A replacement window job can leave your customer with blinds that no longer fit. If you leave that problem for the customer to solve, another supplier can get the shade order. You can keep that conversation with your business by asking about the old blinds early, confirming the finished measurements and arranging the new shades. We make them to measure in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Why should a window company ask about the old blinds?
Ask your customer what they plan to do with the blinds when the replacement windows are fitted. If the old blinds no longer fit, the customer needs someone to supply new ones. Leaving that conversation until the window work is finished gives them another supplier to find. You can include shades in your planning and give them a price for each opening.
Keep the shade measurements separate from the replacement window measurements. Confirm the finished opening before placing the shade order. We make shades from 9 to 109 inches wide and up to 130 inches high, to the eighth of an inch. Each shade is priced from the measurements of the window it is for.
There is no minimum order. One shade is fine. You can supply a shade for an opening that needs it without adding shades elsewhere. For a renovator or property manager, that makes it possible to handle an individual window as part of the work already being done.
What can I quote for replacement shades?
For a chain-operated zebra shade, 24 by 36 inches is $125.40. A chain-operated zebra shade at 30 by 48 inches is $175.00. A chain-operated zebra shade at 36 by 48 inches is $199.80. A chain-operated zebra shade at 36 by 60 inches is $237.00. These are examples of common bathroom and bedroom windows. They are not measurements for a particular house. The prices are before tax, with shipping in Canada included.
A roller blind at 24 by 36 inches is $86.10 before tax, with shipping in Canada included. Use the actual window measurements when you prepare your customer's quote. Free material samples can be ordered on our website before buying. Give your customer a chance to choose the material before you confirm the order.
Any shade can be motorized for $115.00 more. One remote costs $50.00 and runs up to 15 shades. A motorized shade has no chain. Keep the remote separate in your quote so the customer can see what they are ordering. GST or HST is charged by delivery province.
What should go into a shade specification?
Write down the shade type, finished measurements, material number and operating choice. Zebra shades alternate sheer and solid bands on one roller. Line the bands up for privacy or offset them for filtered light. A roller blind is one panel of fabric with no bands. Use the material number from the sample when you record the selection.
Shangri-La shades have soft fabric vanes held between two sheer layers. The chain tilts the vanes open or closed and then rolls the shade up. They come in materials 33 and 35. Material 35 is room-darkening. Shangri-La shades are priced by size on their own line and can be ordered online.
Our chain-operated shades have a continuous loop chain. It is sold shrouded and anchored to the wall with a tension device. Your customer chooses which side the chain hangs on. We set the drop length. Record that choice before confirming the order so the workshop has the operating details along with the measurements.
How do I buy shades through a trade account?
Designers, decorators, builders, property managers and dealers can apply for a trade account on our website. A person approves each application. Once you are signed in, you can see the trade price by the square foot. Price each opening from its measurements when you prepare the shade part of your quote.
Trade orders are collected from our workshop in Richmond Hill. They are ready 3 to 5 business days after the order is confirmed. Trade orders are not shipped. A trade account pays by Interac e-Transfer or in cash when it collects. Include collection in your job planning before you give the customer a fitting date.
For orders placed on the website, we make the shades in Richmond Hill and dispatch them within three working days of confirmation. Transit is on top. Widths of 94 inches and over travel by courier in their own carton, with an $85 charge once per order. Website payment is by Interac e-Transfer.
Who installs the shades and handles problems?
Decide who will measure, order and fit the shades while you are preparing the quote. We install within 75 km of Elgin Mills and Yonge in Richmond Hill. Installation is $100 per window, with a minimum of three windows. If you want our team to fit them, check that the job is within that area.
The warranty covers the mechanical parts: the roller, chain, brackets and motor. The free 1 year cover is currently upgraded free to 3 years. Mechanical parts are covered for life on a shade our own team installs. Fabric is excluded from every cover.
Custom shades are final sale once the order is confirmed. That does not cover a shade that arrives faulty, damaged or different from what was ordered. The remake guarantee is one blind per customer and applies to website orders of three shades or more. Trade accounts do not have that remake guarantee. Check the measurements and material choice before confirming a trade order.
What to do next
Measure a finished window and price it on our website with the shade type, material and operation your customer wants. You can start with one shade and order free material samples before buying. Apply for a trade account on the website if you want to supply shades through your business.
Made to measure in Richmond Hill and shipped free anywhere in Canada. Or ring us on (289) 210-3254.