Are you in the exciting stages of planning a beautiful, light-filled extension, imagining how your family will live in that perfect new space? It’s a wonderful phase, but a small oversight, something you might see as a final decorating touch, could accidentally compromise that entire dream. Before you go any further, here is what you absolutely need to know.
Key Takeaways
- The right time to plan for integrated electric blinds is at the very beginning of your project, during the architectural design stage (RIBA Stage 2), not the decorating stage.
- Waiting until the build is underway or complete severely limits your options to bulky, retro-fit solutions that compromise minimalist aesthetics.
- For truly concealed blinds that disappear into the ceiling, the space for them must be designed into the structural drawings before any building work starts.
- Leaving this decision too late often results in significant extra cost, mess, and disruption to achieve a less-than-ideal result, leading to profound disappointment.
The Big Misconception: A Design Decision or a Decorating Choice?
For many people, choosing blinds falls into the same category as picking out cushions or a new lamp. A finishing touch selected once the dust has settled. The reality is, while that’s an understandable way of thinking, it can be a risky one.
The outcome for your home is dramatically different depending on whether you treat blinds as a decoration or as part of the design.
Path 1: ‘Decorating’ with Blinds (The Reactive Approach)
This is what happens when blinds are an afterthought. You have a nearly finished, beautiful space, and now you need to add shading. The solutions are almost always surface-mounted or retro-fitted.
This means you will have visible cassettes, headboxes, and side channels attached to your walls or ceilings, interrupting the clean, minimalist lines your architect worked so hard to create. It becomes a constant, visible reminder that a compromise was made, and it’s the path that often leads to disappointment.
Path 2: ‘Designing’ for Shading (The Proactive Approach)
Here is the alternative: treating shading as a fundamental part of the building’s design, just like the plumbing or the electrics. The goal here is seamless integration, where the solution is practically invisible until needed.
It preserves the architectural vision and delivers perfect comfort. Think of electric blinds that glide down from a hidden ceiling pocket at the touch of a button. This is the path that protects your dream.
Having helped hundreds of homeowners navigate this, I want to share what I’ve learned so you can get it right from day one.
The Ideal Timeline: When ‘Too Late’ Really Is Too Late
To get the timing right, it helps to think like a builder or an architect. In the UK, most high-end construction projects follow a roadmap called the RIBA Plan of Work. We can use this to pinpoint the key moment for action.
RIBA Stage 2 (Concept Design): The Point of No Return for Seamless Blinds
I can’t stress this enough: this is the single most important stage. In simple terms, this is when your architect is developing the first proper drawings of your extension. This is the moment when decisions about concealing electric blinds must be made.
At this stage, your architect needs to plan for integrating concealment pockets (like those from Blindspace®) into the structural drawings, making sure the physical space is accounted for in the ceiling or wall. The power supply needs to be planned now, too, so it can be installed alongside the main electrical first-fix.
This isn’t just my opinion. Official RIBA guidance notes that adding requirements like solar shading after this stage limits you to ‘more intrusive options’. It’s simply industry best practice.
What Happens If You Miss This Window?
Once your project moves past the concept design stage and the builders are on site, the opportunity for a truly concealed solution is effectively gone without significant structural rework.
This means tradespeople having to chase out newly plastered walls and ceilings to run power, altering finished structures, and causing major disruption. This is where the feeling of “I wish we’d thought of this sooner” really hits home.
A Cautionary Tale: The Dream Extension That Became an Unusable Glass Box
Let me share a story that perfectly illustrates what can go wrong. I remember a project in a countryside Hampshire village involving a stunning architectural extension. Bi-Fold doors on South and West facing elevations designed for breath taking views and a very large roof lantern. Essentially a glass box.
The homeowners were so focused on the architecture that shading was an afterthought. The build was completed in spring, and it looked incredible. But as the first summer arrived, the dream became a nightmare. The space became stiflingly hot, and the glare was so unbearable that the family found themselves hiding from the very view they had invested so much in.
Their subsequent search for solutions revealed the true cost of their timing. With the structure complete, only retro-fit options were available. This meant surface-mounted cassettes that intruded over the framework of their glazing was the next best solution.
The overwhelming feeling was one of profound disappointment. Their stunning vision was now experientially flawed, a compromise forced not by budget, but purely by timing.
Let’s Be Honest: Answering Your Toughest Questions
It’s natural to have questions, especially when this might be the first time you’re considering this. Let’s tackle some of the most common ones.
“But my architect hasn’t mentioned this. Should I be worried?”
Not at all. Architects are brilliant big-picture thinkers managing immense complexity, but they can’t be specialists in everything. Think of this as a chance to collaborate.
You can start a friendly, non-confrontational conversation by asking something like: “How can we make sure this beautiful glass space stays comfortable all year round?” or “I’d love a really clean, minimalist look. Could we explore ways to conceal the blinds within the structure?”
“Is it really worth the extra cost and planning upfront?”
The answer is yes if you want a minimalist look in an architecturally designed home. You’ve chosen sophisticated wide‑span glazing systems with thin sightline profiles, only to place a blind solution in front of them. There are retrofit options that look good, but they always compromise the original design intent. When you’re considering glazing, you should ideally be discussing shading with your architect at the same time to achieve both comfort and a truly minimal aesthetic.
“Can’t I just use special solar control glass instead?”
High-performance glass is an important part of the solution, but it isn’t a complete fix on its own. It’s fantastic for insulation and removing infrared heat but even the best glass has its limits with intense solar heat gain and brightness.
Crucially, it offers no control over glare or night-time privacy, and effective solar control glass can have a noticeable tint. The best approach is to see high-performance glazing and specialist blinds as complementary systems that work together to give you total control over your environment.
The Way Forward: A Simple Framework for Success
So, how do you avoid these pitfalls? At WindowTreat, we believe in a simple principle we call S.H.A.D.E.. It’s not a complex technical process, but a guiding idea: that high-performance shading must be ‘designed in’ from day one to protect your dream.
Here’s your action plan:
- Have the Conversation Early: Talk to your architect about shading now, right at the start of the design process.
- Think Beyond the Look: Consider what you need for true comfort. Heat control, glare reduction, privacy ? Not just how it looks.
- Talk to a Specialist: Suggest that you, or your architect, have a chat with a shading specialist. An early conversation can reveal possibilities you hadn’t even considered.
Protecting Your Dream From the Start
Thinking about specialist electric blinds early isn’t just another task on a long list; it’s the single most important step you can take to guarantee that your beautiful new extension is a joy to live in for years to come.
Your vision for a light-filled home is absolutely achievable. By simply moving the conversation about shading from the end of your project to the very beginning, you ensure that dream is never compromised.
Planning an extension? The key is to act early. Call our specialists on 01256 345580 for a friendly chat about how to integrate shading seamlessly and preserve your dream design from the start. Or you can book an appointment online right now.
