Cost of Installing Curtains

Hi all,

I have never got any thing like this done before as I have always rented before, but now I finally own my own place.

I know this question is kind of "how long is a piece of string", but don't want to be in for a shock and kind of want to have a rough idea of what price to expect.

I know this can be a DIY job, but I rather get someone to do the whole thing for me.

I have 3 bedrooms which currently have vertical blinds installed, I have asked someone to come out to do the whole service for:
3 bedrooms
- Remove (and dispose) of current vertical blinds
- The guy will also be bringing some curtain fabrics to let me choose from
- installation of new curtains and rods

Each room has 1 large window which is
Height 1.3 metres
Width 1.8 metres

I just want some descent curtains likely plain grey in colour that blocks out enough sunlight.

So what kind of price shouId I be expecting for all this?

UPDATE:

Just to update everyone, I am most likely just going to buy blinds from https://www.homeblindsaustralia.com.au/ who seem to have good reviews and reasonably priced.

I will remove the old blinds myself, as it looks like I can literally do this using just a screwdriver.

I will either install the new blinds myself (I will need to buy a power drill/tools) or simply just pay some guy from gumtree/airtasker $100~ to do the install for me for all 3 bedrooms.

Anyway, since Spotlight currently doing 30% off and free in-home measure and quote I booked them in just as a potential option (but likely wont go ahead with it anyway).

Thanks to everyone who genuinely offered good advice/suggestions.

UPDATE 2:

I have went ahead and ordered the complete blockout roller blinds from https://www.homeblindsaustralia.com.au and when it arrives will decide whether its easy enough for me to install myself else I will just pay someone from Gumtree/Airtasker to install it. Thanks everyone for the suggestions/help!!

Comments

  • +39

    You will likely pay a lot for someone to do it for you. You can buy ready made curtains fairly easily that should suit your windows.

    Removing verticals is probably as simple as undoing 3-4 screws per track. The track may be clipped into some brackets and the screws hidden.
    Installing new rails isn’t difficult.

    Learning to do simple stuff like this will save you a lot as a home owner.

    • +20

      Surprised you didn’t creepily stalk his previous posts and post something like you usually do.

      • -7

        It's ok, you only need to use 2 votes today :)

        • +3

          I did not see that twist :0

  • +1

    Like I said, I know this can be a DIY job, but same can be said for many other services.

    I am willing to pay someone to do it for me and make sure its done professionally rather than me doing all the research, going shopping to find the correct size curtains/rods and buying tools to do it and likely half ass'ing the job.

    Anyway, its free measure and quote, so worse case if I really don't want to proceed I can cancel it.

    • +1

      Like I said, I know this can be a DIY job, but same can be said for many other services.

      These are the kind of things you should really start to learn how to do yourself now that you own your own home if not you're just throwing away money. Youtube is your friend, watch a few different videos on how to do it, take advice and tips from each then give it a go. What's the worst that can happen? I'd never picked up any tools before I bought my place and I have since done a lot of renovation work saving me literally thousands of $$

    • +8

      i just put in 3 curtains myself and am pretty happy with the result

      curtain rods - 69 each - 207 total ( bunnings )

      black out curtains 150 each - 450 total ( spotlight ) , i would classify them as mid range/quality . i think they are like 2.2m high ( floor to rod ) and like 1.8m wide ( option for up 2.4m + 3m wide but would cost more )

      so really depends on how much you value the removal/installation , a handyman would probably take < 1 h to remove them /patch up holes , and drilling a few holes is not a long process either.

      honestly i think you will save a lot if you hire a handyman + buy the materials instead of getting a "professional curtain installation company"

    • Having the tools afterwards is worth the price of admission!

      There's nothing quite like needing to do a job around the house and knowing you already have the correct tool from when you had to X previously.

  • +6

    The installation is cheap it will take 20 minutes for a simple installation - maybe an hour if there's a pelmet or other trickiness

    The curtain material and sewing will be a bomb. The bedroom in my old place cost $2500 for a 2m x 1.5m curtain plus 2off 2m x 2m plus 2off 1m x 2 m. The material alone was half the cost

  • +1
  • +8

    A few thousand

  • I bought my own by the metre from spotlight on sale and that cost about $150 for two windows (one is about 5m wide and one about 3m wide, but also need extra for the ruffles).

    Then I bought a shower rod from Bunnings and the brackets and drilled them into the pelmet.

    I would go buy it all yourself on sale and get someone on airtasker to do it for you/you help.

    • Thanks, I am starting to consider this option.

      • Check out https://www.spotlightstores.com/signup to save some DIY dough.

        • +1

          Thanks, seems they offer free in house measure and quote too.

          • @bruc3: They run a 30% off special on made to measure curtains and blinds several times per year. It might be a good idea to wait until the next special.

            • @wizzy: Thanks for letting me know.

              Yeah I guess I am in no rush.

  • +1

    Just get a couple (at least) of quotes and do your comparison / decision then.

  • +4

    Definitely in the thousands. I had some work done several years ago that was bigger than what you're contemplating, but not ridiculously so. I seem to recall it ran me somewhere in the $3-5k bracket 13-odd years ago.

  • +2

    Ikea have a wide range of reasonable priced curtains and they are very easy to install. I did them throughout my house and rental

  • +6

    If you do go the DIY route, remember to at least double (better yet triple) your window’s width in order to get a nice fullness to your curtain.

    • +2

      Isn't that too much?? Double and triple the width would be crazy amount of curtain fabric which also means that much extra weight. Curtains that block light are usually more heavy. That means the installed hardware must be capable of handling so much extra weight or the rod is going to bend which is more ugly. I've installed curtains that are little over the width and I much prefer the plain look rather than the fullness you mention.

      • Green wall plugs are rated to 90kg.
        That's what's holding up my curtains

      • +1

        We suggested 2.5 times the window’s width when I worked at Spotlight during university.

        • Spotlight University, reminds me of Bovine University

  • +4

    Curtains…Pfft

    Screens are the bomb!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQgJv_lzH8w

    • +1

      Thats amazing, it must be pricey.

      • Should be cheap, but will be pricey

  • +1

    Looking at doing the opposite right now: replacing our curtains with vertical blinds or plantation shutters.

    Keep in mind that curtains look uglier, make the room look a touch darker (unless they are white) and smaller (the window intrudes into the room more), and don't block out the light as effectively (a lot of light comes around the edges).

    • Vertical blinds can also bleed light.

      • +2

        Well I am moving away from vertical blinds because of the light bleed.

        • +1

          Well that won't work, obviously. Vertical blinds plus curtains would be better than just curtains (just curtains will be worse than vertical blinds).

          But blockout pull-down roller blinds or (very expensive) total blockout shutters would be best.

          • @ItsMeAgro: I think this depends entirely on the vertical blinds and the curtains. My vertical blinds are horrible, even cheap curtains would do better at blocking light and we are currently pricing getting rid of those with good blockout curtains. conversely my mother has aluminium vertical blinds that are great for blocking out light, but would never choose them over curtains.

  • +1

    For a three bedroom house, we were quoted ~7K. Did it myself finally. Don’t see a point in paying someone unless you want home automation or motorised curtains.

    • Damn that's pricy! How much did it cost doing it yourself?

      • +3

        LOL. That was with Spotlight’s 40% off. Such a rip off. Ended up ordering custom high quality curtains from abroad and got it shipped. Only bought the fittings locally. I guess it all came to <3K.

        I would do motorised blinds instead of curtains if I have to ever do it again though.

  • +4

    We had curtains professionally made and installed - they were relatively expensive (in comparison to DIY jobs) but they were of much better quality than DIY curtains we installed when we were renovating for sale. We had our curtains for about ten years and in that time they did suffer a bit of wear and tear - if we had stayed in the property we would not have got rid of them, but the whole appearance was a bit outdated and did need sprucing up to appeal to new homebuyers. The advantage of good curtains is that they do help a home retain its warmth - screens, plantations and ready mades don't really have that effect.

    I would recommend a measure and quote - they will try to upsell you not only with fabric but also pelmets, tie backs, varied types of pleating etc. I still think it is worth it.

    However, you can easily take down the old tracks and verticals and that will save some costs.

  • +1

    I had mine done through Spotlight in Sydney when they offered 30% off so its worth waiting for that. I am happy with the job they did. The person doing the installing was careful and had good attention to detail. I haven't had any problems with them and its been 2 years. The price included removal of old stuff and anything that was needed for the new installation. Its worth getting a quote from them when its 30% off. Oh and it was a genuine 30% off since I had been monitoring the price for a while after I had the original quote in writing.

  • +1

    Buy a tape measure, measure up the window frame to the floor.

    Go to spotlight, buy appropriate sized curtains and curtain rods. Maybe from Bunnings.

    Then airtasker the diy element of you want to.

    That way you save on materials and get help with the diy bit.

  • I did this same thing early this year, Dollar Curtains & Blinds just under $3k, 3 bedrooms, lounge, dining and pull down blinds for kitchen and laundry.
    I decided to put double tracks on all windows in case I want to get sheers later, currently just on lounge room window.
    Also got a spotlight for $9k for the same thing, heavy blockout curtains.

  • Agree with other posters - work out how to diy the small stuff. Save your money to pay professionals for the inevitable electric, plumbing and tile jobs that will arise.
    Check out ikea Curtains.

  • Go shop at Ikea. They have everything you need. I installed curtains in my rented home by myself (with owner's permission of course). Ikea also has a wide range of good quality curtains.

  • Took few quotes when I moved in to my place last year.

    They don’t normally quote separately for installation (atleast from my experience). The materials you choose from will decide how much you will end up paying.

    One of the shops was reasonably priced and others were too much than diy. I ended up diy as. it gave me the freedom of doing things at my own pace than full upfront cost and also could mix and match from diff products (i.e. blinds from one company, curtains from one place, shutters from another place… )

  • +1

    I'm not sure of the cost (we DIYed and it's a lot of work to do well) but a couple of things to consider from the lessons we learned.

    1. Go for double tracks so you can add a sheer layer, it helps with privacy and insulation.
    2. Choose fabrics in pale neutrals - you want the feature of any room you enter to be the light and the space, not the metres of fabric in it.
    3. Consider ceiling mounted rails and a ceiling mounted pelmet, with curtains to cover the whole wall where appropriate. It looks unobtrusive, make the window space look bigger and blocks in/out the heat better. It's what I want to do next and I'll probably pay to have it done.
  • Hi OP,
    I don't know the full details, but my uncle recently went to Spotlight and was able to purchase custom sets of blinds and curtains. He said it was really cheap and he installed them himself (he's not an overly 'handy' person so it couldn't have been too difficult). To top it off, they look really good too.

    • Thanks, that encouraging. Yes I am going to attempt to install myself now, worse case if I cant do it I will pay a guy from Gumtree/Airtasker to do it.

      • You'll be fine, its not overly hard.

        Make sure you have a good (even the ozito power xchange stuff will do) impact driver as you'll want to kill yourself using a normal drill.

        One thing to note is where you attach them to. If you have MDF trim they're far from structural and you can't screw into them, even if they're timber chances are they're just nailed on so you wouldn't want to hang a nice heavy curtain from them. When we moved into our place the previous owners screwed right into mdf trims and each and every one of them had come away from the wall.

        You'll want to go right through the trim and into the timber behind it for it to be strong enough. Alternatively you could attach into the plaster above depending on the look you're going for.

        • Hi knk,

          Thanks for your help so far.

          Basically I will be installing the roller blinds on the face (NOT within the recess) of the window, and the wall is full concrete (no window architraves).

          So similar like this window here, you can see there is a recess and it has no architraves:
          https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9c/06/12/9c0612d2c9dcf095e1a9…

          So would you be able to recommend a cheapish small drill I could buy from say Bunnings that would be able to do the job of screwing the Blinds rod and mounting brackets into the concrete wall?

          • -1

            @bruc3: For concrete I use a cheap ozito corded SDS drill. I use their bigger 1600w one but I just checked on bunnings and they have a $100 one that'd be fine. Probably a whole lot easier to use, the one I have is massive.
            https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-900w-sds-3j-rotary-hammer-…

            If you're doing 1 or 2 a corded/cordless 'hammer' drill might be okay but it'll take you a while to get through the concrete. If you're doing a whole house, rent or buy an SDS drill.

            In this case you won't need an impact driver, but I feel like at least a cheapish decent impact driver / drill combo are invaluable for a home owner. Personally I have a makita one + the ozito power xchange stuff. There's a huge difference in torque from the ozito (non brushless) impact driver compared to the makita, but both still do the job fine. If you're going into a thick sleeper, or driving roofing screws into steel the makita is noticably quicker. Those kind of things you only do once every so often so I wouldn't stress.

            One tip would be to be reasonably conservative with your hole size when you're drilling too, if you move the drill around too much (I'm clumsy as) you can end up in a situation where the hole will be too big for your concrete anchors and they won't grab.

        • Disagree with needing an impact driver for hanging curtains. I’ve installed quite a few window furnishings and never used an impact driver.

          You will need a hammer drill for drilling into brick or concrete walls.

          • @Euphemistic: If you predrill I guess, but I find that without the impact function your drill will slip quite a bit more.

            Either way, drill/impact driver combos are pretty cheap.

            • -1

              @knk: Typically for hanging curtains you would hammer drill a hole in the brick, push a wall plug in (probably green) and screw into the plug. Neither of which requires an impact driver. You can use a screw driver to put a screw into a plug.

              Using an impact driver to put a screw into soft stuff is asking for overtightening or stripping the thread.

              • @Euphemistic: I had wrongly assumed that he wasn't going into masonry, which should be obvious since I mentioned screwing into timber.

                • -1

                  @knk: True enough, but even for screwing into timber for a curtain rod a standard drill will suffice. You most certainly won’t ‘want to kill yourself’ using a normal drill.

                  I do agree a drill/impact combo will be cheap enough, but then you need to go and buy a hammer drill as well for this task. getting a 2 speed hammer drill would suffice - for the task outlined by the OP.

                  Impact driver really become useful for Allen, square drive screws, large batten screws and flooring screws etc. For standard Phillips timber screws up to about 60mm and softwood I grab the drill before the impact.

  • +1

    Cant beat Spotlight for choice of curtains and curtain hardware and they provide good advice too.

    Get yourself a cheap impact drill

    • bad advice on impact drill…

      Use a decent drill / driver instead at low speed for driving. Don’t use impact driver for simple drill and screw jobs.
      If you don’t control your push power you go way too deep in the plaster or the wood and it’s ruined. specially if you’re fitting things to architrave as the material is really soft and takes no pressure at all.

      • It's "full concrete"

        • Still shouldn’t need an impact driver.

  • Basically I will be installing the roller blinds on the face (NOT within the recess) of the window, and the wall is full concrete (no window architraves).

    So similar like this window here, you can see there is a recess and it has no architraves:
    https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9c/06/12/9c0612d2c9dcf095e1a9…

    So can someone please recommend a cheapish small drill I could buy from say Bunnings that would be able to do the job of screwing the Blinds rod and mounting brackets into the concrete wall?

    • If you’re certain it’s concrete and not plaster / brick, then perhaps a hammer drill driver combo might suit better.

      Also get a good concrete bit, it’ll make big difference.

  • I bought everything I needed from IKea like curtains, rods, holders and put the below ad on airtasker

    Need 7 curtains rods/holders and one roller blind installed in house
    5 on windows and 2 on stacker doors, 1 roller blind in bathroom.

    Got it all done for $180(the guy charged $10 for screws as I forgot to buy those)

  • Hi dude, I know it's a little confronting messing around with your house, but small things like blinds are a great place to start.

    If you're a little concerned about installation, your first two requirements don't concern that:

    • Remove (and dispose) of current vertical blinds
    • The guy will also be bringing some curtain fabrics to let me choose from

    How about you and your partner give those scews a shot with a screwdriver and see what happens? Could be fun :)

    • +3

      Yes, after rethinking the whole thing I am now considering the DIY route, have been watching some helpful youtube videos. Thanks.

      • +1

        Nice - it's a fun activity to do with your partner too :)

  • curtain rod $50 each
    curtain varies from 30-Unlimited per pair
    Remove - unscrew, take away. Fill the filler and repaint which I guess the labor will not do.
    Installation - Screw and put the curtain on.

    See how much you would like to pay for that.

  • This is a very arbitrary question without knowing what your skills are and what kind of house you live in.

    My thoughts is that if your house is nice/newly renovated, you'd be crazy to install your own curtains from spotlight.

    I found through my own install that its you get what you pay for. You can go pretty much classify into 3 different types of jobs:

    1) Cheap, just get what works - likely DIY should suffice.
    2) Moderately priced, gets the job done - get it professionally installed by a discount window dressing company.
    3) Luxurious/commercial.

    We went for category 3 but shopped around a lot to get the right price and configurations. Even in each bracket the pricing can be 50-100 percent different.

    The range and variation is enormous from the type of fabric, to the height of your windows, to whether you want motorised, whether you want blackout curtains or just sheers, or both etc etc.

    How we ended up getting what we wanted at a reasonable price vs quality was just getting lots of quotes.

  • There are things that require a lot of research and planning, but then there are some that's really piss easy, replacing blinds etc is one of them, and replacing a toilet seat or a door handle/lock/

    I think if it was going to be a more tricky kind of a job everyone here would have commented to steer you towards finding a professional to do it.

  • Just to update everyone, I am most likely just going to buy blinds from https://www.homeblindsaustralia.com.au/ who seem to have good reviews and reasonably priced.

    I will remove the old blinds myself, as it looks like I can literally do this using just a screwdriver.

    I will either install the new blinds myself (I will need to buy a power drill/tools) or simply just pay some guy from gumtree/airtasker $100~ to do the install for me for all 3 bedrooms.

    Anyway, since Spotlight currently doing 30% off and free in-home measure and quote I booked them in just as a potential option (but likely wont go ahead with it anyway).

    Thanks to everyone who genuinely offered good advice/suggestions.

  • we had home-made curtains for years which looked nice fabric but let light in - in our strata courtyard opposite unit leaving kitchen light on all night would disrupt my partner's sleep

    we made a trip to Spotlight but they didn't have the shorter length we wanted - mostly floor length not suitable for our dressers under the bedroom window

    so not long ago we ordered some blockout curtains from https://www.curtainsonthenet.com.au/ -

    Abigail Pencil Pleat Block Out Ready Made Curtains Taupe
    Ready Made: 175 - 250 x 160 cm cm $111.20
    Total:(inc. $25 delivery) excluding GST $123.82
    GST Amount: $12.38
    Total (inc GST): $136.20

    which are not beautiful fabric but totally reduce the light pollution so we sleep much better now.

    we already had commercial type roller bearing tracks I'd DIY-installed myself years before.

    oh - one guy I got to quote - sounded all fancy - quoted around $1000 for 3 curtains - when I started asking questions about references - he quickly went to water and turned nasty and walked away shouting - so hmm - beware of a random 'someone' if you don't have actual recommendations from people you know and trust.

    • Yes, I am likely going to go a similar route getting custom blockout blinds made from https://www.homeblindsaustralia.com.au/ for about $150~ each window. I think we will be happy with this, as almost anything must be better than the crappy vertical blinds we currently have (they are all bent and worn and let in too much light).

  • Unpopular opinion, I just pulled plantation shutters out of my townhouse, and installed Roman blinds.

    Got them from blindsonline.com.au, I think it was about $150 per window (1.5 x 1.5m) quality and fabric is fantastic! I pulled out the old stuff and installed the new stuff, easy to do with a drill

    I personally can’t stand roller blinds, as the bar on the bottom bangs against the wall when the window is open

  • To do curtains for a house (have them made and fitted) will cost thousands, and not one or two.

    Really, you're looking at between 4 and 7 thousand for an average house.

    God knows why, but curtain installers bill like it's 1985 and their Chinese made polyester curtains are handwoven with pure silk.

  • I got $20 alumininim blinds from bunnings…they usually on sale or reduced

  • Hi All,

    How to install two rods with a small gap between two windows? See the pic below.
    https://ibb.co/sg2Dgyr

    Both windows measure 4.3m together and the longest rod available is 4.3m, Need extra bit of length to add finials on both sides. Can go for two smaller rods but finials won't fit between the windows gaps.

    Any suggestions?

    Thanks in advance

  • I have installed roller blinds and venetian myself. It quite easy if they are not too long. If they are, you need another person to help with loading it on and measuring the holes.

    Roller are the cheapest if you have standard size windows. If not, then you need to order them in.

    Just need drill, self taping screws depending on the frame material. Measure everything twice. You will definitely screw the first one but window 2/3 will be a breeze.

  • +1

    Curtains expensive, quoted over $8k laughed at them. Did it myself for $1k. Blinds however are pretty cheap too $1,5. Just got someone to do those.

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