ᐅ Exterior venetian blinds – which manufacturer? What are the differences?

You can’t really give prices per square meter, as I’ve learned. It depends on too many factors how much the surcharge will be. You’ll definitely save money if you have as few blinds as possible with only a few motors. For example, if the fixed panel of the sliding door and the fixed glass next to it share a single blind (if the width allows) and only one motor.

I just went through the upgrade myself and would roughly estimate about a €350 (net) surcharge per blind. I don’t need a wind sensor, but if you want one, that’s probably another €500 plus electrician costs.

I previously had roller shutters, electric, made of plastic (the large glass fronts were already planned with aluminum).

The blinds themselves are made of aluminum anyway. The color was freely selectable from the RAL palette at no extra cost.

Plain edges are the cheapest; I would choose rolled edges with guide rails to prevent warping or damage and to avoid rattling in front of the glass.

You need to consider the box type. The roller shutters were planned with a retrofit box, so it made sense to do the same with the external venetian blinds because that does not require structural changes to the building itself. With an external box, you’d need masonry behind it, I assume. We were also offered boxes integrated into the insulation, but then the glazing would have had to be floor-to-ceiling. We couldn’t afford that, and plastic systems would have reached their limit anyway.

Basically, I think retrofit boxes are good because they preserve the thermal insulation best.

We chose Climax with T-shaped slats—a kind of compromise between rounded and Z-shaped slats. By the way, Climax manufactures the slats for the major German brands...

Alex85 schrieb:
You will definitely save money if you have as few blinds as possible with only a few motors. For example, if the fixed part of the sliding door and the fixed glass next to it share a single blind (as long as the width allows) and only one motor.

I don’t think that will work. Together, it would be 7.3m (24 feet).

Alex85 schrieb:
I don’t need a wind sensor, but if you want one, it will probably add about €500 plus electrician costs.

I asked my neighbor earlier. He hasn’t had a rain sensor for two years but plans to get one soon. We’ll see, maybe retrofit later.

Alex85 schrieb:
You need to think about the housing box. The roller shutters were planned with a top-mounted box, which made it obvious to do the same with the external blinds, since it doesn’t require structural changes to the building. With a front-mounted box, you need masonry behind it, I assume. We were also offered boxes integrated into insulation, but then the glazing would have to be floor-to-ceiling. We didn’t have the budget for that, and plastic as a system would have reached its limits. Basically, I think top-mounted is better because it preserves thermal insulation best.

We are still flexible. I need to inform the shell builder in two weeks where I want roller shutters and external blinds. Our dull anthracite/white scheme (render/windows) is missing something to break the visual monotony.

@Alex85 What is the cheapest overall package for those components?

- unboxed
- initially without wind sensor
- rail-guided, unrendered

Honestly, I don’t find it unattractive that neither the guide rails nor the housing box are plastered.

I have scheduled an appointment with my window installer for Monday. However, I would still appreciate any additional input.

Just decide on using box covers mounted on the window. This way, you can have roller shutters as well as venetian blinds without altering the building. The additional costs will be provided by the window manufacturer.

If you are interested in exterior boxes, you will need to act quickly and push the window manufacturer to get prices.

Unboxed systems without rails are the cheapest option. Two out of three window manufacturers contacted now only offer rails, as anything else tends to cause problems.

The rest is a matter of personal preference. Apart from choosing a lighter gray instead of anthracite, we also have trim on the facade and clad the area around the front yard with carport/garage in wood.

Which is more cost-effective: an inside-mounted or surface-mounted roller shutter box?

I can't say. The starting point was the roller shutter with built-in box, and the upgrade to a built-in box Venetian blind.

The facade contractor wanted about 280€ net per unit for the version integrated into the insulation. So, just the installation box and labor. Something from Brillux.