Blind and shutter installation, from arrival to handover

Before the fitter arrives

Once your order is made, blinds usually take 2 to 3 weeks and shutters 6 to 10 weeks. We then call to agree a date. Clearing window sills and moving furniture back from the windows makes the job quicker and safer. Ornaments on deep sills, curtain poles you are replacing and anything fragile nearby are best moved in advance. If you have pets, a closed door keeps them away from ladders and open tool bags.

Fixing blinds

For a recess fit the brackets go into the top of the reveal; for an exact fit outside the recess they go into the wall or frame above. The fixing method depends on what the wall is made of, which is why the fitter checks with a detector and chooses plugs to suit plaster, brick, block or plasterboard. Perfect fit blinds are different: they clip into the window bead on suitable uPVC and aluminium frames with no drilling into the wall at all.

Where a blind has a cord or chain, the fitter installs the child safety device supplied with it at the correct height, so the loop cannot hang freely. Motorised blinds are paired with their remote or hub and tested before handover.

Fitting shutters

Shutters take longer than blinds because the frame is built into the window first. The fitter sets the frame in the recess or on the wall, packs it where the walls are out of true, and checks it is level and square before hanging the panels. Hinges are adjusted so every panel closes flush and the louvres line up across the whole window. Tracked shutters on doors have their track fixed and the panels run and aligned before they are finished.

Tidying up and handover

Dust from drilling is vacuumed as the fitter goes, and packaging is taken away. Before leaving, the fitter shows you how to operate each blind or shutter, how to tilt louvres correctly, how to use any remote or app, and how to clean each product. That is the moment to raise anything that does not look right, because it can often be adjusted on the spot.

• Check every blind raises, lowers and stops where you want it
• Close every shutter panel and look for even gaps
• Tilt all louvres and check they move together
• Ask where the spare parts and paperwork are

After fitting

Our fitting is covered by a 5-year warranty, on top of the manufacturer's product warranty, and selected shutter ranges carry a manufacturer's lifetime guarantee. If something loosens or stops working, call the Hythe showroom and we will arrange a visit. Because we measured, supplied and fitted the product ourselves, there is one company to call rather than a supplier and an installer blaming each other.