Is this is a new build? You might be able to order blinds through your builder and roll them into your mortgage.

$80 per window is not overly expensive especially if that includes installation. You could go to Home Depot and DIY.

If it is 2k per window, blinds only, that seems excessive unless your windows are huge.

I have drapes in every room, except two. In those rooms I have bamboo woven shades. My drapes cost a lot more than $80 per window.

yes all of the windows, but 2k is a lot to fork over. And yes, I have researched and researched and it's definitely the going rate. No, it's not a new build, but they stripped the windows. lol

Only 80$ per window for curtains that you like?!!! holy cats- snap those babies up! I have 5 windows to cover and the cost I am looking at is around $2500 for the whole thing. Textiles only, no hardware or install. Granted the windows are 100+ inches wide each, but still... curtains you like are not inexpensive.

Ikea curtains are a cost effective way to cover your windows on a budget, but the colors will be limited and you’ll have to hem them to length yourself or get someone to do it. I used them on sliding glass doors. Other windows have wood 2 inch blinds and some have woven wood blinds. Even online medium priced ones are not cheap if you have a lot of windows to do.

Ikea curtains, 4 panels sewed together and hemmed on slider. Hung on hooks and rings. They usually hang straighter, there is a coat on a hook in the way on the left.

I pay around $250 per drapery panel custom made lined with French pleats. That’s using a work room and getting my fabric at cost through a friend that’s in the trade. Window dressings are expensive...but so worth it! I did find gorgeous panels at a boutique hotel that was redecorating once and paid $40 per panel, they are beautiful...my favorite. If you windows aren’t too tall Pottery Barn and IKEA are great!

I have shades in some rooms, curtains in others. In no case do i have both. In fact, were I not facing south, there wouldn't be either on some windows.

I got reasonably priced curtains from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Maybe you could order some stationary curtains for some windows, they won't be functional, will look nice and run about half the cost. Maybe do one room at a time and get it done then move on to the next space, that's what we do.

I have both curtains and blinds in some rooms. In the rooms without curtains, there are custom fabric blinds. They are all VERY expensive - the last ones, new ones in the DR were over $4500 fabric and labor for one window and one set of 48" wide french doors. And that is with me getting my fabric at to-the-trade prices. I would have charged a client at least double this figure. Fabric is very expensive...

Wow - average $80/window? That's a steal! Do you need something on every window right away? You can find "temporary" shades at the big box stores and they'll actually last a pretty long time. Or, get a few tension roads and hang some sheets over for privacy in bedrooms. Then you can prioritize and do a little at the time. I make custom window treatments and it's not often that a client comes in ready to do an entire house. Back to your first question - I have drapes only on all of my windows. I hate cleaning blinds and prefer to not have anything obstruct the windows.

That's a great price in my opinion. I paid that for much fewer windows for vinyl. I also have purchased from blinds.com but the quality was not good. I like the look of drapes but for every window might look cluttered.
Window coverings are all around a PITA : /

My latest drapes were about $2000 for one window, and they are a plain design. Consider yourself lucky.

Aw!!!! Thank you so much guys!!! I feel better. I really appreciate the input. I think I'm going to do have later and half at a later point. Mainly the social areas and my master bedroom.

Obviously I must live on another planet. I will go out on a limb and say that I doubt if anyone I know spends thousands of dollars on fabric for a few Windows. Yes, I know many people who could afford that, but they would not do it. I prefer to be able to change them more often.

I greatly dislike most blinds/shades and see them only as means of light/heat/privacy control, not as window " treatments". Therefore if I must have shades they are not seen if possible. If you shop around you can find very affordable panels in a variety of fabrics and prices. They might not have a designer look but they can be very attractive, serviceable, and replaceable.

Thanks for clarifying. Is it possible to split up the purchases a bit, to avoid such a punch? I would do curtains over shades or blinds.

fwiw, I put curtain panels in our current home, but only after living here several years (in the woods/acreage, so we don't need for privacy only sun). I purchased RH lined Belgian linen. Still love them years later and, even if we were not moving, I would never replace them. I'm not one to replace curtains, rugs, furniture unless absolutely necessary. I'd like to think my frugal (DH would "haha!) spending habits (and keeping furniture purchases over 36+ years) is going towards drapes in the new house... which also will not be changed.

I would wait and do the windows that have to be done for privacy and do them right. Get what works in each space, I wouldn't' put all the same treatment in every room. Depending on the size of your windows you may be able to find ready mades at Home Goods, J.C. Penney, Overstock, etc. Take your time,

Good fabric, good interlining and lining and one has a curtain that will last more than 30 years and still look good. Obviously, if one is of the "I like change and often" school of decorating, it would be madness to spend a lot on curtains.

I've always been an "investment decorating" kind of gal. If I love a fabric, I will love it for decades. I don't change things just for the sake of change - why would I if I love what I did in the first place? The DR curtains I replaced (and still loved!) were made in 1985. They lasted until 2016. The cream background had yellowed on the valances and I couldn't just remove them due to festoon blinds underneath and valance boards, whose removal would have destroyed the wallpaper, long discontinued. Didn't want to get into that!

But oh, I loved those curtains - pretties ones I've ever had. I would used the same fabric again but it's now printed in the Far East, not in the UK, and it just doesn't look the same. Plus the trim has become prohibitively expensive. I went with another Colefax and Fowler fabric and the only trim is a fabric trim on the bottom of the valance, which is also simpler. They're lovely but they don't make my heart sing the way the old ones did - they were once-in-a-lifetime curtains.

Grapefruit, I would agree that very few people today are willing to spring for lovely custom curtains - even wealthy people. They're a huge investment and most people today prefer change or what they see on TV, regardless of their wealth. But curtains can make a room, and if the headings are done properly, they can move from one house to another. It's really all about whether one is looking for trendy or timeless.

I agree with most of what you have said, Anglo. I, too, know what I love and live with it for decades. My style is more casual and therefore less pricey I guess.

In fact I have so say that I am surprised when someone posts a question about " what color should Our new-build house be?", or " what art should I hang here?", or what should I use for window treatments?". I KNOW what I like and really do not have to ask those kinds of questions.

For those that prefer to follow trends or want what everyone else has, I guess they need to ask. These forums are wonderful for those of us who love to think of these thing, but then do what we want. :)

We spent way over $2500 several years ago when we bought room darkening cellular shades for the bedrooms (best investment ever) and wood blinds for the family room. I have a few panels as accent/decorative pieces in the family room, living room and dining room. I've changed them a few times over the years so I don't spend a lot on them. I've had a lot of luck with JCPenney and found some some Pottery Barn panels on eBay - brand new, in the package.