. Is this to curb the light, or help with the sound?

I'm waiting to answer this based on the question Buckeye asked.

Wow, 6,400.00 that is not a quote, that is "rape me please"

I have chosen to use flat black paint for a dedicated HT room. And just use curtains around screen for masking purposes.

 

[markw]

Bepending on how the windows are mounted,

Room darkening shades* (on a roll) are available at minimal cost at Home Depot. You wound need to mount one in each window and, conversly, pull each one down when you need to avail yourself of darkness. Thay ain't hi tech butthey dot he job

I'd also sugeest some more pedestrian** decorative drapes in front of the windows to augnment their effect.

*There are also those that let light pass through and they look identical aside from their thickness. Be careful.

**ain't no need to spend 6.4k for these unless a particular style is your desire.

 

[Dan]

Just received my first quote for curtains with black out linings. US$6,400.00.
That is more than I paid for my complete reference series Klipsch system with the RSW 15 subwoofer.

Any cost effective solutions around half this cost?

Sounds like you have a "designer" involved! Fabric costs are highway robbery as I have learned the hard way. Funny how the wives seem to think this is no big deal but raise hell when you want to upgrade your gear especially bigger speakers.

The wood shades are a good idea but may be rather sound reflective. www.countrycurtains.com may be a cost effect fabric solution worth checking out. I bet you can do it for less than $1500- not as cheap as the wood blinds but may look and sound better. You have to hang it yourself but this is easier than putting your theater together. Good luck.

 

[westcott]

Have wood blinds on lower windows

I have wood blinds on the lower windows but they are not very effective at blocking out light when using a front projector. I would like curtains for sound wave dampening and thermal control (I am in Houston), as well. As some of you may know, half the battle is the wife acceptance factor and for once, I thought we could agree on something as simple as curtains (color is another story!)

It is a lot of glass to cover and the valances will be rather long and will have to be reinforced to prevent sagging.

Due to the height of the upper windows, roller shades would be too cumbersome to reach on a daily basis.

If I can not find a less expensive curtain solution, I may go roller hurricane shudders on the outside of the house. My insurance company will cut me some slack and located where I am, a Hurricane is in the future!


Thanks for everyones input and I will keep you posted on how this all pans out!

 

[westcott]

Reviewed suggested site but curtains not long enough

Well, I checked out the country curtain website and nothing they sell is tall enough.

Each of the two curtains will have to be over 200" tall and cover an area 120" wide!

We are definately talking custom cut. A fireplace will also have to be circumnavigated along with one surround speaker.

 

[markw]

Consider yourself both blessed and cursed.

That's one heckuva listening room/HT theater. Most windows I've encounterd make do quite well with off the rack 84" drapes but 200" is another matter entirely.

You're well into the custom area here. You're gonna need to spend some sheckles to accomodate both your needs and your wife's wants. I'd get quotes from as many sources as possible. If they all come in around the same ballpark, well...

That's kinda like having a Ferrari and balking at the cost of maintenance, hoping to spend what one would on a Hyundai.

 

[Audioholics]

I'm probably going to shell out for Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb blinds - but I only have 2 side windows to worry about.

Roughly $400 for 2 windows. Fully opaque, good color choices, and nice lifting system.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

Can ye sew? Wal*Mart or any fabric store will sell you material by the boatload for a few bucks a yard. Just double-up your colour choice with a backing of heavy-duty upholstery fabric (for light-blocking) and use a generic curtain template off the internet.

If the whole room costs you more than $300 I'd be shocked.

 

[westcott]

For US$5100 difference, I could probably pay someone to teach me to sew!!!!!

I have also considered the Duet Electric Opaque Blinds but they do not offer a solution for one of the upper windows that is arched. I have not totally excluded this as an option after getting the first drape quote. Adding electrics and covering a larger area still puts them in a tight race behind the drapes quote.

I am confident that I can find a person that will sew them up for me at a much lower price. Drapes are a great overall solution for several issues in a home theatre and I am just going to have to bite the bullet and find a way to make it happen. I just have to keep looking even though time is catching up with me. The channels cut in the foundation for all the cable runs have been completed, all the wires have been pulled, and the Vermont Maple floors are being laid over the BlueJean Cables as I write this. The Carino credenza and coffee table by 1contemporary.com are on their way and I am more than ready to have my living room\HT back.

I can tile, lay flooring, and build furniture, but sewing has never been high on my priority list for things to master while alive. But, for $6,100, I could probably modify my life long goals and try to learn how to handle a needle and thread !!!!!!

..............and no heckling from the cheap seats!

 

[mtrycrafts]

Well, I checked out the country curtain website and nothing they sell is tall enough.

Each of the two curtains will have to be over 200" tall and cover an area 120" wide!

We are definately talking custom cut. A fireplace will also have to be circumnavigated along with one surround speaker.

Have you considered a company that deals with theater curtains? Search on the net. There is one in Atlanta, GA but the name escapes me
They have serious track mounts. I just did and lots pop up. Some will custom dye the fabric for you Best if you paint the tracks too if you ever get into it

 

[sjdgpt]

Aluminum foil.

Yes, seriously.

My mother covered the windows on the western wall of her living room with foil.

Completely blocked out the excess light.

Actually blocked out all of the light through those windows.

Then she applied her normal drapes, and left them closed all the time.

The northern wall also had windows, but those just had standard drapes (no foil).


Said she remove the foil if she later in time wanted light to come through those windows.



Now, nobody say anything bad about my mother.

 

[bpape]

I agree with mtyrcrafts. Check out someone who does theatrical curtains.

 

[Tsunamii]

Can ye sew? Wal*Mart or any fabric store will sell you material by the boatload for a few bucks a yard. Just double-up your colour choice with a backing of heavy-duty upholstery fabric (for light-blocking) and use a generic curtain template off the internet.

If the whole room costs you more than $300 I'd be shocked.

This is the right idea IMHO. You will get the look you want at the cost you want. I added up the costs doing it this way with a remote to open the curtains and it was about the saem $300-$400 range.

 

[westcott]

Final Solution for light control made

To whom it may concern,

My wife and I pulled the trigger the other day and decided to go with roller hurricane shudders for the upper windows. The total came to US$4200 for shudders with electric motors and remote controls.

This gave us better light control, easier operation (I can program my Harmony 688 to control them), they were less money than custom curtains, and they do not cover up the architectural detail of the windows (12 inch recess including the arched windows) on the inside of the home. Added security, lower utility and insurance bills, less maintenance, better sound control, and lower cost all contributed to our final decision.

The Duet Honeycomb blinds were about the same price as the roller shudders but lacked many of the features of the roller shutters and were not as good at light control without some serious valance design.

Custom curtains were quoted around US$6200 and provided good but not great light control and cleaning the curtains would be a nightmare over time since they are required to drag the floor to contain the light from spilling under the curtains. They did provide good sound absorbtion but was overkill over 9' high or more.

Asthetics were very important to my wife and I. The prime reason we bought this home was because of the amount of light that passed through the beautiful architectual windows from the ground to the 18' ceilings. This really did dictate that we did not use anything permanent like solar screens, tin foil, or even blinds that could not be automated so we could open and close them at will.

We are looking forward to getting them installed and watch our first program on the front projector during day light hours.

I want to thank everyone for their input and if anyone would like to see pictures after they are installed, I would be more than happy to share them with anyone who is interested or finds themselves in a similar dilema. This may not be the solution for everyone, but since we live near the water here in the Clear Lake area south of Houston, TX. and the temperatures are so high most of the year, it was an easier decision to make.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Hi wescott, I'm facing the same issue that you've tackled with the hurricane shutters and since I'm in the Cayman Islands (where Hurricane Ivan hit hard last year) it's probably time to consider this option myself. I've got some questions for you in terms of the electric shutters you're using, and have just sent a PM to you regarding this.

 

[majorloser]

I have HD honeycomb opaque shades in my bedroom, (top-down & bottom up). Great insulation for Florida climate. Knocks 90% of the light out of the bedroom since it faces South. There is still a little light bleeding through the side, even with a tight fit. For my theater (I had a window installed in it since we have a tendency to lose power OFTEN and ventilation is good) I decided to paint the inside of the glass with latex black paint and over that long black curtain I bought from JCPenneys. They were the only off-the-shelf black curtains I could find in a catalog. Yeah, I know, it's cheap! But it knocks out ALL of the outside light and can be easily scraped off later with a razor!

There was a product I found at a homeshow in South Florida that is basically a custom made roll up shade in an enclosed frame. It completely blocks out the light and is made for corporate and hme settings. It's available powered or manual. They are EXPENSIVE!!!
Sorry, can't remember the name of the company now. They were in Sunrise, Florida. Tough to get a hold of too.

 

[majorloser]

Almost forgot!
I have hurricane shutters and tried them out. They too didn't block out enough light for daytime use. Southern exposure in Florida is tough!

You might be able to try the opaque shade with a home made 1"x2" frame on both sides of the shade in the window frame. It would be very cheap and could be behind curtains so nobody could see them but still have use of the window when you need light.

 

[westcott]

Roller Hurricane Shudders

Mr. McManus,

There are several designs for hurricane shutters. Some are temporarily installed, some are clear, some are manually closed either in a vertical or horizontal configuration, and then there are the roller hurricane shutters. These wind in a real and are fully automated. They slide within an aluminum track on both sides and provide 100% light control. They are rated for 120 MPH wind load and are filled with high density foam insulation for quite operation and added thermal and sound benefit. I believe they make some that are rated even higher.

I have since added a fifth unit above our entry door that also extends to the 18' ceiling and faces west. It rolls up into a box mounted under the eave and it is almost invisible from the street when in the raised position (keeps the appraisers at bay).

It is too early to tell exactly how much electricity I am saving due to continued remodeling but I have already noticed a considerable reduction in the amount of run time my two AC units are operating this summer and thus the decision to add a fifth unit.

To give you an idea of price, the last window was 66" wide and 110" tall. Fully automated was US$2,200.

I hope you find this information useful.

http://www.rollac.com/

Rollac Shutters of Texas, Inc.
5331 Orange Street
Pearland, Texas 77581

Regards,
westcott