The best outdoor blinds and awnings suppliers in Canberra

Sandman said :

dungfungus said :

PJW said :

I’ve recently installed honeycomb/cellular blinds from cellularwindowshades.com . Based in the US, even with shipping the cost was less than half any price I was quoted locally.

Canberra, where the disposable incomes are amongst the highest in the world and the shoppers go out of their way to shop everywhere else.
Have a drive around some of the town centres and Fyshwick to see how many empty shops there. Then feel good about yourself.

Canberra, where the retailers feel that the higher disposable income somehow justifies their higher margins than anywhere else and there’s no need to actually keep a suitable level of stock on hand. Most Canberra retailers are simply one extra middleman, ordering stock from the same place Joe Blow of Sydney can walk in off the street and buy minimum quantities.
We don’t have the economies of scale to justify shopping locally for items in excess of $500.

My first business venture years ago was retailing in NSW. I only succeeded because I had a full time job and two part-time jobs which made it 7 days a week work for several years.
I had an opportunity to expand into Canberra however the cost of wages, rent and everything else meant that the selling prices would be higher than other regional centres in NSW so it didn’t happen.
I know lots of retailers in Canberra (rather more that were retailers).
None are making any money – just barely a living with long hours and enormous risk. There is the daily risk of further competition coming to Canberra (like IKEA which is going to be heavily subsidised by ACT Government/ratepayers) so trading stock is cut to a minimum to minimise losses if the business fails (that dreaded day when it is cheaper to keep the shop doors closed rather than open them).
Your view is one of self-interest. If we don’t support our local retailers more we will all end up buying “out of town” by necessity. When that point is reached, just see what price an order with a Canberra postcode commands.
Based on what you said you will still buy from IKEA in Sydney even though they will have an outlet in Canberra? You need to clearly explain your position on this.

Hi Maya, to kill bed bugs you have to wash in hot water and or use hot dryer, which would not be suitable for the kind of heavy curtains you were describing.
May I humbly suggest RiotACT does an article on bed bugs? People have a lot of incorrect preconceived ideas.

dungfungus said :

PJW said :

I’ve recently installed honeycomb/cellular blinds from cellularwindowshades.com . Based in the US, even with shipping the cost was less than half any price I was quoted locally.

Canberra, where the disposable incomes are amongst the highest in the world and the shoppers go out of their way to shop everywhere else.
Have a drive around some of the town centres and Fyshwick to see how many empty shops there. Then feel good about yourself.

Canberra, where the retailers feel that the higher disposable income somehow justifies their higher margins than anywhere else and there’s no need to actually keep a suitable level of stock on hand. Most Canberra retailers are simply one extra middleman, ordering stock from the same place Joe Blow of Sydney can walk in off the street and buy minimum quantities.
We don’t have the economies of scale to justify shopping locally for items in excess of $500.

miz said :

Re comment about using second hand curtains – I would think twice, due to bed bugs. Having had to deal with a small outbreak recently after my young adult child returned from Queensland (presumably in the luggage), I can attest that they are very difficult to treat (they are not killed by flea/cockroach bombs, which can just spread the problem). And they don’t just live in beds, they can also live in fabrics, furniture, carpet, your handbag, you name it. (Can you tell I have become mentally obsessed???)

Anyway, I would not wish them on anyone, and apparently vintage/second hand items are notorious so I would steer clear of anything you cannot wash and/or put in a hot dryer for an hour.

As an aside, I am amazed there is not info about bed bugs on TAMS website, particularly as
Canberra is a very transient place and they are often in hotels and luggage. Clearly they ARE here in Canberra, given that hand written sign hanging from one of the govvie flats recently:
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/man-blames-act-government-for-bedbug-infestation-at-northbourne-flats-20140814-103wre.html

Happy to share my experiences further if anyone is experiencing similar issues. If you travelled anywhere over Xmas I would be checking!!

There is a thing called washing. Why would one hang curtains without naturally washing them first?????

Re comment about using second hand curtains – I would think twice, due to bed bugs. Having had to deal with a small outbreak recently after my young adult child returned from Queensland (presumably in the luggage), I can attest that they are very difficult to treat (they are not killed by flea/cockroach bombs, which can just spread the problem). And they don’t just live in beds, they can also live in fabrics, furniture, carpet, your handbag, you name it. (Can you tell I have become mentally obsessed???)

Anyway, I would not wish them on anyone, and apparently vintage/second hand items are notorious so I would steer clear of anything you cannot wash and/or put in a hot dryer for an hour.

As an aside, I am amazed there is not info about bed bugs on TAMS website, particularly as
Canberra is a very transient place and they are often in hotels and luggage. Clearly they ARE here in Canberra, given that hand written sign hanging from one of the govvie flats recently:
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/man-blames-act-government-for-bedbug-infestation-at-northbourne-flats-20140814-103wre.html

Happy to share my experiences further if anyone is experiencing similar issues. If you travelled anywhere over Xmas I would be checking!!

PJW said :

I’ve recently installed honeycomb/cellular blinds from cellularwindowshades.com . Based in the US, even with shipping the cost was less than half any price I was quoted locally.

Canberra, where the disposable incomes are amongst the highest in the world and the shoppers go out of their way to shop everywhere else.
Have a drive around some of the town centres and Fyshwick to see how many empty shops there. Then feel good about yourself.

I’ve recently installed honeycomb/cellular blinds from cellularwindowshades.com . Based in the US, even with shipping the cost was less than half any price I was quoted locally.

Simmo said :

My partner recently used Spotlight and they were terrible. $7000 paid upfront, then had to continually ring them to get them to come and measure. It eventually took them a couple of goes at measuring and four different times for fitting to end up with some average blinds that were poorly fitted and use cheap plastic fittings everywhere. They have since been back (after numerous phone calls) to repair the render they damaged and refit a blind that had started to fall off the wall within one month. Avoid at all costs.

I’d avoid paying $7000 upfront at all costs…

maureen52 said :

We were very happy with our honeycombs from Watson Blinds in Mitchell.

We were also happy with Watson blinds however you get what you pay for when it comes to the accessories – my luxaflex blinds in my old place wre definitely better than the Wason blinds but were double the cost.

We were very happy with our honeycombs from Watson Blinds in Mitchell.

My partner recently used Spotlight and they were terrible. $7000 paid upfront, then had to continually ring them to get them to come and measure. It eventually took them a couple of goes at measuring and four different times for fitting to end up with some average blinds that were poorly fitted and use cheap plastic fittings everywhere. They have since been back (after numerous phone calls) to repair the render they damaged and refit a blind that had started to fall off the wall within one month. Avoid at all costs.

If you want insulation, make sure that the blinds will be fitted WITHIN the window frames.

We recently bought cellular blinds like our neighbours’ in the expectation that their insulating properties would repay the additional expense, without going to even more expensive double glazing. We explained this to the salesman, and build window frames to the specifications he provided.

The blinds were installed 2 cm proud of the frames, and we now have a 2 cm all-round gap that in winter will allow convection currents to circulate cold air into the room from from the cold window pane.

After several months of negotiation, the company has agreed to modify the frames so that they will encase the blinds. We’re hoping that they come good before winter.

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

Maya123 said :

mikal said :

I like blindsonline.com.au — roller blinds are trivial to install and the pricing and fabric selection was excellent.

But they have poor insulation.

But still better than having no window coverings.

If you are trying to do this on the cheap, it would be better to visit fetes, second hand shops, etc, or ask people you know if they have old curtains they don’t want. I curtained a whole house for less than $100, buying them from places like I suggested and I was given some by asking people I knew. Many of the curtains were in close to/as new condition and had good separate insulating backings. They were obviously originally expensive. The fittings were extra, but I put those up myself. After the first fitting is in the place the others are done much quicker and it was then easy. Curtains with separate backings have far better insulation value than roller blinds. None of the curtains I used were ugly.

Maya123 said :

mikal said :

I like blindsonline.com.au — roller blinds are trivial to install and the pricing and fabric selection was excellent.

But they have poor insulation.

But still better than having no window coverings.

mikal said :

I like blindsonline.com.au — roller blinds are trivial to install and the pricing and fabric selection was excellent.

Trivial, except in unusual circumstances, like potentially the OPs: “in our loft style apartment. Because the window is five metres high we need someone install the blinds for us.”

mikal said :

I like blindsonline.com.au — roller blinds are trivial to install and the pricing and fabric selection was excellent.

But they have poor insulation.

I like blindsonline.com.au — roller blinds are trivial to install and the pricing and fabric selection was excellent.

I can’t recommend a good blind company but I can tell you who to steer clear from: Kresta.

We had many issues with a set of blinds that were installed in the lounge room a couple of years ago– everything from wrong measurements to incorrect installation that lead to the rails falling down almost on top of the person that was closing them at the time.

None of these issues were rectified until legal action was threatened and even then, fixed with a begrudged attitude.

Avoid at all costs.

Derek from Belconnen Blinds is hard to beat. One-man show keeps costs to a bare minimum, after-sales service is fantastic and he’s a really nice guy! 6278 5544

Maya123 said :

I installed the honeycomb blinds that you mentioned and I am happy with them. I don’t like curtains, as they crowd the window. Blinds can fold up and not be that noticeable and then you can see out. I went with the honeycomb blinds because of their supposed insulation feature. They are meant to be as good (if not better) than thick curtains. However there is a narrow gap between each blind, which would lower their efficiency. Plus between the window blind and the frame. Therefore I don’t know how re efficiency that would really compare with curtains (with pelmets naturally). I have large windows and need a number of them; six in total on my big window in the lounge room. An advantage of blinds is that they don’t need pelmets, as they fit snug against the top frame, giving a less obtrusive look. I have pull cords to work them. I would have preferred motorised ones, but that was an added expense I didn’t want at the time; adding several hundred dollars for each blind.
As you have found out, some shops charge MUCH more for the same product. Without digging through my papers I’m sorry I can’t remember who installed them, but I went with the cheapest quote and was happy with the result.
The foil lined (block-out light) honeycomb blinds have a higher R insulation value than the ones that let light through. White is also the most efficient shade of blind.
Your windows are tall, so it would probably be best to get them motorised.

Other blinds and shutters do not usually insulate as well as the honeycomb blinds. I use them in combination with double glazed windows.

Wow!
That tops my humble contribution.

I installed the honeycomb blinds that you mentioned and I am happy with them. I don’t like curtains, as they crowd the window. Blinds can fold up and not be that noticeable and then you can see out. I went with the honeycomb blinds because of their supposed insulation feature. They are meant to be as good (if not better) than thick curtains. However there is a narrow gap between each blind, which would lower their efficiency. Plus between the window blind and the frame. Therefore I don’t know how re efficiency that would really compare with curtains (with pelmets naturally). I have large windows and need a number of them; six in total on my big window in the lounge room. An advantage of blinds is that they don’t need pelmets, as they fit snug against the top frame, giving a less obtrusive look. I have pull cords to work them. I would have preferred motorised ones, but that was an added expense I didn’t want at the time; adding several hundred dollars for each blind.
As you have found out, some shops charge MUCH more for the same product. Without digging through my papers I’m sorry I can’t remember who installed them, but I went with the cheapest quote and was happy with the result.
The foil lined (block-out light) honeycomb blinds have a higher R insulation value than the ones that let light through. White is also the most efficient shade of blind.
Your windows are tall, so it would probably be best to get them motorised.

Other blinds and shutters do not usually insulate as well as the honeycomb blinds. I use them in combination with double glazed windows.

I recently installed several internal remote controlled roller blinds. The choice of shades/colours is great.
These have re-chargable batteries in the roller tube and would be ideal in a high, out of the way place such as you have suggested.
They can be “hard wired” for 240v operation as well but I have found the battery ones only need re-charging once a year if used regularly.
Apollo Blinds in Fyshwick were by far the best value – I have purchased plantation shutters from them also and the quality, installation and service are excellent.
Forget any perceived insulation benefit though – you need double-glazing for that.
Give Mark at Apollo a call.