How to Measure for Motorized Blinds Without Costly Refits
How to Measure for Motorized Blinds Without Costly Refits
Most motorized blind refits trace back to the same origin: a measurement taken once, at one point, with the wrong reference. A blind that arrives too wide goes back; one that arrives too narrow lets light past the edges and annoys the client for years. Learning how to measure for motorized blinds correctly is mostly a matter of discipline, not skill.
Measure the Opening, Not the Old Blind
The existing blind is not a reference. Track sag, worn brackets and a sloppy original installation all get copied into the new order. Measure the recess itself, and treat the old hardware as a hint about mounting style rather than as a template.
Three Widths, One Decision
Record the width at the top, middle and bottom of the recess, then work from the narrowest figure for an inside mount. Recesses are rarely square; the narrowest width is the one the blind must pass. For an outside mount, decide the overlap on each side first — usually 50 mm or more to block side light — and measure the width the fabric must cover, including the overlap.
Height, Plus the Hardware
Height runs from the top fixing point to the sill or to the desired drop, and the fixing point matters: brackets, headrail and motor housing all occupy space that fabric does not. A measurement to the sill is not a measurement to the top of the bracket. State which reference the figure uses, or the factory will assume one.
Obstructions Decide the Mount
Window handles, vents, tile returns and cornices force mounting decisions that no formula covers. Photograph every window with a tape measure held in frame, so the supplier can see the relationship between opening, handle projection and fixing surface. One photograph per window saves more arguments than a page of notes.
Power and Access, Measured Too
Motorized blinds need power or battery access at a reachable point, and the motor or battery pack has its own dimensions. Note which side the motor sits, how far the socket or charging point is, and whether a valance must cover the headrail. These details are measurements in the same sense as width and height, and they are the ones installers usually discover on site.
Send One Set of Numbers, Not Two
Every transfer of measurements risks a transcription error. Work from a single sheet per window — width, height, mounting reference, obstruction notes, motor side — and keep that sheet as the order document. Factories building made-to-measure product will ask for exactly this, and Norvablind, which manufactures made-to-measure motorized blinds and curtain tracks in-house, supplies its trade partners with a measuring template that turns the habit into a checklist.
The extra minutes at the window always cost less than the refit. Measure the opening at three points, decide the mount deliberately, and send a consistent set of numbers — the blind that arrives will then fit the way the client expected it to.