Blinds and shutters on the Costa Blanca

The most common breakdown on the Costa Blanca

Blind cord replacement is probably the most-requested repair in the whole region. The reason is structural. 90% of homes in Torrevieja, Punta Prima, Pilar de la Horadada or La Mata blocks are built with PVC roller blinds identical in concept: PVC slats joined by internal tapes, cotton pull cord that raises and lowers, wall-recessed winder and upper box housing the shaft and rolled blind. The cotton cord is the weakest component. It suffers continuous friction every time you raise or lower the blind, thermal expansion and contraction with temperature changes, and humidity degradation. Real lifespan is 8-12 years under normal use. After that it can snap any time, typically mid-summer when you drop the blind at noon to escape the sun and leave it stuck halfway.

The cord change itself is a 30-45 minute job per blind when the box is accessible. Real complexity is locating the internal break, opening the box without damaging it, removing the shaft, taking out the old cord, threading the new one through slats and winder, and reassembling without misaligning slats. For someone who has never done it, one blind can take three hours and end worse than before. For technicians who do it daily, 30 minutes with a clean finish.

Motorisation: when it pays off

Replacing traditional cord with an electric motor is the upgrade we recommend most for clients with large blinds (over 1.5 m wide), upper-floor blinds with difficult internal access, or reduced-mobility users who struggle with repeated winder action. A Somfy 18Nm motor handles blinds up to 2.5 m wide with standard fabric. With standard RTS remote you can operate from anywhere in the room; with WiFi remote linked to an app you can integrate with home automation for scheduling, geolocation or voice control.

Motorisation needs power to the upper box. If the box wall already has a cable nearby (typically from the room’s nearest socket), install is direct. If not, surface trunking or chased cable is needed. Full motorisation is 2-3 hours per blind when power is close. For all blinds in a whole home, 1-2 days.

When repair no longer pays

If the blind slats are cracked, faded and brittle (typical in 25-30+ year blinds with exterior sun exposure), point-by-point repair stops making economic sense. Full blind replacement with a modern model costs two to three times what just changing the cord does, but gives you another 25-30 trouble-free years, better thermal insulation (modern slats are injected and filled with polyurethane, much more insulating than old hollow ones), and factory-integrated motorisation option.

For full replacement we make to measure to the existing aperture and deliver in 7-15 days from measurement. We work with injected aluminium blinds for coastal zones where salt destroys PVC in 15-20 years, and reinforced PVC for inland zones where salt isn’t the problem and aluminium would be unnecessary cost.

Integrated mosquito nets

A very-requested upgrade today is combining motorised blind with integrated roller mosquito net in the same box. Lets you have both blind and net independently operable, both hidden when not in use. The standard solution in modern new construction. For renovations of existing properties, requires replacing the whole box with a deeper new one that houses both systems.