Window Treatment Discussion Preparation Checklist

Note how each window opens, whether it swings inward, tilts, slides or does not open at all, and where the handle ends up when it is open.

Inward-opening and tilting windows rule out several kinds of covering, and the handle position often decides the rest.

Record which windows are opened daily for ventilation and which are opened rarely, because a covering can quietly stop a window being used at all.

The window nobody wants to stop using is not always the one you would expect.

Note whether any window is an escape route or the only opening in the room, and treat that strictly as a question for a professional.

This is one of the few window questions where an assumption can matter a great deal.

Whether a window serves as a means of escape, and what any covering must allow for, has to be confirmed with a suitably qualified professional and the relevant local requirements.

Check whether a door is combined with the glazing, such as a patio or balcony door, and note whether it swings or slides and in which direction.

A door within a glazed run changes both the stacking requirement and the way the covering must be operated.

Note which windows are within easy reach and which sit above furniture, a stair or a bath, since reach decides how a covering can be operated.

Anything that has to be operated from an awkward position tends to be left in one position permanently.

Record whether the window sits in a deep reveal or almost flush with the face of the wall.

Reveal depth determines whether a covering can sit inside the opening at all, which is the first thing a supplier asks.

Note whether a radiator sits under the window and how far it projects beyond the face of the sill.

A radiator under a window shapes the choice between full-length and sill-length coverings before any preference is expressed.

Record any handle, stay, lock or trickle vent that a blind or curtain would foul when the window is opened or closed.

Trickle vents in particular are easy to overlook and are frequently blocked by a covering fitted inside the reveal.

Note where a pipe, cable, alarm sensor or thermostat crosses the wall above or beside the window.

These decide where a track or pole can go, and they are rarely visible in the photographs sent to a supplier.

Check what sits on the sill today and whether it has to stay there once a covering is in place.

Plants, lamps and ornaments on a sill are a genuine constraint on how far a covering can drop.

Note whether the wall beside the window is wide enough on both sides for anything to stack, or generous on one side only.

Asymmetric wall space is common and changes what kind of covering will look deliberate rather than compromised.

Record whether a cornice, picture rail, sloped ceiling or beam limits the space above the window.

Headroom above the opening decides whether a pole, track or headrail can sit where it needs to.

Whether a fixing can be made into a particular lintel, reveal or ceiling depends on what lies behind the surface; ask a suitably qualified installer to establish this before choosing a treatment.

Say for each room how dark it genuinely needs to become, and whether that is for sleep, for a screen or simply for comfort in the evening.

A room where someone sleeps during daylight is a different problem from a room that just feels too bright.

Note where light currently escapes around the edge of an existing covering, and say honestly whether that has ever actually mattered.

Edge light is unavoidable with many arrangements, so it is worth knowing in advance whether it will bother anyone.

Record which rooms need daylight softened during the day rather than blocked, and at what point in the day that matters.

Softening and blocking usually call for different layers, which affects fixing and stacking requirements.

Note whether direct sun falls on a screen, a seat, a worktop or artwork at a particular time, and mark exactly where it lands.

Observing where the sun lands is far more useful than a general statement that a room is sunny.

Say whether the room needs different handling in summer and winter, and describe how you manage it at present.

Low winter sun and high summer sun arrive at different angles and are not solved by the same arrangement.

Note whether the room has more than one window and whether they need to behave in the same way as each other.

Windows of different sizes in one room often need different treatments that still have to read together.

Walk outside after dark with the lights on inside and note exactly what can be seen from the street and from neighbouring windows.

This single exercise replaces a great deal of guesswork and often narrows the requirement to one or two windows.

Note which rooms are overlooked in daylight and from what position, since the answer is frequently from one angle only.

A precise angle can often be dealt with far more elegantly than a general wish for privacy.

Record which rooms need privacy without losing daylight, because that combination usually calls for two layers rather than one.

Naming this early prevents a single covering being bought that has to do two incompatible jobs.

Note whether privacy is needed only at the lower part of the window, such as where a path or pavement passes close by.

Partial privacy solutions keep the light and the view, but only if the requirement is described precisely.

Say whether anyone in the household is uncomfortable with a covering that shows a silhouette from outside after dark.

Many light-filtering options are transparent to silhouette at night, which surprises people after fitting.

Note whether privacy requirements change when a room is used differently, such as a study that becomes a guest room.

Dual-use rooms are where privacy requirements are most often under-specified.

Decide whether you want a covering inside the reveal or across the face of the wall, and note what each option would hide or reveal.

This choice affects light leakage, the amount of glass covered and whether the frame remains visible.

Note in rough terms how much wall there is between the top of the window and the ceiling or cornice.

That space determines how high a track or pole can sit, which in turn affects how much glass stays clear.

Record where curtains would gather when fully open, and whether they would sit over glass or across a walking route.

Stacking over glass is a common reason a room feels darker after new curtains than it did before them.

Note whether a raised blind would sit within the daylight opening and how much of the glass it would cover when fully up.

Every blind occupies some of the opening when raised, and in short windows that loss is noticeable.

Say whether the covering must clear a radiator, a window seat, a worktop or a piece of furniture below the window.

This constraint usually decides length before appearance is considered at all.

Ask what fixing method is proposed and what it needs to fix into, rather than assuming any wall or ceiling will hold it.

Fixings are the part of the job most often taken for granted and most often responsible for failure.

Fixings into lintels, plasterboard, steel or historic fabric are not equivalent; ask a suitably qualified installer what is appropriate for your building before ordering.

Note which windows take strong direct sun and ask the supplier what they state about fading and movement for the materials you like.

Exposure varies enormously between windows in the same house, and so does the effect on a material.

Fade, shrinkage and stability behaviour varies by material and by exposure; ask the manufacturer or supplier what they state rather than relying on a general assumption.

Ask how each option is cleaned and whether it can be taken down and rehung without a professional visit.

Coverings that need specialist handling to clean are frequently never cleaned at all.

Note whether the room is humid, such as a kitchen or bathroom, and ask what that means for the options you are considering.

Moisture and cooking residue affect materials differently, and the supplier is the right person to ask.

Record whether pets or young children will be able to reach the covering, and what that does to the choice.

Reachability affects both the practicality of a material and the questions you should ask about operation.

Note whether you want the coverings to read consistently from outside, since they form part of the elevation whether or not that was intended.

A house with a different covering in every window is usually an accumulation rather than a decision.

Ask what happens if one panel or one blind is damaged, and whether it can be replaced on its own later.

Ranges change, and a covering that cannot be matched later may have to be replaced as a set.

Ask who is responsible for measuring and record that answer in writing before anything is made.

This is often the most consequential question in the whole conversation, and it is frequently left informal.

Made-to-measure items are rarely returnable; agree in writing with the supplier who measures and who carries the risk if a piece does not fit.

Note who will operate the covering every day and whether that person can reach and manage it comfortably.

A covering that is awkward for the person who uses it every day tends to stop being used at all.

Ask what requirements apply to cords, chains and reach where you live, and confirm the answer locally rather than assuming.

This is an area where requirements exist and vary, so it belongs with the supplier and the relevant authority.

Requirements around cords, chains and safe reach vary; confirm what applies with the supplier and your local authority rather than relying on a general rule.

If motorised operation is being considered, ask what power supply it would need and where that supply would come from.

Power provision is usually the deciding factor, and it has to be resolved before any product is chosen.

Any new power supply for a motorised treatment is work for a suitably qualified electrician; confirm what is possible before a product is selected.

Record whether existing poles, tracks or fittings are being reused, and note their present condition honestly.

Reused fittings often turn out to be the reason a new covering hangs badly.

Ask what preparation the room needs before fitting, such as finished wall surfaces, and agree who is responsible for it.

Fitting into unfinished surfaces usually means the covering has to come down again.

Note which windows must be decided together because they are seen from the same position, inside or outside.

Deciding window by window is how a house ends up with treatments that clash across a single elevation.