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Original poster

How much for a curtain pole???

33 replies

Whatashittyweek · 09/11/2023 11:38

We have a massive bay window in our living room. Very high ceilings. The main part of the window is over 2.5m and then we have the side bits (not straight at an angle). Curtains have always been a nightmare. We have tried the C shaped rings but they really didn't work. I always needed a massive stick to open & close the curtains.

We've just done a massive amount of work on the house, including new windows. I wanted a pole where I wouldn't have these problems. All of our curtains have to be made to measure as you just can't buy them off the shelf.

A guy came out, really nice and brought some samples. So curtain rail needed with 4 bends in to get around the bay. The curtain hooks are below the rail meaning that it works like a dream, curtains on the bay just close with no issue - who knew 😂

BUT and it is a big BUT, for 2 windows to supply & fit the poles its £865!! That does not include the cost of the curtains (but he will come back and fit the curtains as part of that price so I know it will all be done properly)

Has anyone got one of these magic poles - and are they worth the money?

OP posts:
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thelonemommabear · 09/11/2023 19:57

@Whatashittyweek

I have twins.....100% you'll regret the carpet 😂

SuperBored · 09/11/2023 14:38

I've got similar bays all over my house and I put cheaper alternatives up to start with....they all now have silent gliss with no regrets. You can check out their prices on their website. I think I paid around £300 for each window including fitting a couple of years ago. You pay per bend so on my bays I just had 2 bends as the curtains hang within the bay whereas yours are going to be outside the bay if you have 4 bends which would have added an extra £100 on the price I would have paid, so sounds about right if the cost is for 2 sets for 2 bays.

floofbag · 09/11/2023 14:30

You need to get better at diy if you don't want to pay someone so much .
We have a similar window and sourced a rail from the internet for £150 and fitted it ourselves .

I'm forever shocked at how much people pay for simple tasks .

Viewfrommyhouse · 09/11/2023 14:27

Sounds reasonable to me OP.

PaminaMozart · 09/11/2023 14:22

Rugs, big, deep pile rugs, are your friend...

Original poster
Whatashittyweek · 09/11/2023 14:18

PaminaMozart · 09/11/2023 14:10

young twins and an elderly dog???

Don't listen to your husband.

You want wooden flooring!!

I know but I'm playing the long game here - DH absolutely refuses to have a wooden floor, he says he wants to feel the comfort of a carpet (the living room is the only room downstairs where we do have carpet). I make 99% of the decisions regarding decorating etc so this is my compromise (for the moment)

OP posts:
PaminaMozart · 09/11/2023 14:10

young twins and an elderly dog???

Don't listen to your husband.

You want wooden flooring!!

Original poster
Whatashittyweek · 09/11/2023 13:59

This is the colour scheme we’re going for and I can’t wait, I’m so excited

How much for a curtain pole???
OP posts:
thelonemommabear · 09/11/2023 13:59

I had the same issue OP - 3.5m windows - the poles were £600+ each - to be honest I did loads of research at the time and they just don't make extendable poles that length and the ones I saw were a bit flimsy and with the Weight of the curtain (not expensive ones either) I had to have a decent thickness of curtain pole x

Original poster
Whatashittyweek · 09/11/2023 13:57

PaminaMozart · 09/11/2023 13:54

How much are you paying for the flooring for this/these rooms? I bet it's not far off 2k, but much less in your face than curtains.

I've done huge renovation projects. It can get overwhelming. Costs escalate. One always ends up spending WAY more than anticipated.

But it'll look BEAUTIFUL !!

we're going with carpet, we have young twins and an elderly dog. I'd love a wooden floor but DH won't consider it

Carpet is going to cost £700 I think

OP posts:
PaminaMozart · 09/11/2023 13:54

How much are you paying for the flooring for this/these rooms? I bet it's not far off 2k, but much less in your face than curtains.

I've done huge renovation projects. It can get overwhelming. Costs escalate. One always ends up spending WAY more than anticipated.

But it'll look BEAUTIFUL !!

Original poster
Whatashittyweek · 09/11/2023 13:50

PaminaMozart · 09/11/2023 13:43

so it's 3 visits: measuring, fitting and returning to put up the curtains.
Plus hardware.
Plus the time it takes to prepare the hardware and fit it.
for 2 windows.

Plus the time it takes to work out the cost and write it all up. And time to answer your questions. Not to mention time wasted on preparing costs/proposals for jobs that are never commissioned. I mean, you've already said you're planning to get 2 more quotes, so at least 2 potential suppliers are going to lose out. The man is running a business after all!

Seems fair to me. Particularly if it ends up looking great and working as expected. Let's face it, bay window curtains are a PITA, so if someone can provide hassle free curtains I'd say go for it.

it's a very valid point - it's just tough to consider that with curtains on top we could well be looking at nearly £2k

OP posts:
Jesephone · 09/11/2023 13:46

We have exactly the same issue, oversized bay. Looked at various poles all coming in £1000 approx! The shop recommended Hallis Hudson arc made to measure which ended up being £525 so we are going with that.

Sunshinedahlias · 09/11/2023 13:44

We have a very similar window but maybe more rounded . In the end I bought two rails, rather than poles, which are bent into place around the corners . There is a join in the middle which has a small cover piece. But yeah, a nightmare to find anything standard that works.

PaminaMozart · 09/11/2023 13:43

so it's 3 visits: measuring, fitting and returning to put up the curtains.
Plus hardware.
Plus the time it takes to prepare the hardware and fit it.
for 2 windows.

Plus the time it takes to work out the cost and write it all up. And time to answer your questions. Not to mention time wasted on preparing costs/proposals for jobs that are never commissioned. I mean, you've already said you're planning to get 2 more quotes, so at least 2 potential suppliers are going to lose out. The man is running a business after all!

Seems fair to me. Particularly if it ends up looking great and working as expected. Let's face it, bay window curtains are a PITA, so if someone can provide hassle free curtains I'd say go for it.

daylightplease · 09/11/2023 13:43

Honestly OP I don't think it's too bad. It's for two windows and decent curtain poles aren't cheap before you consider fitting.
We good poles you will be able to hang thick heat saving curtains easily.

Original poster
Whatashittyweek · 09/11/2023 13:39

Poppyseed14 · 09/11/2023 13:34

Blimey OP. What's holding your windows in place?

thankfully they do fit perfectly now

OP posts:
Original poster
Whatashittyweek · 09/11/2023 13:38

Poppyseed14 · 09/11/2023 13:34

Blimey OP. What's holding your windows in place?

grit and spit at that particularly point. I've had a absolute nightmare. What should have been a 3 week project has turned into a 3 month nightmare. Windows didn't fit, structural problems unearthed, the wall under that bay window looked like the bricks had been thrown from 10 feet away and then just cemented in where they landed. If the guy who owned the house before us wasn't already dead I swear to god I'd have wrung his neck for him 😣

OP posts:
Poppyseed14 · 09/11/2023 13:34

Blimey OP. What's holding your windows in place?

swiftimania · 09/11/2023 13:31

Didn't notice it was for 2 windows- even less unreasonable!

Original poster
Whatashittyweek · 09/11/2023 13:30

Ignore the windows that clearly don’t fit (that’s a whole other thread) but this is the main window, plus there is another window on the other side that’s nearly 2m long - the £875 is for both poles, fitted. Then they will take exact measurements for the curtains and come back to fit them when they’re ready

How much for a curtain pole???
OP posts:
swiftimania · 09/11/2023 13:30

DH once spent the best part of day putting up a DIY bay window curtain track and said never again. I got made to measure tracks the next time - they were cheaper than poles but I suspect if you're in London/SE that price is not totally ridiculous.

LivingDeadGirlUK · 09/11/2023 13:29

£865 for two big bay windows doesn't seem too bad tbh, I know you can get a curtain pole for £20 in B&Q but this is a bespoke product including fitting and a return visit to fit curtains.

Original poster
Whatashittyweek · 09/11/2023 13:24

My dad is a joiner so I've been spoilt with his DIY skills but he's mid 70's now and has a spell of being very poorly so thats no longer an option. My DH isn't into DIY at all (although he's a pro at flat pack furniture 😁) I just need it to go up and work. I'm going to get a couple more quotes but it seems like it's there or there abouts

OP posts:
whereiwanttobe · 09/11/2023 13:23

We have a more easily accessible bay than yours, but also with an awkward bend and a return into the room, if that makes sense. We also have a lintel which is practically impossible to drill into.

I'd tried various curtain/pole combinations and spent a lot of money on configurations that didn't quite work. So eventually I bit the bullet and paid £££s for advice and a rail which was made to measure and fitted, and it was honestly worth every penny.