Struggling to find shades or curtains for huge windows

- My place has huge south-facing windows, and I debated battery vs. hardwired for weeks.
- Hardwired seemed like a hassle at first, but I didn’t want to be up on a ladder every few months swapping batteries.
- Only downside I’ve noticed is the install—ran into some drywall headaches.
- Curious if anyone’s tried solar-powered shades for big windows? Wondering if they’re reliable or just another thing to maintain.

Solar-powered shades are actually pretty solid for big south-facing windows, as long as you’ve got enough sun exposure (sounds like you do). I put them in for a client last year—install wasn’t too different from standard motorized, but you do need to make sure the solar panel’s placement isn’t blocked by trim or anything. They’ve held up well so far, but I’ll say the charging can be hit or miss if you get a lot of cloudy days in winter. Maintenance-wise, less hassle than swapping batteries, but you’ll want to dust the panels every now and then. If you’re comfortable running a wire or two, the hardwired route is still the most “set it and forget it” option, but solar’s a nice middle ground if you hate ladders as much as I do.

If you’re comfortable running a wire or two, the hardwired route is still the most “set it and forget it” option, but solar’s a nice middle ground if you hate ladders as much as I do.

I hear you on the ladder thing—after too many years of balancing on rickety steps to swap batteries, I’m all for anything that keeps my feet on the ground. I actually did a retrofit last spring in a mid-century place with those massive living room windows. We went solar-powered for the shades, mainly because there was no easy way to fish wires through the old plaster without tearing things up.

Honestly, they’ve been better than I expected. Even with our not-so-sunny Pacific Northwest winters, they held enough charge for daily use (though we did have one week where they slowed down—probably needed a panel wipe). The only thing I’d add is to double-check your window trim depth before mounting the panels. One client had these chunky decorative ledges that cast a shadow by midday...had to move the panels higher to catch more sun.

If wiring isn’t your thing or you’re dealing with tricky architecture, solar’s worth considering. But yeah, if you can hardwire and don’t mind the upfront hassle, nothing beats never thinking about charging again.

The only thing I’d add is to double-check your window trim depth before mounting the panels.

That’s a great point—trim depth can really mess with solar panel placement. I ran into a similar issue with deep sills in a 70s split-level. Ended up having to angle the panels out a bit, which looked odd but did the trick. Hardwiring was tempting, but fishing wires through that old insulation was a nightmare waiting to happen. Solar’s not perfect, but for awkward architecture, it’s a solid workaround.

fishing wires through that old insulation was a nightmare waiting to happen.

That’s the truth—old insulation is unforgiving. I’ve seen folks try to retrofit motorized shades and just give up halfway because of that. If you’ve got deep sills, sometimes custom brackets are worth the extra cost. Not always pretty, but way less hassle than tearing into walls.

If you’ve got deep sills, sometimes custom brackets are worth the extra cost. Not always pretty, but way less hassle than tearing into walls.

Totally agree on skipping the wall demo—been there, regretted that. I’ve also seen folks try those tension rods for big windows, but they usually sag or just look off. Curious if anyone’s tried running surface conduit for the wiring instead of fishing through insulation? Not the prettiest, but sometimes you gotta pick your battles...

Surface conduit’s a solid workaround, honestly. I’ve used it in a rental where I couldn’t open up walls, and while it’s not invisible, you can paint it to match the trim and it kind of blends in. Definitely beats fishing wires through old insulation—been there, swore I’d never do it again. Have you looked at those low-profile raceways? They’re not exactly designer, but they’re less clunky than standard conduit. Sometimes function just wins over form, especially with huge windows...

- Just went through this with our living room windows—massive, and I didn’t want to mess up the plaster.
- Looked at surface conduit but worried it’d look too industrial. Didn’t realize you could paint it to blend in, that’s a game changer.
- Tried those flat raceways for the TV wires in another room. Not pretty, but honestly, after a week, I stopped noticing them.
- Function definitely won over form for me, especially since custom shades are $$$ and I needed something up fast.
- Curious if anyone’s tried stick-on curtain rods? I’m skeptical they’d hold up with heavy fabric but tempted to try...

- Totally get the hesitation about stick-on rods. I tried them once in a guest room—light linen curtains were fine, but anything heavier and they started sagging after a month.
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Function definitely won over form for me, especially since custom shades are $$$ and I needed something up fast.

I get the appeal of quick fixes, but honestly, after I swapped out my old tension rods for properly mounted brackets, my heating bill actually dropped a bit. Heavy curtains with a real rod make a difference—especially in winter. Sometimes the hassle pays off in the long run.