Own a Second Home on Hilton Head? A Window Checklist for Every Season

Pick coverings any guest can work without a lesson. Protect floors and furniture from the sun during the weeks the house sits empty. Then keep a simple routine for arriving and closing up. On Hilton Head, a lot of homes spend part of the year empty. A study for the Town found that about half the island's homes had no year-round resident. When you're away, the sun keeps working on everything inside.

Why is a second home harder on window coverings than a full-time home?

Because nobody's there to adjust them. In the home you live in, you open the shades in the morning. You close them when the afternoon sun gets strong and lower them at night. In a second home, wherever you leave them is where they stay for weeks.

And Hilton Head has a lot of second homes. Plenty of houses here sit empty for part of the year while their owners are somewhere else.

So a typical island second home lives two lives:

• Empty weeks, when sun, heat and humidity work on the house with no one inside.
• Busy weeks, when family or renters pack the place and every shade and shutter gets used hard.

Your window coverings need to handle both. That's the idea behind this checklist. It follows the owner's year, from the day you arrive to the day you lock up.

The setting adds its own wear. The Town calls Hilton Head "the second largest barrier island on the East Coast." It has 12 miles of beach. Salt air, sand and humidity are part of daily life. Salt air is hard on metal. Sand finds its way into every track and hinge. A house that's closed up in August can feel damp by the time you're back. None of that is a reason to worry. It's just a reason to pick materials and routines made for the coast.

What should I check when I arrive for the season?

Fall is a natural time to come back. The island cools off, and hurricane season winds down at the end of November. It's a great time for a walk-through.

Your arrival checklist:

• [ ] Open and close every covering. Note anything that sticks or sags or won't stay put.
• [ ] Look for fading. Compare rugs and cushions in sunny spots to the same things in the shade. Check the wood floors too.
• [ ] Check for dust, pollen and mildew on shades and shutter louvers. Rooms that were shut tight all summer need the closest look.
• [ ] Look at the hardware. Hinges, magnets and brackets near doors to the beach or porch take the most wear.
• [ ] Make a short list of what to fix before guests or renters arrive.
• [ ] Reset for the season you're in. Fall and winter here are mild and the sun is softer. You can leave more windows open by day than you did in July.

Arrival is also when you notice what didn't work last year. Maybe a renter left a note about a bedroom that got too bright at sunrise. Maybe you spent the summer wishing you could see the marsh without the glare. Write those down now while they're fresh. Then plan the fix during the quiet months instead of rushing next spring.

For wood blinds and shutters, our earlier post on how to clean your wood blinds walks through the basics.

Which controls can any guest use without instructions?

The ones that work the way people expect. Renters and visiting family won't read a manual. They shouldn't have to.

Your guest-ready checklist:

• [ ] Go cordless where you can. A cordless shade lifts and lowers with a light push. There are no cords to tangle. It's a sensible pick for homes with kids and pets too.
• [ ] Keep it consistent. Use the same style of control in every bedroom. Once a guest learns one, they know them all.
• [ ] Motorize the hard-to-reach windows. Tall great room windows and clerestories are a struggle by hand. A remote or a wall switch is easy.
• [ ] Label the remotes by room and keep them in a set spot.
• [ ] Add a line to the house guide about how the coverings work.
• [ ] Add the sea turtle lighting steps if you're near the beach. See below.

New owners don't always know about that last one. Loggerhead sea turtles nest on our beaches from about May through August. The Town's sea turtle page covers indoor lights. If yours can be seen from the beach, it asks you to close the blinds or drapes at 10 p.m. Or turn the lights off. If your building can be seen from the beach, outside lights go off at 10 p.m. from May 1 to October 31. The Town also has a sea turtle protection ordinance, so check it for the exact rules. Renters won't know any of this unless you tell them. Shades that close in one easy motion make it simple to follow.

Is the house shared by a few generations? Do you plan to retire here someday? Then see our lift, tilt and tap guide for active adult homes. It has more on picking controls.

Which coverings stand up to heavy rental use?

A rental week is hard on a house. Think sandy hands and wet swimsuits. Add kids who love to play with anything that moves. Then add guests who yank instead of lift.

Your durability checklist:

• [ ] Shutters in the main rooms. They have no cords and no fabric to stain. There are few parts to break. A quick tilt is all anyone needs to do.
• [ ] Faux wood or composite in kitchens and baths. Use it in any room near the pool or beach access too, since it doesn't mind humidity.
• [ ] Wipeable fabrics on shades in high-traffic rooms.
• [ ] Sturdy, simple sliding door coverings. The door to the deck gets opened more than any other. Pick something that moves out of the way easily.
• [ ] A photo guide for cleaners. Snap each room with the coverings set "the right way." It helps turnover crews leave the house ready for the next guest.

It also helps to think about who touches the coverings most. In a rental, that's often the cleaning crew between stays. Coverings that are quick to dust and easy to reset save time on every turnover. They also tend to last longer, because nobody has to force them.

Do you rent your home for stays under 30 days? Then the Town of Hilton Head Island requires a short-term rental permit on top of a business license, per the Town's rental FAQ. Permits are good from May 1 to April 30. That timing lines up nicely with getting the house ready each spring. Check with the Town for the current details.

How do I protect floors, rugs and art from fading while I'm away?

Sunlight fades things. When a room sits with the same windows open for weeks, the same strip of floor or sofa gets hit day after day. Over a whole season, that adds up.

Your fade-protection checklist:

• [ ] Know which rooms get the most sun. South and west windows are usually the worst. Note the rooms where rugs or cushions have already faded.
• [ ] Use solar or UV-filtering shades on those windows. They cut much of the UV and keep the view.
• [ ] Close room-darkening shades or shutters in rooms you won't use while you're gone.
• [ ] Move or protect the treasures. Art, photos and heirloom rugs do better away from direct sun.
• [ ] Think about motorized shades on a schedule. They can lower during the strongest hours even when no one's home.

A quick word on timing. Morning sun on east windows is gentler and cooler. Afternoon sun on west windows comes in low and hot, straight across the room. That's when fading and heat do the most damage. If you can only treat a few windows this year, start on the west side.

And remember that fading is slow. You often don't see it until you move a rug and find the clean square underneath. So plan before you see the damage.

How should I set coverings during empty weeks?

You want the house protected, not shut up like a tomb. A dark, closed house can trap heat and humidity.

Your empty-week checklist:

• [ ] Close coverings on sunny south and west windows to cut heat and fading.
• [ ] Leave north-facing and shaded windows partly open. The house won't feel closed up when you get back.
• [ ] Tilt shutter louvers so they block direct sun but still let some light in.
• [ ] Set things the same way each time. Then a house checker or neighbor can tell if something's been moved.

If your home sits under a heavy tree canopy, you may not need to close much at all. Walk the house mid-afternoon on a sunny day. See where the sun actually lands.

Here's an example we made up to show how this works. Picture a two-story villa with a west-facing great room. Upstairs there are two bedrooms facing the ocean. The kitchen is shady and faces north. Before leaving for a few weeks, the owner lowers the solar shades in the great room. She closes the room-darkening shades in the bedrooms. The kitchen shade stays halfway up. The sunniest rooms are protected, and the house still has some daylight when the caretaker stops by. It takes five minutes and becomes part of the lock-up routine.

Write your own version down. Tape a simple note inside a closet door. List each room and how its coverings should be set. It helps you and your family. It helps anyone who checks on the house too.

What goes on a closing-up checklist for hurricane season?

Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. It peaks around September 10, according to NOAA. If you're away for any of that stretch, closing up well matters.

Your window checklist when you lock up:

• [ ] Lower and lock shades and shutters in the positions you planned for empty weeks.
• [ ] Clear the area around sliding doors and porch openings. Nothing should block storm protection you may need to put up.
• [ ] Take photos of each room, windows included. You'll have a record of how things looked.
• [ ] Make sure your caretaker or property manager knows how your coverings work and how you want them set.
• [ ] Raise or tie back outdoor porch shades if they're meant to be secured in high wind. Follow the maker's care guide.

What can interior coverings do, and not do, in storm season?

Let's be clear about this one. Interior window coverings are not storm protection. They don't stop wind or flying debris or water. For that, follow local building rules. Lean on your insurer, a contractor or the Town for guidance.

What interior coverings can do is help with everyday comfort:

• [ ] Cut heat and glare on long, hot days.
• [ ] Reduce fading from strong sun while you're away.
• [ ] Give privacy when the house is empty and people can see in.
• [ ] Make the house easy to use for whoever is there.

That's plenty of value. Just don't count on a shade to do a storm shutter's job.

How do the main options compare for a second home?

A mix works well in a lot of second homes. Shutters go in the main rooms. Cordless or motorized shades go in bedrooms and high windows. Solar fabric goes where the sun is strongest.

Ready to make your second home easier?

Start with the room that fades fastest or the one your guests use most. Having family in for the holidays? Our room-by-room plan for holiday guests on Hilton Head is a good next read.

When you're ready, stop in at the Bluffton showroom. Or we can meet you at the house while you're on the island. Book your free consultation with our Hilton Head and Bluffton window covering team.

Kevin Sill is CFO and co-owner of the family-owned Budget Blinds franchises serving Hilton Head Island and Bluffton.