What do tenants want - window coverings?

[The Chaser]

Hi all / property managers

I have a brand new 1 bed unit a few kms from Brisbane cbd on the 6th floor of a 10 floor complex. The unit faces roughly west to south-west and has views of the city skyline. I need to install window coverings on:

- a large floor to ceiling double stacking sliding glass door in the living room (~3325 wide, 2310 drop). i.e. their are two opening door panels that both slide back in a concertina effect and a third glass panel that is fixed. And...

- a floor to ceiling 3 panel window in the bedroom with one panel of glass housing a 'pop out' window (~2960 wide, 2310 drop).

I have never lived in a high rise or unit in my life. What do tenants prefer? (within reason!). Are (blockout) roller blinds or panel glide blinds preferable in this scenario? Pros and cons?

If roller blinds, due to the large size of the areas, I believe I would have to have 3 roller blinds in the bedroom, but wouldn't this have too many gaps between and let too much light in? The sliding door would have a single roller blind over the first of the opening doors and then a double width roller blind over the remaining opening door & fixed glass panel on the end.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Confused.
Angela

 

[amiaow]

I think the panel blinds look much better over sliding doors and also have the advantage of being able to open them as much as you desire but still have access to open the doors. I think they are also more sturdy than roller blinds in this situation.

In the bedroom I'd probably want more privacy- a sheer curtain and a blockout curtain perhaps, which also softens the look of the room.

Do you have some pics of the two rooms in question? It might help people to picture it a bit better!

 

[Jamie M]

Hi Angela

Not sure if it helps but we ordered some custom blinds for an IP online not long ago. The dimensions for one of them was quite large and from memory, it only cost around $230....and the quality is pretty good.

I think it was these guys http://www.cheapa-blinds.com.au/ that we used.

Cheers

Jamie

 

[Jody in Darwin]

Hello,

It depends a little bit on what your property is 'about', i.e. who are you targeting and what are its best features? I've done a bit of bookkeeping in a local company that manufactures and retails blinds. Here is some advice from what I have heard while on the job:

Panel blinds:
- If you have an executive apartment with quality fittings in a good location cheap blinds would kind of ruin the overall impression. They would work well wiht your concertina doors. On the con side: they are expensive and if your unit is all about the views then there will be a section of views always cut off by the panels at the side.

Roller blinds:
- There are all sorts of fabrics you can choose & even if you pick the cheapest fabric (the one where I worked was the 'Vibe' range - often selected for investment properties) it will still look great if you pick the right colour. A very popular selection for upmarket properties is the Sheerweave range which is black but during the day you can see through it, it cuts out glare and people can't see in. If privacy is an issue at night with a Sheerweave blind (as it works the other way at night - outside can see in) then people considered a dual blind - Sheerweave at the front and a Vibe fabric at the back (roll the vibe down and night and hey presto - privacy but the attractive Sheerweave still visible). The dual blind may get a little expensive for a rental though. You would be able to get a number of blinds made up for your doors and windows so you can pull up what you need at the time and they can be kind of joined (I can't for the life of me remember what the part is called) by a bracket so there is a very small gap between the blinds - negligible light let in.

Vertical blinds:
- Still very popular for rentals with landlords. They are practical in that if a slat is damaged it can easily, cheaply and simply be replaced. They won't block a view. You can control the opening from side to side (like a panel blind) rather than from top to bottom (like a roller blind). Higher control over light let in and angle of light than any other kind of blind. Relatively inexpensive. It has all the positive practical points that the panel and roller blinds have combined BUT (and this is my opinion - not what I heard at the Blinds place) they have zero 'wow' factor.

Kind regards,
Jody

 

[Sez]

Sounds like a combination of both would really work for you! I really don't recommend verticals to any landlord as I think they are the worst blinds for investment properties! I always recommend the roller blinds as they are durable and any colour or fabric can be chosen to work with the property, some light or sheer decorative drapes are also quite good to use with the roller blinds to glam them up a bit! Would love to see some photos too and let us know what you decide!

 

[The Chaser]

Hi all

Thanks for the great replies thus far. As Jody suggested I should have included some details on the type of market and some extra info. The unit is in the new CODE development at Bowen Hills. The target tenants would be young professionals, I'm told either singles or DINKS.

The following listing isn't our unit but has the same layout as our unit and it shows the floorplan and also includes a picture of the bedroom window. Unfortunately being a new build settling soon, I don't yet have actual photos of our unit...

http://http://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-qld-bowen+hills-108515946

Given the more upmarket appeal of this complex and the city views, we have definitely ruled out the cheaper option of verticals for this IP. We are trying to find the best compromise to give the tenants privacy, access to views, but also the ability to block out unwanted light and, at times during the year, the potential to block out the hot afternoon sun given the roughly west facing aspect.

Any extra feedback/opinions would be great...especially from anyone who has lived in this type of property before or who manages tenants that do.

Thanks
Angela

 

[Jody in Darwin]

Hi Angela,

My preference would be roller blinds connected by the centre brackets (sorry - still can't remember the name!).

The people I worked for used to price new developments for the developers as a deal - anyone buying a unit would be able to select one of the supplied quotes and it would be cheaper than if they had approached the company by themselves as a customer. The guys I worked for were very good and the styles quoted on took into account the type of property and target market.

Ask the agent or developer if anyone has provided window furnishing quotes/deals like this for your development and they would be my first port of call if the answer is yes.

Kind regards,
Jody