Durham Region Blinds Guide: Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering, and Clarington

Durham Region is five different markets

Durham Region is officially one regional municipality, but the housing markets in Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering, and Clarington are quite different from each other. The eastern GTA's growth pattern means each city has its own character even though they share Lake Ontario frontage and similar commute distances to Toronto.

Our vans have been heading east on the 401 since the early nineties. Here is what we have learned about each of the five.

Pickering

The Pickering housing market splits between waterfront properties in Bay Ridges and the inland subdivisions further north. Pickering Town Centre area has condo developments along Highway 401.

For Pickering homes:

The waterfront homes generate specific demand for solar screen rollers because direct sun off the lake can damage interiors.

Ajax

Ajax housing is mostly suburban detached and townhome construction. The Pickering Village area has older detached homes; South Ajax has newer family-oriented developments.

Standard Ajax installations include:

Cordless rollers are the most common first order in Ajax, usually a whole floor at once, with zebra blinds added later in the rooms that get used the most.

Whitby

Whitby's housing range covers older central Whitby neighbourhoods, the family-oriented Brooklin area to the north, and some lakefront properties. Brooklin in particular has expanded heavily with detached construction over the past 15 years.

Whitby installations typically include:

Oshawa

Oshawa is the largest Durham Region city by population, with a wide housing range including older central neighbourhoods, university-area student rentals (Trent and Durham College), and newer north Oshawa subdivisions.

For Oshawa homes:

The student rental market generates volume in basic cordless installations.

Clarington (Bowmanville, Courtice, Newcastle)

Clarington is the easternmost Durham Region municipality, including Bowmanville, Courtice, and Newcastle. Heavy residential growth over the past decade has produced lots of new family-oriented construction.

Clarington installations cover:

The Newcastle waterfront generates specific demand for treatments that handle lake exposure.

Durham Region-specific considerations

Lake Ontario exposure

Bay Ridges, Port Whitby, and the Newcastle shoreline all sit close enough to the water to catch the reflected afternoon glare, and the winter wind that comes with the same view. Solar screens hold the view while cutting the worst of the light; cellular shades handle the cold side of the problem.

Commuting shapes the order

Most households out here have someone driving or riding into Toronto, and that shows up in what people ask for. The requests skew practical: cordless everywhere, blackout in the bedrooms of anyone catching an early train, and simple operation that a tired person can use in the dark. Motorization comes up less often here than in the western GTA, and when it does it is usually for one or two windows rather than a whole floor.

What we quote

We carry the full range and we do not talk anybody up a tier. If cordless rollers on every window is the right answer for your house, that is the quote you get.

Free in-home consultation

We cover the whole region: Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering, and Clarington. The measure is free, the samples come to your house, and the price is written on the spot. Driving to Bowmanville costs you exactly what driving to Ajax costs you, which is nothing.

Waterfront homes take longer, because UV and glare change the whole fabric conversation. An ordinary suburban detached is done inside forty minutes. Evening appointments exist for a reason in commuter towns, so ask for one when you book.