ᐅ Exterior blinds, venetian blinds – What to consider when buying?

Hello everyone,

We are finally planning to install external shading on our older house soon, as the east side gets unbearable in summer. The sun shines in all day, especially with the recent hotter summers...

What should you consider when buying? What have you found works well for you, and what would you probably not buy again?

Winniefred schrieb:

Hello everyone,

we are finally planning to install exterior shading on our older house soon, because in the summer it’s almost unbearable on the east side—the sun shines in all day long, especially with these new hotter summers...

What should you consider when buying? What have you found works well for you, and what would you avoid buying again?

For exterior blinds, a wind sensor is usually necessary. Manufacturers typically guarantee their products only up to a certain wind speed, depending on the size of the blinds. When a storm comes and the blinds don’t automatically retract, problems can occur quickly.
When we built our house, we planned the blinds right from the start, and both the wind sensor and the entire control system are integrated into our smart home.

We also have external venetian blinds on the house. I find them really convenient because they keep the heat out while still allowing you to see outside. However, a few things are simply different compared to roller shutters.

• They raise more slowly than roller shutters
• They don’t completely block out light, at least depending on the model
• There are fully blackout models and others that are much more stable in windy conditions
• Using a wind sensor can be tricky... If it’s set too sensitive, you’ll be sitting with the blinds up on a windy evening, fully exposed

We don’t have a wind sensor, but in an emergency, I can also raise the blinds remotely via Shellys. So far, in about 1 1/2 years here in Baden-Württemberg, I’ve only had to do that twice.

Regards

For us, it is really just about heat protection in the summer. You can hardly see inside from the outside, and we also have interior blinds everywhere. However, we have masonry window lintels, and installing roller shutters would be complicated; there is no space for shutters, and suitable options would be very expensive.

That’s why we have decided on external venetian blinds. We had these in a rental apartment before and were very satisfied with them. For complete blackout, we use the interior blinds.

The range of options is overwhelming, and it’s hard to get skilled tradespeople to come for just a few windows since the job is not interesting enough...

Winniefred schrieb:

The range of options is overwhelming, and you can't get professional contractors for just a few windows; the job is too small to be interesting...

I wouldn’t agree with that. I believe there are many awning installers or carpenters who do this kind of work. I would personally keep an eye on the combination with the electrical connection.

allstar83 schrieb:

I wouldn’t agree with that. I think there are many awning installers or carpenters who do this. I would personally keep an eye on the combination with the electrical connection.

I have been searching since September. Haven’t found anyone. Interest disappears as soon as they hear it’s only for a few windows. We now want to buy online and install it ourselves, since the rest of the renovation already costs enough.