why are you worried about privacy?? who is going to see inside at that height?

is there some sort of UV/heat blocking film that you could put on the glass?

make sure you have low-e glass windows. they really do make a diff. I'd spend extra and get the best heat blocking low e glass. I have this glass on one of my bay windows. it's amazing. no heat transfers through the glass

I'd spend the money and go w/the heat blocking solar shades.

https://northsolarscreen.com/indoor-shades/solar-shades/high-performance-verosol/

https://www.zebrablinds.ca/blog/how-to-cover-windows-effectively-for-proper-heat-blocking-06-2020-26/

@Beth the right 2 windows look directly into our neighbors 2nd floor and they don’t have any blinds. They can see directly into our 2nd floor. But at 1% solar shade I can only see shadows

if they look into your windows, what is their view? is there a catwalk area or a loft that they see?

what I'm getting at, if it's not a bedroom, I wouldn't worry too much. theyd have to look through their windows and into yours to see you walking through a loft or hallway?

In any case, see about getting that window film that is reflective on the outside, see-through on the inside. Some are UV blocking too.

This one I would get the best that you could afford, not some 29.99 home depot window film!

Then you could do the solar shades and get the extra benefits of that. Plus at night, I think the shades would be required.

with the film, anyone looking at your window would just see a reflection

unless you want to forgo the shades and just do an obscure glass film.

@beth they can look directly onto our catwalk/hall. It’s a pretty clear shot view and we like our privacy. It’s been awkward at times (even if they aren’t purposely looking in). I’ll see if I can get a photo later. The windows that look into each other are fairly large at 60” x 60”.

What’s the benefit of the film vs shades? I figured during the winter they could be open more often. What’s typically the cost for 4 windows? The shades will already cost us around $3k plus installed.

I have film and shade as I wanted something to block UVA when my shades were up. I don't use shades for privacy but only in the morning when I have intense eastern sun.

I have motorized shades that don't eliminate my "view" entirely when they are down. There were choices in terms of opacity and so I was able to select the opacity that I wanted. I would think it would provide the level of privacy that you want.

In terms of cost, what is the price diffential? I did a gut remodel and did not regret spending more on items when they provided better function or aesthetics.

My motorized shades are from QMotion which was recommended by my designer. She said they were high quality but not as pricey as the more widely advertised brands like Hunter Douglas and are used a lot in commercial installations. Whatever you decide, get something that runs off your Wifi system because some of them run on the same type of wave length as baby monitors and your neighbors' devices can potentially screw up your shades operating properly on the remote signals.

Shade material colors

In my continuing search for something to cover my large windows, I've learned that privacy film does not work at night. There is one product that claims to work in the dark but I'm just learning about that and don't know much about it. https://www.contravision.com/privacy-window-film/advice-on-lighting-for-night-privacy/

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