Openness factor is the whole decision: lower numbers cut more sun, higher numbers keep more view.
Sunscreen fabric is a roller blind with a difference you can see through. The weave is left slightly open — usually 3% or 5% of the surface — so glare and UV are knocked down hard while the view survives. On the deep north-facing living wings that define Sandhurst, that is normally the right first move: you keep the garden, you lose the squint.
Openness is a trade, and it is worth understanding before you choose. A 1–3% weave is tighter, darker and more protective; a 5–10% weave keeps more view and more light. Fabric colour matters as much as the number: a dark weave gives sharper outward view and less glare, a pale weave bounces more light back off the glass and keeps the room brighter.
One thing we always say out loud: sunscreen works in one direction only. During the day you see out and passers-by see very little in. After dark, with the lights on, that reverses. Rooms that need evening privacy get a blockout as well, often on the same double bracket.
Practical notes
- 3%, 5% and 10% openness weaves; charcoal, linen and bone tones in the sample folder.
- Double brackets for a sunscreen-by-day, blockout-by-night pairing on one window.
- UV reduction protects timber floors, art and upholstery on a hard north elevation.
- The same fabrics run in exterior-grade versions for zip screens and outdoor blinds.
Where we fit this
The same 3–5% weave keeps the view intact on big glazing wherever we measure it — Sandhurst, Hyde Park, Atholl, Illovo, Dunkeld and Inanda among them.
What a sunscreen roller costs in Sandhurst
Per square metre installed, a hand-operated sunscreen roller runs R1,100 to R1,600 per square metre, with the tighter three and five percent weaves sitting nearer the top of that. Motorised, allow R2,600 to R3,800 per square metre.
Because the mesh weave costs more than a plain coated cloth, sunscreen sits above blockout at the same size. Small openings still attract a minimum charge, and every window is priced individually once it has been measured.
Often specified together
