Building in Lakeville or Rosemount? When to Plan Window Coverings

Start planning window coverings while the frame goes up. Measure once the drywall and trim are in. Then set the install as close to closing as you can. That way you never spend a night with bare windows. Ask your builder for a schedule early so you know when each stage lands. And add patio doors, entry doors and lower-level windows to your list.

Why does timing matter so much on a new build?

Windows are the one part of a new house that's easy to forget until move-in night. The builder hands you the keys. The movers leave. The lights go on. Suddenly every neighbor on a brand-new street can see into your living room. The bedrooms face east toward a field with no trees. The sun comes up early, and nothing stops it.

A lot of families in the south metro go through this, because the area keeps growing. Lakeville went from 69,490 people in 2020 to an estimated 76,746 in 2024, per the Metropolitan Council. Rosemount grew from 25,650 to 27,769 over the same years. The City of Lakeville's available lots report listed 584 single-family lots and 642 townhome lots open as of September 30, 2025. Brookshire is one of the largest neighborhoods on that list.

None of that is a reason to rush. It's a reason to plan. Window coverings are custom made for each opening. Thinking about them early makes move-in a lot smoother.

How long does a new house take to build?

It depends on the builder, the house and the weather. Ask your builder for their schedule. Then ask again as things move along. A Minnesota winter can push a timeline back by weeks.

For your windows, the exact number of months matters less than the order of the stages. Almost every new build moves through the same steps:

1. The frame goes up, and the window openings appear.
2. Drywall, trim and paint go in. Rooms start to look like rooms.
3. You do a final walk-through before closing.
4. You close, move in and spend your first nights in the house.

Each stage has a window decision or two that's easiest to make right then. The table shows how it lines up.

What should you do while the frame goes up?

This is the planning stage. It costs nothing but a little time. When you visit the site, bring your phone and a notebook.

• Find north. Your phone's compass works fine. Write down which way each main room faces.
• Look at the neighbors. On a new street you can see which windows will face another house, the road or a future yard.
• Picture the sun. East bedrooms get early light. West rooms get late afternoon glare. South rooms get the low winter sun.
• Think about how you live. Who sleeps in? Who works from home? Where will the TV go? Where will the kids play?

You don't need to pick a fabric yet. You just want a short list of rooms and the job each one has to do. It could be privacy or darkness. It could be glare control or warmth.

Here's what that list might look like for a made-up two-story home on a corner lot. The primary bedroom faces east and needs darkness. The living room faces the street to the south. It needs daytime privacy and glare control. The kitchen and patio door face west and need help with late sun. The office faces north and needs very little. That's all you need at this stage.

What changes once drywall and paint are in?

Now the house starts to feel real. This is the best time to look at colors. Wall paint, trim and floors are set or nearly set. You can hold a sample against the real wall in the real light.

A few things to notice now:

• Trim style. Some trim looks great framed by an inside-mount shade. Other trim is better covered by an outside mount.
• Window depth. Inside-mount shades need enough depth in the frame. New windows vary.
• Outlets and switches. Note any outlet near a window. It matters if you ever want a powered shade.
• The look from the street. New neighborhoods often have lots of similar homes. One color on every street-facing window keeps yours calm and tidy from the curb.

Bring a few things on this visit. Your paint colors. A photo of your flooring. Any fabric or furniture you're bringing along. Window coverings sit right next to all of them. A white that looks bright on a sample card can look gray next to warm trim. So compare in the room itself. Daylight changes color, too. If your builder allows it, visit once in the morning and once later in the day.

When is the right time to measure?

Measure after the drywall, trim and window casings are done. Measuring off the plans is tempting. But openings can shift a little during the build. Custom coverings need the real numbers.

It also helps to wait until the paint is dry and the house is clean. Job sites have dust and ladders everywhere. You want final numbers taken when nothing else is about to change. If a window is still waiting on trim, wait with it. A quarter inch can decide whether a shade fits inside the frame or has to mount outside it.

This is where it pays to work with someone who measures every day. A pro checks width and height in several spots. They look at depth and note anything that isn't quite square. Some builders allow a scheduled visit before closing. Ask yours how that works.

What if your builder won't allow visits before closing? That's okay. Your plan from the framing stage still helps. You'll be ready to measure the day you get the keys. Put up something simple in the bedrooms for the first few nights.

What should you check at the final walk-through?

The walk-through is mostly about the house. Still, take five minutes for the windows:

1. Count every window and glass door, room by room. Compare the count to your list.
2. Look for late additions. Transoms over doors are easy to miss. So are sidelights by the front door and small stairway windows.
3. Check the lower level. Walkout and egress windows count, too.
4. Note any window that looks at a neighbor's window. Those need privacy first.
5. Confirm your install date lines up with your closing date.

What happens in closing week and the first few nights?

This is where good planning pays off. If your install lands close to closing, the bedrooms are dark and the living room is private from night one.

Doing the house in stages? This order works well:

• Bedrooms first. Especially any bedroom that faces east or the street. In a move, sleep matters most.
• Street-facing rooms next. On a new street with young trees, evenings feel exposed fast.
• Glare rooms after that. West kitchens and south living rooms can wait a few weeks if they need to.
• Low-use rooms last. Guest rooms, the office and the basement.

The first week in a new house is busy. Boxes to unpack. Utilities to set up. A new route to work. Having the windows handled is one less thing on your plate. If something slips, simple temporary covers in a few rooms will get you through. Just don't let temporary turn into permanent. Paper shades taped up in October have a way of still being there in March.

Need daytime privacy without going dark? Roller shades come in light-filtering and blackout fabrics. They keep a clean look in open new floor plans. We can bring samples so you can compare them in your actual rooms.

Which windows do new homeowners forget?

Almost every new build has a few. These are the easy ones to miss:

• Patio and sliding doors. They're big and they get used all day. They need a covering that moves out of the way.
• The door to the garage. Some have glass. Some face the driveway.
• Front door sidelights. They look nice from the curb. But people on the porch can see right in.
• Transoms and tall windows. Two-story rooms often have a top row that's hard to reach.
• Lower-level windows. A finished basement bedroom still needs darkness and privacy.
• The bathroom window. It seems obvious until move-in night.

A big two-story great room needs its own plan. Low winter sun can reach deep into a tall room. It works a lot like it does on the wooded lots in our post about Eagan homes after the leaves drop.

What should you ask your builder about windows?

A few early questions can save headaches later:

• Are any window sizes or locations still likely to change?
• What kind of trim or casing will each window get?
• Will you put up any window coverings? If so, in which rooms?
• When can I schedule a visit to measure before closing?
• Does the HOA have rules on what can be seen from the street?
• Which windows face the street on the final lot layout?

South metro neighborhoods are big and still growing. In Shakopee, the city's development list shows Highview Park as part of a 601-lot development. It sits south of 130th Street (County Road 78) along Zumbro Avenue. The first phase alone has 172 single-family and twin homes. In a neighborhood like that, the house next door may not exist yet when you close. So ask which lots will be built next. A window with an open view today may face a new home next year.

What if you have already moved in?

Then you're in good company. It's not too late. Start where sleep and privacy suffer most. That's usually a bedroom or a front room. Use the same short list. Which way does each room face? What job does it need to do?

It also helps to know how each direction behaves through the seasons. Our guide to Burnsville-area rooms by the direction they face is a good next read for sorting out a new house room by room.

When you're ready, we'll meet you at the house. We'll measure every opening and bring samples to hold up against your new walls. Budget Blinds of the Southern Twin Cities is locally owned and independently run. We work with new homeowners from Lakeville and Rosemount to Shakopee. Book your free consultation whenever the timing feels right for your build.

Kevin Sill is CFO and co-owner of the family-owned Budget Blinds franchises serving the Southern Twin Cities.