Yeah. I've Turned My Window Into A Lamp.

I told you it was a whole new concept in window covering design.

https://twitterwithbraincells.blogspot.com/2023/12/merry-christmas-war-is-over.html

After a saga that has lasted for months and cost hundreds of pounds. Today I took down the blinds Hillarys had fitted. Then refitted them myself. 

I wouldn't go so far as to say they've done anything wrong. It's just that has always been the most frustrating part of this whole thing. The knowledge that I can do it better, cheaper.

For example they've used cheap squeezable plastic spacers to align the blinds. Where I custom made ones out of wood. Not that I'd want to pay a stranger to be in my house for the time that took. Particularly as they're painted.

The main blind is mounted into the wall over the frame. In doing this Hillarys didn't factor in the frame. So the blind rubs up against it, damaging the blind and making it difficult to open and close. So I used different wooden spacers to bring the blind forward by about 8mm.

Also while the screws cost US$60 each they didn't come with wallplugs/rawlplugs leaving them raw-dogging the masonry. Given the weights involved you can get away with this. You'll notice I've not had a sense of urgency in going about fixing it. Although I do feel better knowing that it's done properly.

The main problem is that it's a bay window. It is very difficult to fit roller blinds to bay windows. Some companies won't even take your money on the promise that they can do it. However this entire situation arose because curtains weren't working for us.

All roller blinds come with a gap between the blind itself and the mounting bracket. They wouldn't work otherwise. On bay windows these combine to make rather a large gap between the blinds. When fitted properly this gap should only expose the window frame rather than the glass. However you will always get a little gap of light coming around the blind.

Using Hillarys measurements on the main blind this gap was a couple of centimetres. After finally agreeing to use my measurements we got it down to a few millimetres.

Obviously there are net curtains between the window and the blind. However if you stood at exactly the right spot in the street outside and squint you could just about see in though the gap. This is really more psychological rather than any actual problem. Something I only think about when I'm in a certain mindset.

So I decided to almost literally fight fire with fire. Mounting LED strip lights within the frame. Creating a curtain of light or; "invisibility cloak" if you prefer. From outside you can no longer see past the LED's as they appear brighter than the light behind them.

What's known as the colour temperature is also adjustable. From something which is close to natural light through to the yellowish light of old filament lightbulbs.

So now when the Sun sets behind the window I can simply make it rise again with the touch of a button. Then when the blinds are closed I have some quite nice ambient lighting. For when I'm in a certain mindset.

All of which would have been so much more impressive if I'd done this in the middle of Winter as planned. In Summer the problem of visibility through escaping light no longer exists. While the light getting in provides its own ambience.

It is also worth noting.

The people who are currently accusing Israel of all sorts of weird and wonderful crimes in their war against Hamas.

They're the same people who couldn't follow the legal aspects of this tiny, little consumer dispute.

Obviously I'm in no mood to get down off my high horse quite yet.

However the Disability Rights Act (1995) really shouldn't have been that challenging of a curveball.

https://twitterwithbraincells.blogspot.com/2023/10/ar-15s-dont-shoot-762mm.html