Measurement & Installation
The part that decides whether any of the rest of it works.
A window covering is a made-to-measure product installed into an opening that is rarely as square as it looks. Those two facts account for most of what goes wrong in this trade, and neither is about the quality of the fabric.
We measure and install everything we sell. It does not go out to a subcontractor.
Why measurement is not a formality
Openings are not square. In an older house it is routine to find a quarter-inch of difference between the top and bottom of the same window, and in a genuinely old house considerably more. A shade cut to the wrong one of those two numbers either binds or leaves a gap.
Every opening is measured individually, including openings that appear identical. In a builder-grade development where six windows came from the same order, they still are not the same six openings once the house has settled.
Motorized products are less forgiving than manual ones. A tube that is out of level telegraphs across the full drop, and a fabric that tracks off-centre will keep doing it every single time it moves — see motorized shades.
Blackout is the least forgiving of all, because the whole specification depends on closing gaps at the perimeter. A blackout system measured loosely is just an expensive room-darkening shade.
Inside or outside mount
An inside mount sits within the reveal. It is the cleaner result, it preserves the trim, and it suits older houses where the joinery is worth showing. It needs adequate depth, and it is the mount where accurate measurement matters most.
An outside mount spans the opening and fixes to the wall or trim. It covers a reveal that is too shallow or too irregular, it allows extra coverage at the edges where light control matters, and it is often the more practical choice on a window that has been replaced at some point.
Which one a given opening wants is a decision made on site, not from a plan.
Installation
Our own installers, on every job. The reason is not sentiment — it is that the person fitting the shade is the one who has to deal with a wall that turns out to be plaster over brick, or a header with no solid fixing where the bracket needs to go, and that is much easier when they can call the person who measured it.
Motor charging, pairing, limit setting and grouping are all done at handover, along with showing you how to change a scene later without needing us.
For smart film and DLC, the glass is prepared and the film applied on site, which requires the surface to be genuinely clean and the conditions reasonable — it is not a job to rush.
New construction and renovation
If a wall is still open, that is the moment to run power for hardwired motors. It costs very little then and is disproportionately disruptive afterwards, which is why we would rather be involved early on a renovation than called at the end.
We also measure after drywall and trim are finished rather than before. Final dimensions come from the opening that actually exists, not the one on the drawing.
Common questions
- Can I measure myself and have you supply only?
- We would rather not. Made-to-measure products are not returnable, and a measurement error becomes an expensive shade that does not fit. If you want to proceed that way we will be clear that the measurements are yours.
- Do you use subcontractors?
- No. Measurement and installation are both our own team.
- How long does installation take?
- A few openings is usually a morning. A whole house with motorization and integration is typically a day or more, since commissioning and grouping take longer than hanging the shades.
- What if something does not fit?
- If we measured it, it is ours to put right. That is precisely why we do not hand measurement off.
Talk to us about your windows
Free in-home consultation. We bring the samples to you, measure properly, and quote in writing.