Is It Worth It To Retrofit Your Blinds With Motorization Instead Of Buying New Ones?

Finding the right window treatments for your home can be quite exhausting. It takes a lot of time and effort to find the perfect one for your home. Eventually, but surely, you will find a window treatment with the perfect colour to match or contrast with your room in the perfectly. It will fit in seamlessly with your furniture and everything in the room. What will make these window treatments more desirable is that they can offer the perfect filtering of light, privacy, outside view and temperature control.

The only thing they might lack, is their control options and functionality. This means that even though you found the perfect blinds for your home, you might be compelled to upgrade to newer and more practical models which have motors and can be controlled remotely. But there is an obvious case to be made for retrofitting motors to the blinds you already have.

Why Retrofitting Motors To My Blinds Is A Better Option As Opposed To Getting New Blinds?

1. The main reason for retrofitting motors would be that if you already love your blinds to the extent that you do not want replace them, retrofitting motors would give you the same functionality and control options that newer motorised blinds will have, without you having to sacrifice your window treatment. Also, your blinds may be in the best of shape and it would be a shame to discard them just for the sake of better operational mechanism.
2. Another factor to consider is retrofitting blinds might be more cost efficient. If your current blinds do not need to be replaced, retrofitting motors is always an option to consider. Even if your blinds are old, if the cost of servicing, maintaining them and adding motors is lesser than replacing them altogether, then it just might make sense to retrofit motors. In a situation like this it is best to assess the situation by implementing a cost benefit analysis. Gauge the average cost of getting new blinds and estimate the cost of maintenance and adding a motor (average priced and good quality) and compare the two.
3. This is more of a general reasoning as to why you should get motorised blinds in the first place (retrofit or new blinds). They add a lot of comfort to your living experience. You can control how much light enters the room by the touch of a button or a simple voice command. If you have windows that are higher up on the walls, you do not have to stretch or use a chair or ladder anymore.
4. If you are going to have a toddler living with you soon, motorising your existing blinds for the purpose of childproofing your home is also warranted. Getting new blinds might take a little more time and effort, which you would rather utilize on other things. With motorised blinds you can get rid of the cords which can be a threat to child safety.
5. You can even go a notch higher and integrate the motorised blinds to your home automation systems. You can set the mood and even have timer options with the help voice command apps like Apple Home kit, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

How Do I Acquaint Myself With The Process Of Retrofitting Motors To My Blinds?

This is where things get a little complicated. However, if you plan correctly and have a sense of everything you need, then things should be very easy. What you need to do first, is contact the seller of your current blinds. Chances are that they also sell motors for their own blinds. Even if they do not sell motors for their own blinds, they can lead you to another seller. Your best chance of a finding a compatible motor is by contacting the seller of your blinds.

If, for some reason you cannot contact the seller of your blinds or if they do not sell motors and cannot recommend anyone who sells motors compatible with their models, your next option is to go online. A regulation search for motors that are compatible with your type of blinds should be available somewhere on the web.

Once you do that, you will find a few options to short list. Narrow your list by deleting those that do not meet your preferences. For example, do you want motors with batteries or wired motors? If you want motors powered by batteries, do you prefer rechargeable or replaceable batteries? What control options does each motor provide? Do you want a separate remote or do you prefer controlling them with your smart phone? Do you want voice command?

Once you figure these out and find out which type of motor you want to buy, you can make your purchase. There are a few things to keep in mind again. If you wish to install it yourself as a ‘Do It Yourself’ project, make sure you ask for an instruction manual or a video for reference. You can always opt for installation by professionals too.  Also make sure to check for a return policy (in case the motor is not compatible with your blinds) and a warranty if there are some defects with the motor. If your motors do not work at some point, check if you have the duration for warrantee has lapsed before taking it apart and trying to fix it yourself.

Is It Worth It To Integrate My Motorised Blinds To My Automated Home System?

If you already have motorised blinds you might be wondering if it is worth the effort to integrate the blinds to your automated home system or not. There are a few benefits that arise out of this integration that might be able to push you into making a decision.

For example, if you have a smart thermostat integrated with your blinds, your blinds can automatically close and open when the thermostat deems it to be too hot or cold inside, leading to an effective regulation of room temperature. This can even turn out to be an energy efficient option for you to exercise. Another benefit is integrating the blinds to your AV system. If you are watching a movie in your den or playing a video game, you can change the settings to ‘Movie setting’ and the blinds will automatically close as the lights also dim.

Another form of integration is integrating your blinds to the security system. While you would always want to check if you locked your doors and windows, it is also important to know if your blinds are drawn to avoid peeping from nosy onlookers. Integration with the security system can allow you to not only close the blinds remotely but also give you a peace of mind whenever you are not at home.

Motorising your current blinds are one of the best decisions you can ever make. You don’t have to sacrifice the look you have achieved with your current blinds by replacing them. The effort you take to motorise your blinds now will lead to years of convenience and comfortable living.