Blind Installation Bass Coast / Victoria / Australia

This article can be the short customer’s guidebook in understanding the preliminaries of blinds and shades installation services, including what blinds and shades installers should do and offer their customers before any money exchanges hands. It will also advise what considerations one should make about a property before choosing a type of blind or shade, and before selecting a blind and shade installation service.

THE BASICS OF BLINDS AND SHADES INSTALLATION SERVICES

Even before one hires a blinds and shades installation services, there are a few preliminary steps. The points below illustrate a few of the common ones, though these are not universal; procedures will vary from installer to installer.

• Choose the blinds or shades – One can include the blinds and shades installation services as part of a store. Therefore, a customer may be able to choose from a product range what blinds or shades they want to be installed. The blinds and shades installation services can be included with the purchase but most probably for an extra charge.
• Book a consultation – if the customer is unsure what blinds or shades would suit their house and what other information they require beforehand; many blinds and shades installers have a customer service line to book a telephone or even face-to-face consultation. This way, an advisor will be able to help the client to find the right blinds or shades for each room they’re thinking of restyling.
• Home or Site Inspection – following the purchase or consultation (depending on blinds and shades installer), the blind or shade installation company should send out a member of staff to perform a site inspection. In the case of blinds and shades installation services, this usually will involve measuring all the areas where blinds, shades need installation.

It will ensure the environment will suit the products purchased, and, if the customer did their measurements before the consultation, will confirm their calculations are correct. Furthermore, an inspection will highlight any areas of concern for the blind or shade installer, particularly those that may incur surcharges. Further detail on a few of these issues will be related to later in the article.

• Quotation and Scheduled Installation – no company should give a quote for the blinds and shades installations services before an inspection unless it’s a sort of all-in-one deal included with the purchase of the blinds themselves. However, the customer should expect a quote about a price after the measurements have taken. If this meets their satisfaction, a date for the installation can be set.

Please, be aware, some blinds and shades installers may not schedule the installation to take place on the same day as delivery. Customers should take care to find out this information beforehand if this will not meet their convenience.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR TYPES OF BLINDS AND SHADES

Some materials suit different rooms. Blinds and shades may strike some as window decorations and a means of controlling natural light. They are also awful dust magnets and a vehicle for other substances like grease, soot, and mold. Blinds and shades installers will be able to advise which products will be most suitable for each room, either in a consultation session or the site inspection.

Therefore, a customer should cater and coordinate on the choice of product to the environment. For example, a vertical pleated fabric shade will suit a living room with windows nowhere near a fireplace, but also in a room not prone to household damp. The damp, if left untreated, will lead to mold, and getting mold spores out of fabric is a complicated business.

By contrast, a grease-resistant material for some kitchen blinds will be most suitable. If the kitchen windows are a far enough distance from any cooking appliances, their retention of grease may be much milder. Getting blinds in a wipeable material such as PVC will be a wise choice. Cleaning grease off is a simple enough task when armed with some water and white vinegar. In whatever case, the blinds and shades installers can assist the customers in picking the right products for the room.

CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE PROPERTY

Aside from the rooms in which the blinds and shades installation services will take place, there are some other elements a customer should consider regarding their property before making a blind, shade purchase. Structural considerations may come to light during consultation and inspection stages, but it is always best practice to be prepared.

Again, this will vary from installer to installer, but below is a list of few factors clients should be wary of, in cases where they set a tighter budget.

First, customers should expect to pay a flat rate per set of blinds and shades purchased. As aforementioned, the blinds and shades installer should provide a quotation after the site inspection, not before. Still, it stands to reason and common sense. The more products a customer buys, the more it should cost to install them.

That’s a self-explanatory consideration compared to some of the others on this list. Where do the extra costs come?

First, think about where the windows are situated. Not concerning “which room?”; more like “how high up?” It may sound ridiculous, but jobs will and do exist where blinds and shades installers are required to climb high ladders to measure and install blinds and shades. These added strain and difficulty to the job will more likely incur a surcharge. Be fair – it won’t be an easy task to fit a set of shades at the top of a ladder.

As aforementioned, one can expect to highlight the structural considerations during the initial site inspection. It may include inspecting the condition of the environment in which the blinds and shades installation services are to take place. It is particularly relevant in historic buildings where one plans modernizations.

Also, customers should be aware of lintels and beams. Installing into the concrete, iron or steel beams and lintels will require more specialist attention and equipment. That, in turn, may incur further charges on top of the blind, shade installation fee.

Finally, in properties where blinds and shades are already installed and need to be replaced, it is best practice to research whether an uninstallation included as part of the blinds and shades installation services. It may come as an additional charge; the blinds and shades installers may not provide the service at all.

In all these cases, the on-site inspection will highlight the issue, usually before a quotation is given. It is just best for customers to keep them in mind, so any potential surcharges are not received as a surprise.

A CHECKLIST FOR SELECTING BLIND AND SHADE INSTALLATION SERVICES

• Check if the blind or shade delivery and installation are carried out on the same day. It can be frustrating if the blinds are delivered, and the blinds and shades installers are not due for another three days. Check on the blinds and shades installers website – there should be some form of advisement if it’s a one-day delivery and installation or not.
• Make sure it’s convenient – any customers who work full time will probably want to schedule the measurement, the delivery, and the blind and shade installation on the weekend. A blinds and shades services provider should be able to advise on their website or in the consultation if this is possible.
• Ensure they are certified – blinds and shades services should carry certification or accreditation with a professional body, manufacturer or authority. Request proof from the blinds and shade installers if this information is not on their website.
• Inquire about the experience – blinds and shades installers may work as one of a selection of services for window fitters or redecorating companies. Look into how long they have been providing blinds and shades installation services. The years of experience may be indicative of the quality and smoothness of the job.