Conservatory blinds at sensible prices first time, every time

Call us on 0800 587 7301 to arrange a free conservatory blind consultation

Conservatory blinds

Conservatory blinds FAQ

Home visits & blind quoatations

When can you visit?

We are happy to visit during the day, evening or weekend.

We'll discuss your individual requirements with you over the phone and book a home consultation accordingly, at a time to suit you.

Do you charge for an appointment/quotation?

No. All of our home consultations and blind quotations are completely free of charge and without obligation.

Will you bring pleated blind fabric samples and working models of your blinds with you on your visit?

Yes. We have many beautiful blind fabrics available and when we visit we'll bring large fabric swatches for you to drape over furniture or hang at your conservatory's windows to help you choose the right colour and style. We'll even leave these fabric samples with you, so you can make your choice in your own time.

We'll also show you working conservatory blind models so you can see exactly what we have to offer and how your blinds will look and operate.

How long does a home appointment take?

We fully understand that time is of the essence to everybody. Obviously though, it will take a little while for us to explain the benefits of our pleated conservatory blinds, how they will fit in your conservatory, answer any questions you might have and for you to choose your blind fabrics.

As a guide, you should allow the following times for your home visit:

  • Conservatory roof blinds only: approx 1 hour
  • Conservatory window blinds only: approx 1 hour
  • Conservatory roof and window blinds: approx 1.5 – 2 hours

All times are, of course, dependant on the size of your conservatory and what exactly is involved.

Can you give me a price for conservatory blinds over the phone instead of visiting?

We prefer not to do this as the relevant information from you and what we supply can sometimes be misunderstood.

If you have architect plans of your conservatory though, by all means fax or email them to us and we will work with you directly.

Does my partner (if applicable) need to be present during the consultation?

No. Unlike some other conservatory blind companies we are happy to visit without any constraints.

After you have called to see us, should we expect pestering phone calls from you, asking if we are ready to place our order?

Absolutely not. As a family business we do not undertake any pressure selling whatsoever.

We believe completely in the quality of our conservatory blinds and that you should have the freedom to consider your options in your own time.

We sincerely hope that you decide to place your order with us, but we would prefer that you to come to that consclusion without any pressure from us.

Can I expect a confirmed price for my conservatory blinds on the day of my home appointment?

Yes. A written quoatation will be provided to you on the same day.

Note that we won't quote you an artificially high price for your conservatory blinds only to offer heavy discounts, special promotions or an ultimatum to place the order on the day or lose out. We don't need to do these sorts of things - we will simply give you a sensible and honest price for your blinds first time, every time.

It's an approach we're sure you'll find refreshing.

The ordering and blind fitting process

I would like to place my order with you, what happens next?

When you place your order we will ask for a 50% deposit and, ideally, your choice of blind fabric. If you haven't chosen your fabric at this stage then it can be left until the day of survey - but no later, or it may hold up the manufacture of your blinds.

Next, an order confirmation will be sent out along with details of what to expect on the day of survey and blind fitting. Your surveyor will contact you independently to arrange a visit and your fitting date will be agreed with you on the day of survey.

All contract details will be in your order confirmation folder and your surveyor will explain how long the installation will take.

On the day of blind fitting, a customer care pack (along with your guarantee certificate, washing instructions etc) will be handed to you and the balance of your order will become due. This can be settled by cheque or card payment.

How long will the entire process take?

From placing your order through to the day we fit your new conservatory blinds we would normally allow around 4 weeks, depending on the time of year.

If you have any special requirements or deadlines to meet, please let us know and we will help where we can.

Conservatory blind technical questions

Which conservatory blind system will you offer me?

We only make one blind system - the EOS®. Standing for “Effective Optimised Systems”, we believe it is by far the best pleated blind system on the market.

It offers a high degree of user comfort and clever flexibility, it is elegantly created and superbly functional and sophisticated.

Also, as it's a very slim line blind system (only 20mm deep), you won't have any bulky rails or fixings cluttering up your conservatory's windows or roof.

At my initial home visit, will you explain how my conservatory blinds will work when fitted?

We certainly will, this is very important. We'll show you the blind fixings we use and how and where they would be fitted to your conservatory.

We'll also bring working models to show you how neatly our pleated blinds will fit in your conservatory.

Will there be any gaps once my conservatory blinds are fitted?

We try to minimise gaps as much as possible. Where the conservatory roof is concerned (and if the structure of the building allows) we will butt your roof blinds right down to a 65mm point, which avoids gaps. Our conservatory blinds are all bespoke, thereby resulting in a precise fit - even with the most irregularly shaped conservatory roof.

We make our pleated window blinds in such a way as to avoid unsightly gaps. We can even offer a fabric overhang for the side of each blind at no extra charge, if you wish.

In additon, all our window and roof blinds have a “pleat memory tape” fitted as standard, meaning they will not sag and form unsightly gaps over time and repeated use. The tape is carefully hand applied to the back of the blind via loops to the guide wire. We do not, under any circumstances, punch the blind fabric to apply the tape - as doing so would leave unsightly holes.

All these features and options will be shown to you during your home visit.

I have an awkward shaped conservatory roof. Can you help me?

Yes. We provide a tailor-made conservatory blinds service, manufacturing all shapes and specialising in obtuse pleated blinds operating within the natural constraints of the conservatory frame.

Because our conservatory blinds are all handmade we can offer a precise fit - even with the most irregularly shaped conservatory.

Shaping a conservatory blind is a very tricky task, which many blind companies are incapable of doing well - but it's one of our specialities.

How cool/warm will my conservatory be after the blinds are fitted?

It is not possible to give or even suggest an accurate figure with regard to temperature control, though some companies may tell you otherwise.

There are so many variables to be considered regarding design, construction aspect, conservatory window format and ventilation.

However, the solar protective coating applied to our pleated blinds is extremely effective and will certainly offer you protection from heat, glare and UV rays.

What are your roof wires made of?

We only use spun stainless steel with a clear Teflon coating for our roof wires. This provides strength, durability and smooth operation.

Our roof wires are covered by our 5-year guarantee.

Do you offer a conservatory blind cleaning service?

Yes. This service is available upon request, please ask for details as and when you require it.

Note that the best time to request blind cleaning is either January or February.

Other types of blinds and fabrics: vertical blinds, pinoleum blinds, roller blinds, motorised/electric blinds and cellular/honeycomb blind fabrics

Do you sell vertical blinds?

No. We specialise only in one product: pleated conservatory blinds. In our experience, these are the only blinds really suitable for day in day out use in a conservatory.

With pleated blinds you do not have hanging cords like you do with vertical blinds which, in view of child safety, is very important. This also means that you will never need to replace broken chains.

In addition, our slim line pleated window blinds will fit neatly to the window frame, meaning that your window sills will be kept free, even when the blinds are fully closed. Vertical blinds, on the other hand, would hang in front of your window sills.

Also, vertical blinds are particularly problematic when fitted to conservatory doors as they get in the way of the door opening/closing. Our pleated blinds are fixed to conservatory doors and windows, so travel with them when opened or closed.

Do you sell pinoleum blinds?

No. Austin Marr does not sell pinoleum blinds, having built up our reputation through the neatness and suitability of the pleated blind in a conservatory. Pinoleum blinds give a completely different feel in the way they fit and simply due to their being a natural product with their own advantages and disadvantages. If you are looking for pinoleum blinds contact www.grantsblinds.com as they are pinoleum blinds specialists.

Do you sell roller blinds?

No. Roller blinds are undoubtedly good products but they are better suited to other rooms in the home. In a conservatory they will get in the way of opening windows and doors and will flap around because they are not secured at the bottom.

Why do you not offer cellular/honeycomb style fabrics?

We've had disappointing experience with these styles of fabrics in the past and we do not believe they particularly suitable for pleated conservatory blinds.

There are some key disadvantages of cellular and honeycomb fabrics:

  • Because of the double skin nature of the blind fabric it ultimately lets less light filter through
  • Where the fabric is sealed to create individual cells, this seal can eventually come apart through natural wear and tear

Blinds made from these fabrics will also need to be cleaned more frequently than pleated blinds, as each cell is a haven for all manner of insects - a perfect home for them and their deposits!

Do you sell motorised blinds?

No. Austin Marr do not sell motorised conservatory blinds. Blinds operated by hand can do everything an electric blind can do, at around half the cost and with fewer things to go wrong! If you are looking for motorised pleated blinds we recommend www.grantsblinds.com as they are motorised blind specialists set up specifically for this market.

Questions about Austin Marr

How long have you been trading and what experience do you have?

Austin Marr has been retail trading since 2002 and is a family owned business. Before this we manufactured purely for the trade sector.

The husband and wife team that owns Austin Marr has almost 30 years' experience in making pleated conservatory blinds.

We are not owned by, managed by or affiliated to any other company.

Do you manufacture your own conservatory blinds?

All our blinds are made in our own factory by our fully trained staff. This enables us to ensure each blind meets our stringent quality control criteria every time.

Our staff are highly knowledgeable about our pleated blinds and have many years experience in all aspects of their manufacture.

What is your sales policy?

We're honest in everything we do, will conduct a professional home visit and will not take the opportunity to pass unsavoury comments about other conservatory blind companies. Unfortunately, we know other conservatory blind companies make untrue statements about us and do so simply because they know how good we are. We won't be dragged into these unpleasant and unnecessary tactics, however, and have no need to do so.

Our prices are always fully inclusive of VAT and we won't ask you to get a written quotation from other conservatory blind companies, just so we can beat their prices by £50. Nor will we charge you for your survey or fitting. If you like our conservatory blinds and feel you would like to do business with us, then we are here to help.

As a reputable family company, we genuinely care about you and your individual requirements.

Some blind companies have photographs of appalling installations and say these are the work of other blind companies, including yourselves. Should I believe them?

We cannot answer for other companies' work, but wouldn't advise treating as genuine any photograph that purports to be of another company's work.

If we are invited to visit, we will bring a genuine austinmarr photograph album and customer portfolio showing our professionally fitted conservatory blinds for you to see for yourself.

Do you offer a genuine guarantee?

Yes. All of our conservatory blinds are covered by a 5-year guarantee against manufacturing and material defects.

If you have a problem during your guarantee period, just let us know. We don't make a call out charge!

Even after the end of the guarantee, if you have a problem with your blinds, give us a call. We're a family business and we're always happy to help.

Will you share my name and details with other companies?

No. We are registered with the Information Commissioner under the Data Protection Act 1998 and we will not, under any circumstances, divulge your details to any other company.