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"DIY blinds" sounds like a compromise. It isn't — the blind that arrives is the same made-to-measure product a showroom would sell you; the difference is that you do the measuring and the drilling, and you keep the money the showroom would have charged for doing it. Here is the whole process as it actually happens, including the two places people get nervous.

Harries fitting the sheer track at his and Emily's place in Bondi. A step, a drill, and about twenty minutes a window.

Step 1: order samples (free, and not optional)

Every fabric we make looks different on a screen than it does taped to your window at 4 pm. So the first step is to order free samples — blockout, light-filtering, sunscreen, sheer, whatever you're considering — and live with them for a day. Hold sunscreens to the glass and look through; put blockouts against the wall to see how the colour reads; turn the lights on at night and check the sheers from outside. This one step removes almost every "it doesn't look like the photo" problem before it can happen. If colour is the bit you're stuck on, the colour guide tells you what to look for in the swatch.

Emily ordering samples from the kitchen table. This is where every good DIY order starts.

Step 2: decide the fit, then measure

This is the first place people get nervous, and it's more straightforward than it feels. Two decisions:

Then measure in millimetres with a steel tape: width at the top, middle and bottom; height at the left, centre and right. For a recess fit you use the smallest width and the smallest height. For a face fit you decide how much overlap you want (we suggest about 50mm each side) and measure to that. The roller blinds buying guide goes through the fit decision room by room. Our measuring guides have a video for every product and take about ten minutes to follow.

Step 3: configure it online

The configurator asks you the questions a showroom consultant would ask, in the order they'd ask them: product, fabric, width and drop, fit, control side, chain colour, pelmet, motor. The price updates as you go, so you can see exactly what a wider window or a motor adds before you commit. Nothing is hidden in a quote that arrives on Tuesday.

Two settings people skip and shouldn't: control side (put the chain on the side away from the bed, the cot or the door swing) and roll direction on rollers (front roll clears a window handle that would otherwise catch the fabric).

Step 4: wait — about 10 to 15 working days for blinds

Every product is made to your measurements in Australia, so nothing is sitting on a shelf. Blinds typically ship in 10 to 15 working days; curtains and shutters take longer, and the product page tells you how much. Delivery is tracked and the cost is calculated at checkout from your postcode. If you're working to a date — a baby, a move, Christmas — order the samples early and the blinds a month out.

Step 5: install it (the second nervous bit)

A roller blind is two brackets, four screws, a drill and a level. Twenty minutes a window once you've done the first one. Curtain tracks take a little longer because you're working overhead; shutters are the most involved and reward patience. The install guides have videos for each.

The result at Harries and Emily's: a blockout roller in the kids' room, fitted by them, down for a day sleep.

What if something goes wrong?

What DIY doesn't give you

Honesty cuts both ways. If you want someone to come to your house, measure, recommend and install, an online order isn't that. Some people hire a local handyperson for the measuring or the drilling and still order online — that works fine, and it's covered in our online vs showroom comparison. But the core deal is: you do two jobs a showroom would charge for, and the price reflects it. If you're weighing up providers, here's what to check.

Common questions