Window Treatments Cost for a New Home: What to Budget

Window coverings are one of the most consistently underestimated post-move expenses. In an apartment, blinds come with the unit. In a house, especially a new one or a resale where the sellers took their custom drapes, you're starting from scratch. A standard 1,700 sq ft home with 8–10 windows requires $1,500–$3,000 in basic window coverings. Custom treatments can reach $5,000–$10,000 for the same home.

This catches buyers off guard because it isn't one big purchase — it's 8–12 purchases that individually seem manageable but total a significant sum.

Window Treatment Options by Cost

Temporary paper shades ($5–$15 per window) Adhesive paper shades that provide immediate privacy. Not aesthetically impressive, but they work while you figure out what you actually want. Budget $50–$150 to cover the whole house temporarily. These are worth buying immediately rather than living without privacy for weeks.

Stock roller blinds and cellular shades ($20–$80 per window) Ready-made sizes from Home Depot, Lowes, IKEA, or Amazon. Work well for windows with standard dimensions. Total for a 10-window house: $200–$800. Installation is a drill and some screws — 15–20 minutes per window for most people.

Semi-custom cellular shades and roller blinds ($60–$200 per window) Ordered to custom dimensions but from stock fabric/material options. Available from retailers like Blinds.com, SelectBlinds, or Home Depot's custom service. Lead time is typically 1–3 weeks. Total for a 10-window house: $600–$2,000.

Custom drapes and curtains ($150–$600+ per window) Made-to-measure panels from a fabric of your choice, including installation hardware. Interior designers and high-end retailers (Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, local workrooms) handle this category. A single well-dressed window with lined curtains can exceed $500. Total for a 10-window house at the lower end: $1,500–$6,000.

Motorized shades ($200–$1,000+ per window) Smart home-compatible shades with remote or app control. Suitable for hard-to-reach windows or for automation integration. Total for full coverage: $2,000–$10,000+.

What Drives the Cost

Window size: Larger windows cost proportionally more, and windows above standard sizes require custom orders even for "semi-custom" products.

Number of windows: Seemingly obvious, but buyers undercount. Count every window, including small bathroom windows, closet windows, and garage windows, before budgeting.

Ceiling height: Floor-to-ceiling windows or unusually tall windows in vaulted rooms require longer fabric lengths, which increases cost significantly for drapery panels.

Light control requirements: Bedrooms typically need blackout options. Living areas and kitchens often want light-filtering shades that provide privacy without blocking daylight. Bathrooms need privacy but may not need blackout. The different functional requirements often lead to different product categories per room.

Installation: Basic blinds self-install. Custom drapes or large shades in tall windows often need professional installation ($50–$150 per window for a professional installer).

A Practical Budget Strategy

Phase 1 (day one): Paper shades for all bedrooms. $30–$60 total. Immediate privacy for sleeping.

Phase 2 (first month): Stock or semi-custom cellular shades for kitchen, living room, and main bathroom. $400–$800. Functional and affordable; can stay permanently if you like them.

Phase 3 (first year, optional): Upgrade to custom treatments in rooms where aesthetics matter most — living room, master bedroom. $500–$3,000 depending on scope.

This phases the spending instead of absorbing $2,000–$3,000 in the same month as moving costs and other post-closing expenses.

New Construction Buyers

New construction often has no window coverings at all — builder packages typically exclude them entirely. Buyers moving into a new build face this expense immediately after closing. Factor it into your buying budget, not your moving budget, since it's a feature gap in the property rather than a moving expense.

Some builders offer window treatment upgrades at the time of purchase. These are rarely the best value (builders mark up heavily), but they can be financed through the mortgage rather than requiring cash at closing. Compare the builder's pricing against semi-custom retailers before deciding.

The Broader Post-Closing Cost Picture

Window treatments are the single largest line item in what market research calls the "post-closing micro-expense surge" — the $1,500–$5,000 in immediate purchases beyond the moving quote that catches most first-time buyers off guard.

The Moving Day Toolkit includes a post-closing expense tracker with pre-populated cost ranges for window coverings, tools, lock rekeying, safety equipment, and every other common immediate purchase — so you can plan the cash flow before your moving date rather than discover it in the weeks after.