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Solar screens for some windows, but not all

What does it look like to have solar screens for some windows but not all?


One frequent question we get is about the appearance of covering certain windows while leaving others uncovered.


The picture below shows the coverage of all front windows except those near the front door.


The front door has glass in it; however, I do not approve of putting a solar screen over it. I believe that applying a solar screen on the front door looks odd.


To each is own but I am a fan of putting a solar screen on all of the windows of each side of the home.


If you are adding solar screens to the windows on one side of the house, I recommend installing them on all those windows. It looks much better aesthetically.


This being the front of the home I especially would like to see a solar screen on all of these windows.

Front of home with missing solar screens around the front door.
The homeowner did not put solar screens around their front door.

This installation took place in Lakeway, Texas. The homeowner decided to install solar screens on all of the back windows except for the three on the left. I wish he had completed the project by adding solar screens to those three windows as well.

Back of Lakeway Texas home that doesn't have three windows shaded.
Did not put solar screens on back three windows

I don't have blinds and want to use solar screens instead.

For this home in Austin, Texas, the homeowner wanted solar screens specifically for the windows that did not have interior blinds. I recommended using 90% fabric for better shading, especially to keep the sun off the TV. However, the homeowner chose 80% fabric instead.


This homeowner wanted solar screens to provide shade for his TV; however, he did not follow my recommendation and chose to use 80% solar fabric instead of 90%.


I feel it looks quite odd to have solar screens on some windows and not on the others.

Solar screens for living room second floor windows
Putting up solar screens to provide shade for the living room.

The homeowner installed solar screens on every window in their home except for one—the kitchen window. They explained that they didn't want a solar screen for that particular window, although I’m not entirely sure why. Interestingly, they also added solar screens to the two doors in that area.

Solar screens on all the windows of the home except this one
Only this one window doesn't have a solar screen for this home.

Why not shade all of the windows?

I don't quite recall why the homeowner chose not to shade the arched windows. I suspect it was due to cost concerns. However, they did invest in a solar screen system for their sliding door, which cost $300. To me, it seems illogical that if one side of the home warranted 90% solar screens, as is the case here, they wouldn't also want to shade all the glass on that side.

Back of home with all windows shaded except four large arched windows.
The homeowner shaded the sliding door but not the arched windows.

The homeowner chose not to install solar screens on the corner windows in her bathroom, although she did place them on all the other windows. This decision seemed puzzling to me, especially since these corner windows face west. I attempted to persuade her to consider adding solar screens to the bathroom windows, but she ultimately decided against it.

Solar screens for all windows of the home except these two bathroom windows
Put solar screens on all the windows except these two bathroom windows.

If I have a small window, should I install a solar screen on it?

1,000% cover up even the small windows. The picture here illustrates what it looks like to have everything covered except for one window. This is a home in a high-dollar part of Austin. I tried repeatedly to convince the homeowner to install a solar screen on the bathroom window, but he insisted that it wouldn't make a difference because it's such a small window. I explained multiple times that it would look odd to leave that window uncovered.


You be the judge—how does this look to you?

All windows shaded but this one bathroom.
Does it look right to you that this bathroom window does not have a screen on it?

Should I put solar screens on non-opening windows?

I often notice that homeowners who previously had old solar screens tend to only replace them on the same windows. In Austin, back in the '80s and '90s, solar screen installers primarily placed solar screens on opening windows.

This home would be much better looking if it had screens on all the windows.

As a result, homeowners became accustomed to having screens only on those windows and often feel that non-opening windows don't need them.

These three uncovered windows would be better served with solar screens on them.

This home is a perfect example of this trend, as the homeowner has become used to the absence of solar screens on the non-opening windows over the years.


Take a look at the front of this home. The two windows on either side of the door don't have screens, and the windows to the right of the front door also lack screens. It would have looked much more complete and polished if all of those windows had solar screens installed.

Solar screens for all front windows except around front door.

If I have Windows that don't have blinds does it make sense to put solar screens over them?

It definitely makes sense. However, do you only want to install solar screens on these three non-opening windows, as shown here? Wouldn't it be better to put solar screens on all the windows on this side of the house? It would certainly look better to have solar screens on all the glass, wouldn’t it?

Solar screens for only 3 windows, and nothing for the six windows

Are there situations where it's okay to have solar screens on some windows and not others?

As you can see in this picture, we are looking at the right side of the customer's home. Take a moment to notice the shed; it's somewhat separating this side of the house. The solar screen we installed over the shed is standing alone. The bare window to the right of the chimney is also isolated. Overall, I don't think this looks bad at all.

This side of the home doesn't look bad.

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