Three months ago, we bought our first home in Salt Lake City. It was exciting, terrifying, and came with exactly zero window treatments. We quickly learned that "budget-conscious first-time homeowners" and "14 windows that need curtains" don't mix well.
Mark got a quote for professional motorized curtain installation: $2,300. Diane laughed, then cried, then started Googling. Turns out, with some patience and a willingness to make mistakes, we could do it ourselves for under $500.
Fast forward to today: our entire home has smart, motorized curtains. Emma (our 3-year-old) thinks all curtains should respond to voice commands. Copper (our golden retriever) has learned to stay away from the motors. And we've saved $1,820.
"We started this blog because we kept getting questions from friends, family, and random people at Home Depot. If we can help other families make their homes smarter without designer budgets, we're doing something right."
Great question. When we moved in, we realized curtains were going to be our biggest expense. Rather than just buying cheap ones and calling it a day, we researched motorization, rail systems, fabric types, and accessories.
We discovered that most guides were either too technical (written by installers trying to upsell you) or too vague (Pinterest pretty but zero actual details). We wanted something in between: real numbers, real mistakes, real solutions.
Now we understand the difference between U-Rails, I-Rails, and Traditional Rods. We know which accessories actually matter (and which are just upsells). We've tested blackout vs room-darkening fabrics. And we've made motorization feel less scary.
These aren't just values on a wall. This is how we approach every project, every guide, and every recommendation.
We prove you don't need designer prices for designer results. Every project includes our actual costs.
We try everything in our actual home with our actual family (and dog). No sponsored fluff.
No jargon, no gatekeeping. If we can do it with a toddler running around, you can too.
We share our failures as openly as our wins. Learning together is what it's all about.
(And yes, we count Copper too)
Handles the technical stuff, writes most of the guides, and makes dad jokes that Diane pretends not to laugh at. Once measured a window three times and still ordered the wrong size U-Rail.
Keeps our projects on budget, handles the photography and design, and is the reason we didn't just hire professionals. Also the first to suggest "What if we just try it ourselves?"
Emma is our chief curtain tester and voice command enthusiast who thinks all homes work like ours. Copper is our quality control specialist who tests every floor surface for comfort and supervises all installations from his favorite napping spots. Both remind us daily why blackout curtains were worth every penny.
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A DIY blog by Mark & Diane Benson. We're documenting our curtain motorization journey and smart home projects from our Utah fixer-upper.