One of the easiest ways to spiff up a rental apartment is to ditch the plastic blinds and replace them with something – anything – prettier. Here’s how I instantly upgraded my windows, taking them from trashy to classy in one afternoon on a tight budget. Check out how bare and ugly my windows looked before I brought in the bamboo.  Of course, we don’t need to discuss how the ugliness of the windows was only accentuated by my poorly-chosen “neutral” paint. . . among other decorating disasters: As soon as I installed those budget bamboo shades, it was like a different room.  Of course, changing the paint helped, as did the addition of my custom-built furniture around the ugly wall heater. And in the dining room-turned-office before: Roman shades can be installed inside the window frame (aka “inside mount”) or outside the frame (“outside mount”) to suit your style.  They come in fabric, wood, bamboo, and a number of other options.  I’ve got to say that I’d choose shades with outside mount any day, because it covers the possibly ugly window frame and gives the illusion of extra height if hung correctly. 

That being said, here’s the step-by-step on how to spiff up your rental windows with roman shades:How Much Does Wood Flooring Cost Per Square Meter Choosing and installing Roman shades in your rental home:Kitchen Sink Valve TypesIf you’re choosing an outside-mount, make sure you allow for the shade to extend a few inches beyond the window frame on either side to ensure the shade covers it well.  Outdoor Furniture Ferry RdAlso measure the length of your window from the spot above the frame where you’d install them to the base of the window ledge. Shop around to find the best deal going.  I looked on Amazon, Overstock, Walmart, Target, Ikea, and then some before finally snagging my shades at Bed Bath and Beyond on clearance. 

Be prepared to pay $20 -$40 bucks per shade. Remove the existing window treatments, saving and storing all parts and hardware for when you move out.  Don’t worry, mini blinds don’t take up much room in a closet. Install your new, gorgeous, fabulous roman shades.  All you need is a drill, a level, a screw driver, and a tape measure.  Mark the holes and level carefully.  You don’t want crooked shades! Remember, if you want to create the appearance of taller windows, plan to install the shades  a few inches above the top of the window frame. If you have a large window, or several windows side-by-side, shop around to see which is cheaper:  one large shade or a combination of smaller shades. If you’re looking for wooden or bamboo shades, match their color to that of the wood furniture in the room for a warmer and more cohesive look. Save a little dough: choose unlined shades for a better bargain.  There’s a DIY remedy for the privacy liner, which I’ll share Friday.

Installing custom shades may sound tricky, but trust me:  It’s really simple.  I had 5 shades installed in about 3 hours.  It cost me about $175 in all – and it was worth every penny. Pet Proofed: Dog-Gone CozyVirtually unpacking the kitchenDecorative & Privacy Window Films Artscape window films create the look of stained glass.  These translucent films have an image that is visible from both sides of the window, providing privacy and style, while allowing natural light to enter the room.  Available in a variety of colors and styles to fit any decor, Artscape is an inexpensive alternative to traditional window coverings like blinds and drapes.We recently wrote about the use of fans to stay cool in hot weather.  And in the past we’ve mentioned the value of Reflectix – that wonderful insulation that looks like reflective silver bubble wrap – for keeping warm during cold winter nights in our Roadtrek. Reflectix is equally valuable for keeping cool on hot sunny days.

The greatest source of heat when the sun is shining is the windows. The heat load can be so high that your air conditioner may be unable to cool your camper down to a pleasant temperature when the sun is beating on it. There are several things you can do to help out your A/C unit.   The front window is the biggest, so deal with it first.  We just bought a reflective folding windshield shade from a Walmart auto department to fit.  It doesn’t have the insulation value of Reflectix, but it folds, easier to store since the window is so large.  But you can help out more by using an outside cover when possible.  We got two wrap-around covers that cover the front and door windows from the previous owner of our Roadtrek.  One was a vinyl mesh material which lets in some light, and allows you to see out (see photo), and also a solid vinyl cover.  The mesh cover is our favorite.  It helps reduce heat – though not as good as the solid cover – but the advantages of letting in light and allowing us to see through it is worth it. 

And if it is letting in too much heat we can add the reflective sunshade behind it.  We also have pieces of Reflectix that fit in the passenger and driver door windows. Next is the two side door windows.  We cut these pieces of Reflectix to fit between the window and the screen with a notch for the window hinge.  To install we open the window and slip them in from the outside.  And if desired the window can be left open with the Reflectix in place.  They make a huge difference if the sun is shining on the passenger side of the vehicle.  This approach of putting the Reflectix between the window and screen could work on the big Dodge rear window, but the convenience of inserting from inside is nice.  This should work for the Chevy dual rear windows. As mentioned with winter camping, cut Reflectix to fit your rear side windows.  Trim carefully to fit and they will stay in place. We also cut a piece of Reflectix for the large back window to fit between the vertical curtain tracks.

The Dodge Roadtrek has one big door on the back with a single window – wonderful for views. We usually have Reflextix in the kitchen window all the time.  Actually it is two slightly overlapping pieces so we can “open” half of the window as desired. If you have a Sprinter that would account for all your windows.  But for those of us with Dodge and Chevy vehicles, we are blessed with three more windows! Three Little Windows is not just the name of Mark Sickman’s song about Roadtrek travels, those three little windows are also a source of a lot of heat on sunny days.  The early Roadtreks had no covering for the windows, then Roadtrek added curtains, and more recently little covers for each window.  Our Roadtrek has the curtains.  The poor Roadtrek sprinter owners will never know the pleasures of light through their three black decals! We got into the habit of storing the Reflectix for the door windows under the curtains.  It was a convenient storage spot, but then we couldn’t enjoy the light and the view out those windows. 

And since they didn’t fit tightly against the windows there was still a lot of heat getting in. It wasn’t until we saw Loren Phillips’ beautiful 1994 Roadtrek that we saw the perfect solution.  He had made Reflectix covers, by cutting pieces to fit perfectly and then holding them in place with a small metal rod held with mirror clips.  A trip to the hardware store provided brass rods and mirror clips.  We had to file the back of the plastic clips a bit for them to sit correctly on the metal window frame.  They do a nice job of keeping out heat (and light) when in place. Lastly there is the Fantastic Vent Fan  to consider.  Obviously it needs to be open if you are trying to cool without A/C, but if you are running the A/C there is a significant heat increase directly under that opening.  Like for winter camping, you can put a piece of Reflectix over the frame held in place with mini bungee cords (see photo here). Others have reported having some special UV reducing window tint installed that is not dark but does help with heat.