Nobody in this industry likes publishing prices — every window is a different size, every fabric a different tier, and a real number requires a tape measure. Fair enough. But "call for pricing" leaves you with no way to budget, and we think that's worse. So here's the honest version: real ranges, what moves them, and where the surprises hide.
One note before the numbers: these are typical U.S. market ranges for custom motorized shades in 2026, not our price list. Your windows might land below them or above them — which is exactly why our quotes are fixed and written after measuring, not estimated over the phone. If pricing is the question on your mind, the free consultation answers it precisely in about an hour.
The short version
- A single custom motorized roller shade, installed: most commonly somewhere in the $500–$1,200 range depending on size, fabric and motor.
- A comparable non-motorized custom shade: typically $200–$500 installed — motorization generally adds a few hundred dollars per window.
- A whole main floor (6–10 windows), mixed motorized and manual: many projects land in the $4,000–$10,000 neighborhood.
- Big-box or online DIY kits: $100–$400 per window — with trade-offs we'll get to below.
If you take one thing from this guide: the spread inside those ranges isn't random. It comes from five specific decisions, and you control most of them.
What actually moves the price
1. Window size. Fabric is cut from rolls and motors are rated for weight, so cost scales with the opening. A standard 36-inch bedroom window and a ten-foot great-room span are different products. Extra-wide single shades (past about 8 feet) step up in both fabric and motor class.
2. Fabric tier. Basic light-filtering polyester sits at the bottom of the range. Designer weaves, natural textures, and performance blackout fabrics sit at the top. The difference on one window is modest; across a whole home it's real money — which is why we bring the full fabric library to your kitchen table and tell you honestly when the mid-tier fabric is the right call.
3. The motor and how it's powered. Rechargeable battery motors (most of our installs) avoid any wiring cost — you charge them once or twice a year. Hardwired motors add electrician coordination but disappear forever; they make the most sense in new construction. Solar wands split the difference on sun-facing windows.
4. Inside vs. outside mount and install complexity. Clean drywall openings install quickly. Tile returns, concrete lintels, twenty-foot ceilings, or windows above stairwells take longer and occasionally need lift equipment. This is the line item phone estimates always miss — and the reason ours are written after we've seen the wall.
5. Control ecosystem. A remote is included with our systems. App control and smart-home integration (Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings) typically needs a small hub — one per home, not per window — usually a one-time cost in the low hundreds.
Where cheap goes wrong
The $150 online kit and the $700 custom shade look similar in a product photo. The differences show up at the window: stock widths that leave light gaps at the edges, motors that hum louder each season, batteries that quit in a year, and a warranty that means shipping a shade back at your expense. Some of our favorite customers came to us two years after "saving money."
A custom shade is measured to the millimeter, uses a motor rated for the fabric it carries (ours run under 28 decibels — quieter than a whisper), and is installed, paired, and programmed by the same local crew that answers the phone when you call (385) 217-0987. Our motors carry a 10-year warranty; that only matters if the company plans to be around, which — as a family-run Utah business — is rather the point.
How to keep a whole-home project sensible
- Mix motorized and manual. Motorize the big glass, the hard-to-reach, and the daily-use rooms; use matching manual shades where you'd touch them twice a year. Same fabrics, same look, meaningful savings.
- Phase it. Main floor now, bedrooms next season. Fabrics stay available, and the second install visit works like the first.
- Let the room pick the fabric tier. A guest room doesn't need the designer weave the great room deserves — roller here, cellular there, budget where it shows.
Getting your actual number
Ranges are for reading; windows are for measuring. Our consultation is free, takes about an hour, and ends with a fixed, itemized, written quote — every window, fabric, and motor listed, no deposit until you approve, no drift between quote and invoice. It's the number this article can't give you, for your exact house.
Book your free consultation, or start by measuring your own windows to get a feel for what you have. Either way, you'll know what it costs before anyone asks you to commit a dollar.
