How much does it cost to fit curtain poles and blinds?

Fitting window dressings is mostly about drilling in the right place and getting everything level, so the price depends on how many windows there are and how awkward they are.

A standard curtain pole over an ordinary window is usually £30–£60 fitted. Curtain tracks take a little longer because they need more brackets and the runners setting up, so expect £40–£70.

Roller and venetian blinds are among the quickest jobs, at about £25–£50 each. Vertical blinds and Roman blinds have more parts to set up and level, so they are more like £30–£65.

Most handy people have a minimum charge of around £50–£80, which often covers two or three windows. For a whole house, a half day at £100–£180 is usually better value than pricing per window.

These prices are for fitting only. Poles, tracks and blinds are bought separately, and made-to-measure blinds are sometimes fitted by the supplier.

The wall. Brick and block above a window hold fixings well, though the lintel can be hard concrete or steel, which is slow to drill. Plasterboard needs the right cavity fixings or a fixing into the timber frame, especially for heavy curtains.

The window. Standard windows are quick. Bay windows need angled joints and extra brackets. Tall windows and stairwell windows need longer ladders.

The weight. Heavy lined or blackout curtains on a wide window need more brackets and stronger fixings than a light voile.

The product. Some flat-pack poles and blinds come with poor instructions or fixings, and the fitter may swap the fixings for better ones.

The number of windows. Doing the whole house in one go is always cheaper per window.

Bay windows are the trickiest. A bendable track or a jointed bay pole has to follow the angles, with brackets at each corner and along each run. Allow £70–£150 for a bay, depending on the number of sides and whether the pole needs cutting.

Plasterboard walls and ceilings need care. Light blinds can go into good cavity fixings, but heavy curtains are best fixed into the timber studs or a batten. A fitter should check what is behind the board before drilling.

Perfect-fit and similar frame-mounted blinds clip into the beading of uPVC windows without drilling the frame. They are quick to fit and do not affect the window seals. Drilling into uPVC frames is best avoided, as it can damage the frame or affect the window warranty.

Whatever the wall, a good fitter checks for pipes and cables before drilling, particularly directly above or beside windows where cables sometimes run.

Count the windows and note anything unusual.

1. Allow £30–£60 for each standard pole or blind, or £40–£70 for each track. 2. Add £70–£150 for each bay window. 3. If the total is under £80, expect to pay the minimum charge instead. 4. If you have more than five or six windows, ask for a half-day price of around £100–£180.

Example: moving into a three-bedroom house with roller blinds for the kitchen and bathroom, poles in three bedrooms and a bay track in the lounge. Two blinds £50–£100, three poles £90–£180, bay £70–£150, so roughly £210–£430 priced per item, or likely less as a day rate.

On BidMyJob you can post the job with a list of windows and a few photos, and local handy people bid, so you get a price for the whole lot.

Many people add a few pictures, mirrors and shelves to a curtain and blind job, and it is a sensible way to use the visit.

Hanging a picture or a light mirror is usually £15–£40 each. Heavy mirrors need stronger fixings and two people for safety, so they cost more.

Putting up a shelf is typically £30–£60, depending on the wall and how much weight it needs to carry. Floating shelves take longer to level and fix than shelves on visible brackets.

Tell the fitter in advance what you want doing so they bring the right fixings and allow the time.

Do every window in one visit. A half day for the whole house is far cheaper than several small call-outs.

Have everything bought, unpacked and in the right room before the fitter arrives. Check the poles and blinds are the right size.

Add pictures, mirrors and shelves to the same visit to make use of the minimum charge.

Choose frame-mounted blinds for uPVC windows where they suit, as they are quick to fit.

And move furniture away from the windows yourself so the fitter can get straight on.