The 8-step framework

1. STEP 1

   Why plan windows before you move in

   Window furnishings are the most-forgotten line in a new build and one of the most important - they are what give you privacy, control the light and heat, and finish a room. Leave them until after handover and you can spend weeks living behind bare glass (or bedsheets taped to the frame) while made-to-measure orders are produced. Planning the measure-up and order before handover means your rooms are dressed on day one.

2. STEP 2

   Measure at the right moment - not off the plans

   Only measure once the windows, architraves and flooring are actually installed - roughly the fixing stage through to the final walk-through. Plan dimensions and real-world openings differ, and the finished floor height changes your drop. The practical-completion inspection, when everything is in but you have not moved in, is the ideal time to take final measurements (or have them taken) so your order is right first time.

3. STEP 3

   Decide blockout, sheer or both per room

   Match the treatment to the room: blockout curtains or blinds for bedrooms, media rooms and hot west-facing glass; sheers for living areas where you want daytime privacy while keeping the room bright; and layer a sheer behind a blockout where you want both. Deciding this per room before you measure tells you how many tracks, rods and widths you need.

4. STEP 4

   Measure for curtains

   For curtains you need the width and the drop. Mount the rod or track 10-15cm above the window and extend it beyond each side so curtains clear the glass when open, and decide whether the drop sits at the sill, below it, or puddles at the floor. Add generous fullness (curtains should be wider than the window) so they gather properly rather than looking skimpy.

5. STEP 5

   Measure for blinds - inside or outside mount

   Blinds are either an inside (recess) mount, which looks neat and tailored but needs enough recess depth, or an outside mount above the opening, which blocks more light and suits shallow recesses. Check the recess depth before you commit, and measure each window individually - new-build openings are rarely identical even when they look the same on the plan.

6. STEP 6

   Choose rod or track, and plan the mounting

   A track gives a clean, flush look and suits pinch-pleat or pencil-pleat curtains and ceiling mounts; a rod is decorative and suits eyelet curtains. Either way, check what you are fixing into - a bulkhead, cornice or plasterboard may need the right anchors, and a square-set ceiling changes where the track goes. Note the mounting plan per window so installation is quick.

7. STEP 7

   Ready-made or made-to-measure

   Ready-made curtains and blinds come in set widths and drops, are far cheaper, and are perfect when your windows are close to standard sizes - ideal for dressing a whole house affordably at move-in. Made-to-measure suits oversized, odd-shaped or feature windows where an exact fit matters. Many new homes mix both: ready-made through the standard rooms, custom for the statement windows.

8. STEP 8

   Book the install so rooms are dressed at handover

   Order early enough that stock or made-to-measure production lands before you move in, and decide whether you are installing yourself or booking a fitter. Give curtains time to hang and settle (some creasing drops out over a few days). Doing this before or right at handover means you walk into a home with privacy and light control from the first night rather than chasing it for weeks.

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