What you are paying for
A made to measure blind is manufactured to the exact width and drop of your window after it has been measured, rather than bought in a standard size and cut down or left short. The practical result is a blind that fills the recess with a few millimetres of clearance, hangs level, and uses a headrail and fabric chosen for that window. Fitted prices start from £85 for a roller, and most blinds are manufactured within two to three weeks of the survey.
- From
- £85 fitted for a roller blind
- Manufacture
- Usually 2 to 3 weeks
- Measured by
- Us, on a free home visit
Ready-made versus made to measure
A ready-made blind comes off a shelf in one of a handful of widths. If your recess is 1,140mm and the nearest sizes are 1,050mm and 1,200mm, you either accept a gap of light down each side or you cut a blind down, which on anything other than a simple roller is a job that rarely ends well. A made to measure blind is cut at the factory to 1,134mm, or whatever the survey specifies, so it fills the recess as it should.
Ready-made also limits the fabric to whatever the shop stocks. Made to measure opens up the full fabric book, including blackout linings, thermal backings, flame-retardant options and the day-night weaves that are never sold pre-cut.
What the survey actually decides
Measuring a blind is quick, but there are several decisions folded into it that are easy to get wrong from a tape measure and a web form.
- Recess or face fit: whether the blind sits inside the reveal or is fixed to the wall above it, which changes both the size and the light gaps.
- Which of three width measurements to trust: recesses are rarely the same width at the top, middle and bottom.
- Obstructions: handles, tiles, dado rails and window boards that push the blind forward or shorten it.
- Control side and control type: chain, cord, wand, spring or motor, and which side is safest and easiest to reach.
- Fabric weight against window size: a wide roller in a heavy blackout fabric needs a larger tube to stop it bowing.
Blind types you can have made to measure
Everything we supply is made to order: roller blinds, wooden and faux-wood venetians, vertical blinds, Roman blinds, day and night blinds, pleated blinds and perfect-fit systems that clip to uPVC beading without screws. Each has a place. Rollers are the workhorse; wooden venetians give the shutter look at a lower price; verticals suit doors and wide windows; Romans add fabric softness in a bedroom or lounge; pleated and perfect-fit are the conservatory and tilt-and-turn answer.
What it costs
Made to measure does not have to mean expensive. A plain roller blind on a standard window starts from £85 fitted. Wooden venetians typically sit between £140 and £220 per window. Romans in a good fabric with a blackout lining are higher, as are motorised options. Because the blind is made for your window, the quote is exact rather than approximate, and it includes the fitting visit.
Timescales
Most blinds are made within two to three weeks of the survey, with standard rollers sometimes faster at ten to fourteen days. We bring fabric books to the survey so you can handle the samples in your own light before committing, which is the step people miss most when ordering online. Fitting a house full of blinds is usually a morning's work.
Made to measure questions
Can I measure myself and just have the blinds made?
We would rather measure for you, and the survey is free. The measurements are the easy part; the decisions around recess depth, obstructions and control type are where self-measured orders go wrong.
Are made to measure blinds returnable?
Because each blind is manufactured to your window, it cannot be resold, so orders are confirmed before manufacture. That is one more reason we insist on measuring and letting you handle fabric first.
How long does a blinds fitting visit take?
A single blind takes a few minutes once the brackets are marked. A typical house of eight to ten blinds is done in a morning.
Do you supply child-safe controls?
Yes. Every corded or chained blind is fitted with the required safety devices, and cordless and motorised options remove the cord entirely. Our child and pet safety guide covers the choices.