Venetian blinds for period sash windows and modern extensions alike

The adjustability argument

A roller is open or closed by degrees; a venetian steers light direction. Tilt the slats up for glare-free daylight, down for privacy from a double-storey neighbour looking in, or close them flat for full dark. On a street with a mix of single and double-storey Victorians, that direction control matters more than it does on a private garden aspect — it's the difference between blocking the street and blocking the sky.

Timber, for the sash windows that started it all

Wide timber slats on woven ladder tapes are the most sympathetic fit for Upper Claremont's original sash windows — warm, architectural, and in keeping with a Victorian or Edwardian frame in a way an aluminium roller rarely is. We measure the reveal depth on site before quoting, since older frames vary more than a modern build, and very wide sash pairs sometimes need splitting or extra ladder-tape support to carry the weight. Timber does the same job on Kenilworth's verandah cottages: alongside fine cast-iron trim, a wooden slat reads as part of the house rather than as something hung over it.

Aluminium, for the rooms timber can't handle

Kitchens, bathrooms and laundries are where fabric and timber both eventually fail to moisture — aluminium slats in 25mm or 50mm widths are the practical answer, in a colour range wide enough to match almost any facade or interior scheme. They're also the usual pick for a new glazed extension at the back of a Claremont renovation, where the aesthetic is contemporary rather than period. Up the slope in Newlands the list of damp-prone rooms runs longer than it does down here — the highest winter rainfall in the country, and mountain mist that sits for days at a time — so aluminium gets specified there in rooms that would take timber comfortably elsewhere.

What you should budget

Venetians work out at roughly R1,000–R1,500 the square metre once fitted in powder-coated aluminium on a wand or cord, and roughly R2,500–R3,600 with the tilt on a motor. Basswood and bamboo, being the costlier material, work out at roughly R1,600–R2,600 by hand and roughly R3,000–R4,500 motorised, with slat width and finish placing you within each spread.

There is a minimum on small openings, because headrail, brackets and fitting hours hardly shrink with the window. Use the figures to set a budget; the real price for each of your windows is written after the free measure, before a slat is cut.