We moved into our current house in April 2020. Didn't take the time to clean up the window in the garage. It had obviously been neglected since the house was built in 2014. I'm now getting around to cleaning it up...

Blinds don't belong in a garage, especially white ones. They will always be dirty amongst other issues. I'm thinking of some one-way tint to put on the windows. I want it so no one can see in from the street, needs to look good from the street, would like to block some heat, and low maintenance.

What's the TexAgs outdoor board solution??

I agree with solar screens.

Try posting this on the Home Improvement board too.

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Solar screens?

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Thought of that but then all other street facing windows would need solar screens to match. More of an investment than I want to make just to solve this problem

Personally not a fan of how solar screens look. For aesthetic solutions, really your only options that look good (again, my opinion) is having them tinted or even wide plantation shutters. They would be easier to clean than blinds but definitely more expensive. You can still see through the tint but less than if they were not tinted. I think tinted windows look good. What area are you located? Precision Windows in Dallas is who we use and recommend to our clients.

EDIT: Precision Windows doesn't do the tinting themselves, they refer to Amersol out of Richardson, TX.

You can buy window tint for this purpose. I did that in my garage

I have a similar garage window in our new house (moved in in September). It was missing blinds altogether, but still had brackets. I went ahead and replaced them with new blinds because that window faces the street and now all the window treatments match when looking at the house. They're dirty and stay dirty but it isn't noticeable from the outside.

Fix it the blinds you already have?

Use a white roller shade with about a 3% openness. You'll still get some natural light, but it will completely obscure visibility to the inside. Also, it's operable so you can fully raise it for additional light anytime you want.

ATXAdvisor said:

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Fix it the blinds you already have?

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Why? It makes the house look "lived in" and not so stuffy like the others in the neighborhood.

Update: I called a solar screen company at the recommendation of this board to get a quote...because, what the heck, a quote is free.

$415 to install solar screens on all street facing windows. That's 5 large windows, 4 half moon windows, and 6 tall narrow windows. Most neighbors have solar screens already on their street facing windows - so now we'll all match.

Highly recommended Lonestar Solar Screens so far. Called them Friday and they were at my house Saturday. A neighbor is who recommended them.

Aluminum foil

GentrysMillTX10 said:

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Update: I called a solar screen company at the recommendation of this board to get a quote...because, what the heck, a quote is free.

$415 to install solar screens on all street facing windows. That's 5 large windows, 4 half moon windows, and 6 tall narrow windows. Most neighbors have solar screens already on their street facing windows - so now we'll all match.

Highly recommended Lonestar Solar Screens so far. Called them Friday and they were at my house Saturday. A neighbor is who recommended them.

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So....no leg lamp then? It's a major award.

We put up blackout shades on ours. From the outside, it just looks like the refelction of the window and you don't notice them...