How Much Do Window Treatments Cost?

As all designers (both amateur and professional) know, window treatments are one of the best ways to add color, texture and life to a room. From the elegant to the contemporary, the subtle to the loud, window treatments come in many different shapes, sizes and designs to suit the look, feel and function of just about any room. They wear many hats, too, protecting the inside of your home and its occupants from harmful UV light, saving you on cooling bills along the way. If they’re motorized, window treatments can also be an important part of a multi-faceted security system, as they can be scheduled to lower and raise even when you’re gone.

There are many different factors to consider when choosing the right treatment for you. One of the biggest and most common is cost, which can range widely depending on a number of factors. Let’s take a deep dive into each of these factors for a better sense of how to estimate how much those dream window treatments will cost you.

Square Foot

One of the biggest factors affecting the price of window treatments is size. After all, it’s one thing to outfit a small window in a traditional home as opposed to a modern home with outer walls made primarily of windows. That said, while some types of window treatments will be sold by the square foot, you’ll more likely find treatments sold by panel. You’ll still need to measure your windows and frames to estimate this, but your estimates instead will be based on how many square feet you’ll need the panel itself to be, and how many panels you need total.

Before you whip out that tape measure and lay it against your window, keep in mind that measuring your window to estimate square footage isn’t as intuitive as it might seem. Some blinds will need to be fitted to the length, width and height of the inside surfaces of the window while other types (like vertical blinds), will need to be measured from where the headrail is to be installed. And that’s just blinds! For purposes of price estimation and to ensure you order blinds that are the correct size, it’s a good idea to follow a measurement guide for your specific window treatment type to ensure you’re getting it right.

Material and Quality

Whether you’re looking to add some serious designer cred to the look of your home, or you’re dead set about stopping pesky sunlight from bothering you on a weekend morning, the kind of material you choose can significantly affect your price.

For instance, window blinds, shades, and shutters can be made from plastic, vinyl, metal, hardwood, faux wood, bamboo, and even fabric. Hardwood is among the most expensive material while vinyl is among the least. Lower-end materials can cost as little as $20 per panel while high-end materials can be a little more.

Curtains made from a low-end fabric can cost you as little as $7 per panel, while silk, brocade, and linen curtains can cost more like $150 per panel (even in standard sizes).

But quality of window treatments doesn’t just have to do with the material itself. The quality is also affected by who has designed and manufactured the treatments. A set of custom-made blinds made from hardwood, specifically intended to be eco-friendly and hand-crafted by a leading designer will cost you much more than a mass-produced vinyl blind. Whether or not these differences in price -- which can be hundreds, if not thousands of dollars -- are worth it to you depend on how you plan on using the treatments, the ease or difficulty of fitting blinds to your unique windows, and how much value you put in design and decor.

Installation

Installing your window treatments can be as easy as slapping some shades up there or as complicated as...well...let’s just say you’re going to need some professional help. Overall, the cost of installing all kinds of window treatments ranges from less than a hundred dollars to hundreds of dollars.

The cost of installation is cheapest for drapes at about $73, though it will cost more if there is additional fitting hardware involved (e.g. a pulley system). Shades are also relatively low in cost ranging from $80 to $100.

Shutters are more expensive, costing closer to $100 for 4 to 12 windows, while blinds are around the range of $120.

These prices all vary based on the number of windows you’re looking to outfit, though most installers will give you bulk discounts as that number increases.

Type

The type of window treatment you choose can lower or raise your overall price significantly, depending on whether you’re decorating your child’s first dorm room as opposed to your private “show mansion” in the French Alps. We’ve arranged treatments here in order of cost from lowest to highest:

Shades: Shades can cost as little as $10 and as much as $95. Prices here vary based on the quality of the shade. This can all depend on whether you’re looking for a low-cost fabric that won’t last as long as one specifically designed to block out as much light as possible, or a pair that is particularly stylish and made from insulating cellular materials like pleated and roman shades.

Blinds: Blinds can be incredibly affordable at around $8 per window panel or much more expensive at about $1,000 per panel. This wide range is due to differences in the quality of materials and designers. Blinds made from hardwood, for example, will cost you much more than their faux-wood counterparts. Prices for blinds can also vary based on the design, meaning that you’ll spend less if you’re fitting windows of more standard sizes and more if you’re looking for a less common size or if you require your blinds to be custom made. As an example, a mass-produced mini-window blind can cost between $7 to $40, while you can expect to pay more like $250 to $1,700 for the highest quality wood and fabrics, unique decorations, multiple blind headrails, and motorized blinds. Energy efficient blinds tend to cost around $30 to $130 per panel, again depending on the designer, style and materials used. And of course, you’ll always pay a hefty price tag for a designer name.

Shutters: Shutters can cost anywhere from $20 to $700 depending on the type of material you opt for and the size of the panels. They also vary based on size, with more standard shutters costing from $20 to $150, custom shutters made from inexpensive materials (e.g. wood and vinyl) costing from $20 to $150, and custom-made shutters made from hardwood costing more like $250 to $700. Sometimes hang strips and mounting hardware aren’t included in this price. If this is the case, you can add $8 to $20 on to the prices above.

Curtains and Drapes: Typically, drapes and curtains cost an average of $100 to $250 per panel. However, this can range between $7 to $1,500 overall, depending on how fancy you want to get. Prices also vary based on the size of each panel, which can be between 15 and 50 inches wide depending on whether you’re fitting a bedroom, living room, kitchen or bathroom window. Energy efficient curtains cost from $20 to $150, though do keep in mind they’ll save you on energy bills in the long term.

Additional Elements

There are a few additional factors you might want to consider in estimating the costs of your window treatment project.

First, prices will be significantly different if your window treatments will need to be custom made or fit. And of course, adding other custom elements, like specific stains or designs, will also increase those prices.

Another important factor to consider is just what’s included with the window treatments you’re purchasing. You’ll want to make sure that the mounting hardware is included -- and if not, you’ll want to check carefully to make sure it doesn’t significantly increase your overall price. For curtains, extras like rings, clips,and valances are key to hanging the curtain, and can cost anywhere from $5 to $600. Adding in a fashionable cornice can layer on another $150 to $600 for the final price, while holdbacks and finials can add $7 to $80. In short: extras add up.

If you’re buying online, shipping is another important factor and can cost anywhere from $30 to $80 depending on the weight and dimensions of your treatments, as well as how many you’re buying.

With so many different kinds of window treatments available, the sky -- and the cost -- is the only limit. You can outfit your home to look 1950s-retro but with a touch of motorized convenience, or you can go all-out modern just by choosing a different window treatment. And with so many excellent energy-saving options out there, you can protect your home and bring down heating and cooling costs along the way. Window treatments are form and function, all in one -- and with these handy cost estimates in hand, you’ll have no trouble finding out how much all of this will add to your bottom line.