500 quid for a curtain pole! Help!

[lyndap]

Help!

I have just been quoted 500 quid for a metal curtain pole. It's a metropole and was measured exactly to fit my bay window.

I live in a mid - terraced Victorian villa and NOT a small country estate so this seems like a lot of money for what is not a huge - though double bay window.

I can't justify paying that amount and wondered if anyone had alternatives or suggestions?

I'm reluctant to go with a plastic track as it won't look so nice in the room where we have an original black cast iron victorian fireplace.

Any advice most gratefully received![smiile]

yopu canbuy metal poles that bend now. I think a normal department store would sell them

What area of the country are you in Lyndap? there's a local place that makes them to measure near us for a LOT less than that....S London

are these any good from next

I got my metal curtain poles for a bay window from IKEA - very reasaonable price - can't believe you've been quoted £500, that's ridiculous.

Artisan do good ones that you can bend yourself or they can do it at the factory.They are quite expensive but not 500!Also some cheaper ones aren't cast iron so if you don't mind aluminium and the curtains are fairly light try a dept storeHTH

Thanks for this!
Fio2 - my window is not quite the right shape for the bendy ones I have seen to date - it's a u-shape in the middle but has a slight flare again on either side so they call it a double bay...
Blu, I'm in Central Scotland but maybe even with post/delivery it would be worth contacting the place near you if you'd be kind enough to provide contact details.
Fairydust - thanks for the link to Next - I must admit I hadn't looked there before.
MrsJingles - I had looked in Ikea but will go back for another recce.
Noddy5 - I'll also check the Artisan website.
I agree that 5oo quid is ridiculous even for state of the art, angled and made to measure with a swanky track hidden inside and I shall NOT be paying it! You've given me some great suggestions to follow up so I'll go off and do that and let you know how it works out.

I made one for a square bay out of spray painted copper pipe. Looked fab and cost next to nothing. If any part of your bay is round though, it probably wouldn't work. You may get it cheaper if you find a metal worker near you and commission it from them rather than use a company.

I had a beautiful custom bent curtain rod done for the bay window in my ds's room from these guys . It wasn't ikea kind of cheap, but it was less than a lot of the custom places. I wanted a modern ceiling mounted rod that had passing rings and no visible screws. They managed all of that. (the room itself is victorian/edwardian with all original details, but I wanted the curtain rod to be contemporary) The fittings are really simple and wonderfully designed. They were also very helpful and great to deal with. For the rest of my house I got their pole sets which were a really good price.

And congrats to soupdragon for being clever. I (i'm an architect) did many of the curtain rods (and towel rails) in my house in la out of copper plumbing pipes and pipe fittings sprayed with clear varnish. I even was on tv showing them on a home design show.

Square bays are easy - pipe and 90degree elbow joints. And 2 decorative bottle stoppers for finials!

What a fantasic idea!

Soupy, we really could have used you (well you idea really) a few weeks ago as we had the same bay window/curtain pole problem. We couldn't find poles that had 45 degree angle anywhere and have had to resort to blinds instead.

Fantastic!

You are all fab.
I'm Sooooooooooo impressed by the making it yourself-ness on here!
Sofia - I'll contact the people you suggest - looks like lovely stuff.
Thanks!

Soupy,
Just a thought. Can I ask if your curtains close around the pole okay or did you have to buy 2 pairs?
I wondered if the fixing bracket holding the pole to the wall would get inthe way of pulling the curtain along IYSWIM?
Sorry if I'm being uber dense.....

Hey, soupy, dh did this for one of our bay windows and I love it - we didn't varnish as I would be happy with either copper colour or oxised copper colour. About a year after we did ours, I saw Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen do the same thing on one of the very early Changing Rooms shows.

I had just one pair of curtains but only one side of my bay was a window so I was not concerned about the curtain pulling round the corner. I used supporting hooks from Ikea at the finial ends and one in the middle so they weren't where you'd be pulling the curtains IYSWIM! If you've properly fixed the joints (I didn't, I just pushed them together, no soldering or gluing) it should be strong enough as long as your curtains are not exceptionally heavy. Use the fattest pipe (1 inch/2cm ish?)

lyndap, you want to get "passing rings" which are C shaped and will pull past the bracket holding the rod, so it doesn't matter how many brackets you have.
Also you will want two curtains meeting in the middle so that you can pull half to each side (if I am understanding your question correctly).

Just had a similar quote myself so am having roman blinds made to velcro onto a wooden batten. Cheaper and you also need less fabric...

Lyndap - I investigated this last year for our house, as we have a similar window.The ones for bay window sold ready made in shops only work if you have a square bay with one bend in each pole.We have 5 bends plus a return at the end to go around a round bay IYSWIM.

Unless you want to have several smaller curtains that hang around the bay and stay on the window frame, you need roman blinds or a curtain rail with C rings that pull past the brackets. There is a shop in Lanarkshire ( they may have branches elsewhere) which makes these to fit - not cheap but much less than £500 - I think our was £150. Still a lot IMHO. There is a choice of colours ( different metals)and finials. I'm pleased with ours. And we managed to economise on the other curtain poles elsewhere in the house (non bay windows) by getting 5 for £70 from Screwfix Direct!!!
HTH

Poppyseed - have seen a bay window done with roman blinds and it looked FAB!!! Hope yours works out

KristinaM,
Can you let me have details of the Lanarkshire shop, please?
Sofia, you did understand the question and so thanks for the tip re passing rings!
Best,
Lynda

KristinaM - I've already had DD's window (which is the top bay) done in pink gingham check with blackout linings. It does look absolutely great and I'm really pleased, and more to the point - so is she!! Can't wait to have the lounge done now as we've made do with rubbish curtains for ages....!!

KA International 145 Main St Uddingston 01698 811 902. Pole is by Cameron Fuller

Thanks!

Just ordered my pole from KA International as per KristinaM's suggestion.
Definitely much cheaper than my first quote so thanks to you all.
DH is quite keen to give the copper piping poles a go elsewhere in the house
Off to IKEA tomorrow to spend the money I saved on my curtain pole! (makes sense in a having a diet coke with a Mars Bar kind of way!)