Window furnishings are one of the most commonly delayed decisions in a new build or renovation project. With so many other things competing for attention, curtains and blinds tend to get pushed down the list until the final weeks, which is precisely when everything else is also demanding urgent decisions. The result is often a rushed choice, a longer-than-expected lead time that leaves windows bare at handover, or both.
Knowing when to order curtains and blinds, and what information you need before you can do so, removes most of the stress from the process and ensures your home is finished properly from day one.
Why Timing Matters More Than Most People Expect
Custom curtains and blinds are made to order. Unlike off-the-shelf products that can be purchased and hung the same day, professionally made window furnishings are cut, sewn, assembled, and finished to the specific measurements of your windows. This process takes time, and that time needs to be factored into your build or renovation schedule well in advance.
Lead times vary depending on the supplier, the product type, and the time of year. As a general guide, allow four to eight weeks from confirmed order to installation for most custom blinds and curtains. During peak periods, particularly the months leading into Christmas and the summer holiday season, lead times at quality suppliers can extend beyond this. Ordering late in a busy period is one of the most common reasons new homeowners spend their first weeks in a finished house with bare windows.
There is also an installation dependency to consider. Curtains and blinds need to be installed after painting and plastering are fully complete, after floor coverings are laid, and ideally after furniture is in place so that drop lengths and curtain stack positions can be assessed in context. Ordering too early, before these elements are finalised, can lead to measurement errors that require costly remakes.
The Right Order of Events
For both new builds and renovations, the ideal sequence is: construction and wet trades complete, painting done, floor coverings installed, then measure for window furnishings, then order, then install. This keeps measurements accurate and avoids the blind arriving before the window it is covering has been finished.
In a new build, the practical measure point is typically four to six weeks before the anticipated handover date. This gives the builder enough time to complete the remaining work while allowing the window furnishing order to be placed, manufactured, and delivered in time for installation at or shortly after handover.
In a renovation, the timing depends on the scope of the work. If a room is being fully replastered and repainted, the measure should happen after those trades are finished and dry. If only floor coverings are being replaced, the measure can happen as soon as the new floor is laid and the finished floor height is confirmed.
What You Need to Know Before You Can Order
Before a measure and quote can be finalised for a new build or renovation, there are several things that need to be confirmed or decided. Working through these in advance keeps the process moving and avoids delays at the order stage.
Window and door positions need to be confirmed as built, not as planned. In new builds especially, window positions, reveal depths, and frame dimensions do not always match the architectural drawings exactly. Always measure from the finished, installed window rather than from plans.
Floor coverings need to be in place or at least their finished height confirmed. Curtain drop lengths are measured from the hanging point to the floor, and if the floor covering is not yet installed, the finished floor height must be known to calculate an accurate drop. A carpet that adds 15 millimetres in height changes a curtain drop measurement meaningfully at scale.
Ceiling heights and cornice profiles need to be noted, particularly for curtains being installed on ceiling tracks or at ceiling height. Any recessed tracks that need to be installed before plasterwork is finished must be identified and coordinated with the builder before plastering is done, as this is the only practical window in which they can be installed flush with the ceiling.
Decisions about product type, fabric, and colour should be progressed well before the measure visit so that the order can be placed promptly once measurements are confirmed. If fabric selection is left until after the measure, additional weeks can be added to the overall timeline while samples are reviewed and choices are made.
Recessed Ceiling Tracks: The One Thing That Cannot Wait
If you are planning to install curtains on recessed ceiling tracks, the timing of this decision is critical. Recessed tracks are set into the plasterwork of the ceiling, which means they must be installed before the ceiling is plastered and painted. Once the plasterwork is done, the opportunity to install a recessed track without visible patching is gone.
This means that the decision to use recessed ceiling tracks needs to be made during the construction phase, communicated to the builder, and coordinated with the plasterer. It is not a decision that can be made at the end of a project when everything else is being finalised.
Surface-mounted ceiling tracks can be installed at any time after construction is complete and are a good alternative for homeowners who missed the recessed track window. They sit slightly proud of the ceiling surface but are a far better option than dropping the hanging height to the wall or architrave.
New Builds: Key Milestones to Watch
In a new build timeline, there are a few key milestones that signal the right time to begin engaging a window furnishing supplier. The first is when windows and external doors are installed and locked up, which is the point at which window dimensions can be confirmed even if internal finishing work is not yet complete. This is a good time to begin product and fabric conversations, obtain quotes, and progress decisions, even if the formal measure and order comes later.
The second milestone is practical completion or the week or two leading up to it, when painting is finished, flooring is laid, and the interior of the house is essentially done. This is the right time for the formal measure visit. Placing the order at this point gives a typical lead time that lands installation at or shortly after handover.
For homeowners building with a fixed completion date, communicating that date to your window furnishing supplier early allows them to plan installation accordingly and flag any lead time concerns before they become a problem.
Renovations: Room-by-Room vs Whole-House Approach
In a renovation, the approach to timing depends on whether the project involves the whole house or individual rooms. A whole-house renovation follows a similar logic to a new build: measure after the major trades are complete, order with enough lead time for installation at or close to practical completion.
A room-by-room renovation requires a different approach. If a kitchen is being updated independently of the rest of the house, the window furnishing decision for that room can be made as part of the kitchen project timeline without waiting for other rooms to be touched. The same applies to a bathroom, a bedroom, or a living room being refreshed independently.
Where a renovation involves replacing existing curtains or blinds in rooms that are otherwise unchanged, the measure can typically be booked and the order placed as soon as the decision to replace has been made. There is no dependency on other trades, and the lead time begins from the point of order rather than from any construction milestone.
Budgeting Window Furnishings Into the Project From the Start
One of the most common mistakes in new builds and renovations is not allocating a realistic budget for window furnishings from the outset. Custom curtains and blinds across a whole house represent a meaningful investment, and when they are not budgeted for at the planning stage, they are often funded from whatever is left after everything else has been spent, which is rarely enough.
Getting an indicative quote early in the project, before construction begins, gives an accurate sense of what the window furnishing budget needs to be and allows it to be included in the overall project budget from the start. Most window furnishing suppliers are happy to provide an indicative quote based on plans or preliminary window dimensions, with the understanding that it will be refined once actual measurements are confirmed.
Working With Your Builder and Other Trades
Window furnishing installation is a finishing trade, which means it happens at the end of the project after most other tradespeople have completed their work. Coordinating with your builder to secure an installation date that falls after painting and flooring are done, but before you move in or hand over the space, makes the process considerably smoother.
For new builds managed through a volume builder, communicating your window furnishing plans directly with the site supervisor can help ensure that any builder-installed items, such as blind brackets or curtain track backing plates, are in the right position before walls are closed. Some builders offer window furnishing packages as part of their standard inclusions; if you are using an independent supplier instead, it is worth confirming early that this will not create any coordination issues at the finishing stage.
A Simple Timeline Checklist
At design or planning stage: decide on product types for each room, begin fabric and colour research, obtain indicative quote to inform overall budget, confirm whether recessed ceiling tracks are required and advise builder.
During construction: confirm recessed track installation with builder before plastering, keep supplier informed of anticipated completion date, finalise fabric and product decisions so the order can be placed promptly after measure.
Four to six weeks before completion: book formal measure visit once painting is done and flooring is laid or finished height is confirmed, place order immediately after measure is complete.
At or after completion: schedule installation for after handover, once the space is clean and accessible, and confirm a date with the supplier that works with your move-in timeline.
Let Us Help You Plan It Right
At Peninsula Curtains & Blinds, we work with homeowners, builders, and renovators across the Mornington Peninsula at every stage of the process. Whether you are at the planning stage and need an early budget estimate, mid-build and want to confirm your product choices, or approaching completion and ready to measure, we can step in at the right point and keep the process on track.
Get in touch early, the earlier we are involved, the smoother the whole process tends to go.