Expert installation of your curtains and blinds isn’t necessarily high on the list of priorities; there can be so much to consider with styles, fabrics and finishes, deadlines for completion of a new build project, or minimum disruption in the case of a refurbishment. But what I’d like to impress upon you in this blog is that we believe it’s fundamentally important, significantly extending the lifetime of your investment. It’s why we decided to do it differently, employing our own installation team bucking the industry trend to sub-contract this work.

Correct fitting means that your curtains and blinds work properly, and they last longer giving years of trouble-free service. Our installation manager Kevin who has worked with us for 12 years now has over 25 years’ experience of fitting. You may have heard of the 10,000-hour rule? That it takes 10,000 hours (or 7 years thereabouts) to become an expert (in any field). So Kevin has more than passed that marker and he trains and manages our other fitters to his same exacting standards. Sub-contracting installation is simply too hit and miss for our comfort; by employing our own team we are all invested in the entire process from commission to final fitting we can be certain that the quality of products and service is of a consistently high standard.   We are accountable for it all.

Our vans are fully equipped for any eventuality, health & safety equipment, full blind kits, curtain tracks, poles, a huge array of fittings including anti-ligature load release mechanisms; we have it all! There can be issues of course around fixing especially in new build with stud partition walls where there may be the need for reinforcement to ensure a robust installation that will last. Sub-contractors may not take a problem-solving approach and may not carry the range of fittings that we do and so may have no option but to leave the job undone. Being involved from end to end gives us invaluable insight, from our first site visit to measure up we can often identify any potential fitting issues. It certainly keeps our work interesting as we are continuously learning how to solve problems.

Our team also has great interpersonal skills, we are very customer centric; if we are working in a care home environment for example we are extremely respectful of the residents and work calmly and efficiently.

On our larger projects we offer a free maintenance inspection service within 12 months of the installation to check that all is in order. During this service we check the cords and mechanisms of blinds, tracks and poles which may benefit from some lubrication for their continued smooth operation, as well as checking curtains that they are not split or torn and that the fittings are all as they should be. A high percentage of problems arise due to incorrect use, such as corded tracks being pulled manually from the leading edge or dress curtains which were never designed to be closed being tugged upon, in these instances we take a little time to instruct staff in the proper method of operation. We also offer ongoing maintenance & audit packages to ensure the continuous smooth operation of your window dressings whether purchased from ourselves or elsewhere.

So I hope I haven’t overloaded you with information it just shows that installation and maintenance is a much bigger subject than most people realise. So the question is – do you have an expert fitting your curtains and blinds?