Each night when I pull down my cellular shades I wonder again why people do not use them on doorwalls. I have a simple silk valance above the doorwall and two pleated shades that match mounted in front of the sliding glass doors below. They meet where there is millwork, so no one can even peek in between them. They disappear in the morning behind the valance. The honeycomb cells even provide a bit more insulation during these icy winter days. I can leave the bottoms open high enough for the dogs to look out without dirtying the bottom of the window coverings, or pull them down to the floor. They are inexpensive and come in standard sizes that match the sizes of the door panels and so can be changed out every few years if the color scheme changes. Tibbrix linked you to ones that come on a single header, so you would not even need a valance. It is a sleek and modern look. Someone above also showed you some Roman shades that were warm and textured. Is there a reason not to consider the use of longer window shades? It has seemed an underused option for patio door walls to me and I do not understand why it has not caught on.

"We have not had any leaks but how difficult is it to change out portions of a drywall ceiling?" I've had a drywall ceiling for 15 years in the basement and haven't had any reason to touch it. If you want to identify any potential problems while the ceiling is open, fine. This way you minimize opening the ceiling at a later time. Say for instance there's a bathroom above on the first floor in a house that's 40 years old. I might look at the tub or shower traps as potential issues and replace them while the ceiling is open. Every house is different and you don't need to anticipate every possibility. It's drywall. If you need to cut it open, cut it open. You repair the ceiling and paint it. It's not brain surgery, but alot of the tools are the same. Ron

My3dogs - they were incredibly easy to make! The only change I made from your original directions was that I edge stitched the trim to the bottom. I placed the trim towards the back so that just the fringe hung down and top stitched a needles width from the edge. Thanks so much for sharing your talent with us. I've bought books and looked at lots of WT, but still liked this one the best. My concern with the narrow windows is that in order to have tails the center will be too narrow. I'm going to give it a try. I can always redo it if I have to. UGH. Ajsmama, it is just a rectangle. Miraculous isn't it? My3dogs is the best! The window over the sink is 40" wide including the trim and 40 inches high from top of the trim to the sill. I used a full 54" width of fabric that was 45" long. It's hung with a tension rod since there is no room on either side of the window facing. The valance is mostly over the wall portion and only drapes over the window a little.

I would look at white plantation shutters for the windows and a Vertiglide on the slider since you use it every day. I would then either add a cornice over the Vertiglide or some drapery side panels. Now if you have young children I am going to change my Vertiglide recommendation to a vertical. I know no one like verticals but if you have sticky little hands, you want to be able to clean the blind easily! When they have grown to the point where you don't have to worry about that anymore, then you can move to a Vertiglide or something else. Here are some links to a blog you may want to look at for ideas. https://dressthatwindow.com/beauty-of-shutters/ https://dressthatwindow.com/i-hate-verticals-what-else-is-there-for-sliding-glass-doors/ https://dressthatwindow.com/drapery-side-panels-complete-the-look/ Not a perfect example but just trying to give you a sample of the combination of shutters, a Vertiglide and a cornice board. You can really dress up the windows on that back wall to look great! Good Luck!