blind/curtain problem (or not)

[lorelei9here]

thanks in advance to anyone who has the patience to read this.

Stupid problem - I have a very large window which is awkward to do in terms of a nice blind (long story, too dull to tell). This is part of a UPVC window.

In terms of doing curtains, the only option is a ceiling mounted track. Having done the cable and trunking tests, the only clear space to drill it in would be about six inches away from the window and cut off too much of the room - this is a very small flat.

I haven't had a curtain rail put in with such a narrow margin to avoid the trunking etc. I only have a cheapo wire detector so I'd be worried about someone drilling in there full stop, with such a narrow margin.

The main thing about covering this south facing window is that the room gets incredibly hot in summer. I am on the fourth floor so can only just be seen by the block of flats opposite (3 floors). Currently, there are vinyl blinds (the temporary kind) which are actually doing a fine job but sadly are torn and the company can't supply any more in white - only grey.

Another option I have - not very pretty - is to simply wait and see if the vinyl blinds come back in white and meantime stick blackout fabric to the areas worst affected. I could put velcro on the window frames so could easily pop it up on the worst of the hot days.

also sometimes we don't even get hot days in summer.

I was planning to get blackout curtains but as I work at home a lot - in that room - I would then be sitting there with blackout curtains to tackle heat, but the lights on.

so maybe I should just put up with it and keep a blackout sheet handy for the hottest days.

any thoughts? Sorry this is dull. Maybe it's normal to put a curtain rail up relatively close to where you know there are wires/trunking?

I think it's pretty telling that the previous owners didn't tackle this window either tbh.

thanks for any thoughts.

What about perfect fit blinds for this window? They clip onto the upvc frame. You could also consider voiles for privacy fixed using a wire/rod which fits onto hooks stuck to the window frame.

no one makes them this big - one company did offer to try but said they wouldn't guarantee the blind because they don't make them normally and there are issues with the weight of it on the UPVC frame.

Also, many calculations are coming out at about £300 for that window.

I would def prefer the temporary blinds to voiles as at least the blinds can be contained neatly within the window if you see what I mean.

Bump
And to summarise as o think I have the nub of it now
Has anyone found themselves drilling close to trunking and cabling? It's not just the loss of the space but also the nerves of having to drill close and fear of making a massive mistake

I had a window that ran right up the height of a 2 storey room. I had blackout Roman blinds, attached to the window frame itself with Velcro (listed building prohibited drilling into the actual frame. Perfectly well fixed and robust, although you can't get a long enough length from most of the chain-type blind companies.

Ooh, I can attach Roman blinds with Velcro? That would be a brilliant solution! Just with any Roman blind?

I should add, when I moved here I got a couple of quotes and no one suggested velcroing a Roman blind. If that works it would be fab.

Any chance of a picture, would help to visualise? What makes you so sure that cables are running in the ceiling so close to the window? Where are the joists?

Sheer roller blinds are good for the sunlight/privacy problem, you might even be able to attach them to the window frame.

Additional info
Sorry, this is a work in progress

Used cable detectors
Previous attempts and chats with neighbours mean certainty that curtains have to be ceiling mounted quite far into the room
Would prefer blinds
Roller blinds won't hold up with with Velcro I don't think
Also a sliding door goes over this so roller b,ind top rail will stick out too far
Don't want to drill into upvc, very little clearance to do so anyway

Stick on by far best idea but not convinced it will hold up plus need the top rail to be max 3 cm depth

Thanks!

Would it be possible to fix a wooden batten across the ceiling at the top extending past the window each side, hopefully allowing you to fix this at points where there are no wires. Then you could fix your curtain rail or track to the wooden batten.

Like this but on the ceiling rather than the wall
www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent3.bloomfire.com%2Fimages%2F740139%2Foriginal%2Fpole_on_a_wooden_baton.JPG%3FAWSAccessKeyId%3DAKIAIKMPP7FRDWCQ22UA%26Expires%3D2147385600%26Signature%3DkCtiJwAMhh28PymLnSHni%252B1Vvhg%253D%26response-content-disposition%3Dattachment&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fask-a-saint.silversaints.com%2Fposts%2F838142-hanging-curtain-tracks-and-poles&docid=B7ajFjoTL8-wfM&tbnid=spD9Ght0-16uoM%3A&w=650&h=366&bih=800&biw=1280&ved=0ahUKEwjBs7_j7pjMAhULHT4KHSh_B9AQMwgoKA0wDQ&iact=mrc&uact=8

In my kitchen the window goes almost to the ceiling, we had to fit a small piece of wood at the top the hung down a bit below the window opening and fixed the curtain rod to it. As above we had to carry it a few inches over the wall each side in order to fix it.

Frog, yes that can be done but I'm not sure I'm confident enough at DiY. I'm currently hunting for Roman blinds with a narrow enough bracket as I can see the Velcro idea being the best one.