Buying a new home means moving in your old furniture, but sometimes the curtains are more of a major purchase than first expected. At Alair Homes, we help homeowners just like you get comfortable in their new homes, and we have found there are a few basic tips for choosing the right curtains to cut down on costs. Once you have a general idea of what to expect, you can search online to find the exact curtains you are looking for that will make your home picture perfect, but also efficient.
Hiring tailors for multi-story windows
Almost all curtains can be found online, and some companies will allow homeowners to have them made with specific measurements. Despite this, there can be obstacles to overcome when windows are multiple stories high. These extra-large groupings of windows are common in homes with an open foyer. In a new home, tracks and other pieces of curtain equipment will need to be installed by a professional in order to avoid injury from using ladders. One other aspect to hiring pros for this kind of curtain-making is they can help you understand what the outcome of various choices will look like on a large scale before expensive curtains are custom-made.
Lowering utility bills with the right curtains
In most cases, curtains serve the function of privacy, but modern curtains can also protect the homeowner from over-paying on utility bills. The portion of your home that faces East will be susceptible to a blast of heat each day, and this might get overlooked if everyone is at school or work in the morning. However, environmentalists discovered years ago that curtains built to specifically reduce the amount of heat transferred through windows by direct sunlight can reduce utility bills in hotter months. During winter months, the curtains can be left open during the day to heat the home.
Curtains that block noise pollution or light
Homeowners that have trouble sleeping or simply want to shut out the noise of a busy nearby street can reduce noise pollution with the right curtains. In many cases, the curtains are similar to using blackout curtains for entertainment rooms, but the noise-blocking curtains will often come with specific instructions that ask homeowners to install them in a way that will cover a large portion of the edges of the window. In addition to being made from a specific type of material, noise-blocking curtains are usually layered with other curtains to absorb the sound. This type of curtain installation is often more successful when professional window dressers are consulted.
Choosing fabrics for pets or children
One final decision to make about curtains besides which colors you want and the types of functions you require from your curtains is how often you want to clean them. For example, if you have pets that shed a lot, you might want to avoid curtains that have rough surfaces such as linen because they will collect the hair. There may also be a problem such as children that want to play with the curtains or cats that want to use their claws to climb the curtains. Instead of choosing to go without curtains or replace the claw-shredded ones every few months, consider consulting with a professional window dresser. You can also ask your contractor for advice about installing modern, smart home “smart glass” automatic-dimming windows that you control from an app on your phone.