Vertical Blind installation, too wide?

aidso

I have just had a number of rooms installed with new vertical blinds. My windows are PVC windows that tilt inward when the handle is at 90 degrees and inward like a door when at 180 degrees.
The blinds have been attached onto a bracket that attaches to the window.
At 90 degrees the window opens, the blinds bend slightly and that's ok. At 180degrees the "door" no longer opens as the rail is so wide it touches the inner window/wall. There's no way I can open it to clean the outside, nor heaven-forbid there was an emergency, the blind isn't coming down without a screwdriver. Does this seem "normal"?

MisterP123

Got any photos? Inward opening windows don't come across as "normal" to me anyway. For vertical blinds to sit within the sill I imagine they'd always be an obstruction to an inward opening windows.

I also imagine that in an emergency, opening the window straight through the runner/bracket or smashing it completely wouldn't be out of the question.

Just seems like the wrong choice of blind for the window.

aidso

https://imgur.com/a/hYnyZpg

MisterP123

Difficult to see from that, have they fitted the blinds to the windows that move or off the frame?

It'd probably been better to secure them to the ceiling part of the sill, but I don't think it would gain you a lot.

Perhaps contact the blind company and see if they can offer something? I don't really see a perfect solution from where I'm standing though.

aidso

The blind is attached to the window that moves; so the blind moves in and out. But the rail is so wide the window no longer opens like a door.

ic

Looks to me like the blind should have been made larger than the window, and fitted outside the recess (like a curtain) - that way if you wanted to open the window fully, you'd clear the blind out of the way first.

If the blind was any narrower, surely you'd have a gap. I guess also the rail has been fitted so that it hangs away from the window, so that when the vanes of the blind are opened at 90 degrees, they don't themselves hit the window.

Did you specifically order for the blinds to be attached to the window in this way?

aidso

I specifically told him the window had to open - as with the older blinds, you had to take them down to open it like a door. The fitter said they'd attach to the window and when full opened, you'd be able to open the window as such.
To me it looks like the rail has been measured too long and the fitter has sawed the end of it to make it fit. You can see a "gouge" in my wall where it has dragged when trying to open the window. There's about 7mm gap either side of the rail on this window, whereas the others are at least 20mm+.
Maybe I've got it wrong and the windows aren't supposed to be used like I thought. I thought they should open in the event of a fire.

ic

Windows that open inwards in this way aren't particularly common in the UK so if the window operation wasn't demonstrated to the fitter, they may not have realised (thought then again, who wants a blind that goes outside?!). Are you in Scotland? I think there's a rule about being able to open windows for cleaning them. Get the fitter back and demonstrate the problem.

TBH if you want blinds fitted to the window, I think you'll need something far more flush to the window - say like a Venetian blind with narrow vanes.

scottishblondie

A tilt and turn window was never going to be able to turn properly with a blind fitted like that. If it was narrower it might open a bit more but I can’t see it would be able to open fully without the edges of the glass being uncovered due to the depth of the reveal.

If you really want something inside the reveal a perfect fit blind or similar would have been a better option.

silvercar

My windows are PVC windows that tilt inward when the handle is at 90 degrees and inward like a door when at 180 degrees.

A family member had those windows. With a bad knack to the handle it is possible for them to only be held at one point ie the side doesn't re-engage fully before the tilt movement starts.

Doesn't help you though.

aidso

Think I'm succumbing to the fact that the window won't/shouldn't be expected to open as a door anymore.

I think I'm more annoyed at the quality of finish - one rail in particular looks to have been measured too long and the fitter has made a bodge to chop and install it. So it opens less, than the other windows