There are UV films that can be attached to the glass to reduce glare and heat. There are also blinds, including top-down/bottom-up variants, that can give privacy and light control, and blinds are available for skylights. What direction will all these windows be facing? Will you be returning any trees to the front yard?

You should be buying windows and skylights that have a UV coating. Then you shouldn't need anything on the skylights and you can concentrate on the privacy aspect of the decorative coverings. It is difficult to dress windows with angled tops such as what you're going to have on the front of the house, so you're going to need the UV coating. Without it, the visible light will bleach everything in the room over time. If any of the windows face south or west you will need something sheer to cut back the sunlight when the sun is coming straight in, and possibly something else on top for privacy. Solar shades are a good choice in a contemporary home. Once the addition is finished and you have your furniture in place, post more pictures and you will get more advice for coverings that will go with your furnishings.

Not sure about large trees in the front yard at this point. The house faces west. We live in NJ. This is for my parents' new home project and I'm trying to anticipate what kind of budget to expect for the window coverings--I'm nervous. So. Much. Glass. Thx!

Do you happen to know who manufactured the windows and the window performance details?

The idea of adding window film to new windows is comparable to buying a new car and then driving to a discount tire store and replacing all the tires because you didn't order the right ones to start. Hoping that didn't happen with your folks' place.

Privacy is all about window coverings, performance should start with the window that's filling the hole in the wall and go from there.

I think one of the problems is that many new houses are designed as if privacy and light control are of absolutely no concern whatsoever, like every house is sited privately on large acreage with perfect position to the sun and with no problems of nighttime light pollution at all.

You may well have the budget to properly dress all these windows, I don't want to assume anything but that could be in the $10Ks--don't think I am exaggerating, I know someone who spent $100,000 on window treatments-- but the problem is most people do Not budget for this and that's why so many houses end up with little better than a sheet over the window. There are multi-million dollar houses around me (in the middle of a city, no privacy and light pollution enough that you can read with the lights out at night in some places), with gigantic plate glass windows covered 24 hours a day with cheap accordion shades or limp looking pieces of cloth from Target. A million-dollar house deserves better, and sometimes that means planning in the architectural drafting stage, and the budget stage.

I am not singling you out OP, it's just a general comment about a common thing I see in these forums. "I just built a very expensive house. My budget for window shades is Walmart."

There are many online companies that offer custom window treatments -- Smith and Noble is one of them. Plug the window sizes into their various products to get an idea of the price range you'll be dealing with. Then Google other similar companies and do the same. Get ready for a shock.

But then let's face it... window coverings are quite a racket. It's an industry that preys on the wealthy. Not that's there's anything wrong with that. Very similar to landscape designers.

If you pick a brand, make sure you get quotes from a couple of distributors. I got quotes from 2 Hunter Douglass Distributors for my whole house and the company that had "Budget" in their name was $10K more expensive than the other local distributor.

IF the skylights have not already been installed may I suggest looking at the Velux brand. Ours has a motorized shade built in to the skylight operated by a remote. I'm sure there are other brands that do the same thing. Ours is in a vaulted ceiling in the kitchen that faces west so it's handy in the summer when the sun is blaring down, and it's also cellular so it keeps some warmth in during our cold winter overnights.

Just regarding the skylights - as Kate Cowers said above, Velux skylights have the UV coating. As long as your parents are not getting the old-style plexiglass dome skylights, I believe that all skylights sold today come with UV coating as well as insulated glass (Argon gas between the panes). Insulation around the skylight is something for the roofer to handle as routine, so you should discuss with the roofer or the general contractor.

I have a Velux skylight at the top of my stairwell. In July, you do not feel the heat, and in January you do not feel the cold. There is no effect on carpeting and wood that is under the skylight, because the glass has UV coating. If your parents' skylights are in bedrooms (which I do not recommend), then you can buy skylights with the built-in shades as mentioned above.

I got several estimates for an electric opening custom skylight for my stairwell 15k - 20K. Then I saw Home Depot had small opening Velux skylights for $2000 with shades, screens, rain sensor and solar charger so I bought two and just used an aluminum channel to join them. Bright side is now I can hang a light fixture dead center without a problem.

I need get up there to paint out the black trim but I'm perfectly happy with them. Btw, they can be made smart with a Velux device so they open if the temperature inside hits a certain temperature or just on a regular schedule.