Shopping for new blinds, shades, shutters or drapery for your home? Here are five reasons to skip the off-the-shelf products and choose a custom solution.

With limited knowledge about window treatment styles and functions, many homeowners tend to get overwhelmed during the buying process. The best part about choosing a custom solution is the opportunity to work with a window covering expert.

Companies like Decorview offer free in-home design consultations, bringing the showroom right to your home. This allows you to explore hundreds of color and style samples before you buy. Plus, in-home experts will also measure your windows, so your product selections will be manufactured to your exact window specifications.

Picking out fabrics, finishes and embellishments is one of the best parts of shopping for window treatments. Most homes vary considerably in design style, so if you’re searching for the perfect fabric or finish to match your unique decorating taste, a custom solution will provide infinitely more choices than a ready-made product. Plus, you’ll have the option to add additional features and functions like motorization, which allows you to operate and schedule your shades with the touch of a button.

Large window expanses and uniquely shaped windows and doors can be one of the most difficult decorating challenges in a home. Most brands and retailers only carry what they consider to be “standard” window treatment sizes, making it tough to get a perfect fit without adjustments — or sometimes, even to get a product that will work at all.

If your windows or doors are hard to fit, then a custom solution is your best option. Brands like Hunter Douglas offer a wide selection of shades and shutters to fit every size, shape and situation — including products for skylights; glass doors; French doors; bay and corner windows; and specialty shapes like arches, circles, and trapezoids

Ready to start your window covering project? HomeAdvisor has partnered with Decorview, an authorized Hunter Douglas dealer, to bring you a free in-home consultation. Visit their website or call Decorview at 1-877-375-4426.