Guides
Motorized or manual blinds: what actually changes, and which rooms need which
Same fabric, same look — the only difference is whether you pull it or press a button. So the real question isn't which is better, it's which windows are worth paying a motor for.
People often assume a motorized blind is a different product entirely. It isn't. Same fabric, same style, same colours — the only thing that changes is what raises and lowers it: a chain or cord becomes a motor tucked inside the tube or the track.
Side by side
| Manual | Motorized | |
|---|---|---|
| How you operate it | A chain or cord at the side | Remote, phone app or wall switch |
| Several windows at once | Walk to each one | One command covers them all |
| Dangling cords | A chain hangs down the side | Nothing hanging to catch on |
| Needs power? | No | A socket near the headrail, or a battery motor |
| Extra cost | None | A motor per unit — see the table below |
| In a power cut | Works as normal | You can pull it by hand — a little stiffer than a manual blind |
| Product | Starting price | Minimum per unit | Motor per unit | Installation per unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motorized Roller Blind | 690 THB/sq yd | 1.5 sq yd | 5,000 ฿ | 200-2,500 THB per unit depending on size |
Excludes VAT · the final price depends on fabric grade and how many units
Where a motor earns its cost
- Windows you can't reach — transoms above doors, glass running up to the ceiling, or a window behind a sofa. If it's awkward on day one, it will simply never get used.
- Several windows in one wall — a living room with four in a row is one press, instead of four walks across the room.
- Bedrooms — open up to the morning without getting out of bed. The motor is quieter than an electric fan.
- Upstairs windows — pure convenience, and the single most common reason people choose it.
- Very wide or heavy blinds — a big panel pulled by hand tends to run crooked. A motor winds it straight, every time.
Where it isn't worth it yet
- Small windows you can reach standing up and open once a day.
- Bathrooms or storage rooms where the blind barely moves.
- Spots with no socket where you'd rather not run new cable — if you still want it motorized, look at the battery motor instead.
- A tight budget and a lot of windows. Motorize only what you can't reach and leave the low ones manual — plenty of homes do exactly this.
Already have curtains you like?
Yes — if they hang on a track, you can swap just the track for a motorized curtain track and keep the fabric you already own. It's the usual answer for a condo bedroom where the curtains are still new but the daily walk across the room isn't. Existing roller blinds or venetians usually have to be replaced as a set, because the motor lives inside the tube.
Will it get stuck in a power cut?
No — you can pull it by hand, though it feels a little stiffer than a manual blind.
Is the motor noisy in a bedroom?
Quieter than an electric fan.
How long does a motor last, and what's the warranty?
Typically 5-10 years. We fit Somfy, Noovo, Kacee and Uni, warrant the motor for 6 years, and the installation for 1 year.
Want the numbers for your own windows?
Send rough sizes first — no need to measure precisely. We'll work out a price, then arrange the real measure.
