# Home Privacy?



## ClassicRockr (Nov 24, 2014)

For us, when we are at home, our living room curtains (facing the sidewalk) are open and shades are half-way up the window, plus our shades in our dining room (facing the back area/buildings) are half-way up the windows. I think some folks, who walk by our apartment during the day, and can see me on our computer, are really shocked that we have our living room curtains and shades that way......open! At night, people could see us sitting in our recliners watching tv. Don't bother us. However, when we leave our apartment to go somewhere, we close all of our shades and when we go to bed we close both the curtains and all of the shades. A neighbor across the drive from us, have their shades closed whether they are home or not........all the time. One older guy that lives in their building, has white cardboard covering all his windows except for one and that one is 1/2 covered.

During Christmas, anyone who drives by or walks by at night, could see our Christmas tree lit up in the living room.........we love it! 

To me, that's like living in a jail! We do believe in some privacy, like when we go to bed. But, living with all curtains and/or shades closed all the time......I just don't get it. But, then again, there are a lot of younger people here that get their vehicle windows tinted very dark. It makes some folks wonder what the heck those people are doing in their vehicles! 

So, are you the type that keep your front window curtains and/or shades completely closed all the time, or are they open when you are home?


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## Ameriscot (Nov 24, 2014)

When we got new windows put in our house we decided to just dump the living/dining room drapes.  No blinds/shades either, just open.  We aren't on a busy street though, and just get a few hikers, dog walkers going past.  Nothing across the road except a loch.  We close our bedroom drapes in the summer so the sun doesn't shine in our faces at 4am.  Otherwise, we leave them open.  We have a stone wall and hedge so no one can see in the bedroom, except when the double decker school bus goes past.  I've nearly been caught getting dressed in the morning!


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## Vivjen (Nov 24, 2014)

I live in a 3-storey house; which is also 3 steps up from the road.
i never drop any of my blinds.....if anybody can look in they have to be 7foot tall; even to look into the kitchen!


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## QuickSilver (Nov 24, 2014)

We have all our curtains and blinds open during daylight hours..  But when it gets dark and we turn the lights on, we close the curtains and blinds. Except for the back kitchen window, because our back yard is private and no one can look in the window.  I enjoy the natural light, but don't really want people looking in at me after dark. We live on a busy street and there are lot's of folks walking and driving by.


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## rkunsaw (Nov 24, 2014)

Our shades and curtains are usually all wide open. They are only closed in extreme cold to keep the heat in. Our house sits in the  woods 1/8 mile from the road so we have plenty of privacy.


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## Mrs. Robinson (Nov 24, 2014)

Although we have moved several times since then,we have not lived in a house where we needed curtains or blinds since 1977-until now,that is. We have blinds in the living room and our bedroom because we get the morning sun from sunrise until afternoon. I hate it-I like being able to see my donkey out there and the scenery is beautiful,but that sun is a killer!


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 24, 2014)

We open the front curtain early in the morning, when we let the dog out for the first time, around 6AM.  We like the morning sun to come in for the plants, and the dog's chair is there, so he likes to look out, also the cat's scratcher/napper.  When we get up, all the other curtains/mini blinds open for the rest of the day, home or not.  Like QS, when it starts to get dark, and we have the lights on inside, our front curtains close.  Our back yard is pretty private, but before we go to bed, all shades are down.

I do like to see people who have a large decorated tree in their front windows at night, very nice and Christmasy! :christmas2:


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## SifuPhil (Nov 24, 2014)

The exterior steel shutters are computer-controlled and roll up at 7AM (8AM in summer). The thumb-print and retina scanners also come online at this time.

We put the timberwolf/shepherds back in their runs at 9AM.

In the evening, the shutters come down at sundown and are hermetically sealed. The wolf/sheps are released to roam the property and the drawbridge is reeled in.


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## Geezerette (Nov 24, 2014)

I live in 1st floor apt. Blinds open in daytime, closed at night. Im like Rockr, can't understand why some folks never, never open their curtains or blinds, even a little.


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## Just plain me (Nov 24, 2014)

I leave mine up most of the time. But sometimes when I sit up by myself late at night when hubby goes to bed I get shivers at the back of my neck and feel like someone is watching. I won't go out on the enclosed front porch to smoke, but bring the ash tray inside (where I usually do not smoke). No curtain there. Then I let down the curtains. Am I the only one with this premonition? or do others also do this. We live in the country, within the two mile town radius.


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## Kitties (Nov 24, 2014)

I live in an upstairs apartment. Typical with sliding glass door out to my patio (with solid enclosure so I can even put my clothes drying rack out there in the summer and no one knows) There is a large bush that has grown past my upstairs patio and a tree in the parking lot which makes my area even more private. I have my blinds in the bedroom up during the day and the vertical blinds open on the sliding glass door. When it gets dark I close everything. When my cats were still young, I couldn't close the vertical blinds without my one cat attacking them for play. Luckily she outgrew that. My patio is private and my only TV is in the bedroom anyway.

If I had an area I needed more private, I like lace curtains or sheers but I know not everyone likes those. I like light. I couldn't have everything closed up.


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## QuickSilver (Nov 25, 2014)

Here's my admission... When DH and I walk our dogs at night.. (weather permitting)... I like to look inside houses with curtains open and lights on.  I just look at what they have.. furniture, layout, wall decor, colors..whats playing on their TVs..  and if there are people inside, I look at them too.   NO... I do NOT sneak up to the windows and press my nose against them.. lol!    I walk by on the sidewalk and look in.   So I know people do this.. it's human nature.. That's why I close my curtains and blinds.


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## hollydolly (Nov 25, 2014)

My curtains and blinds are open from sunrise to sunset...


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## Ralphy1 (Nov 25, 2014)

Some called it peeping but I called it looking, and I got to see some pleasing things...


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## Warrigal (Nov 25, 2014)

I like light in the house so I open the vertical blinds when I get up and only close them when I go to bed. The regular opening and closing of blinds is one way the neighbours know that we are alive. If a few days went by without the blinds changing I'm sure they would come to see if we are OK. That's why we have to tell the  neighbours when we are going away for any length of time.


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## Ralphy1 (Nov 25, 2014)

I prefer that my neighbors leave the blinds open at night with the lights on...


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## avrp (Nov 25, 2014)

I have got to be able to see outside during the day. My living room window..front of house, the blinds are open and most times are  pulled up part way, and the curtains are drawn to the side. 
I have neighbors whose windows are always covered with blinds and curtains. 
That would drive me crazy.

I also love to see Christmas trees in the window


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## QuickSilver (Nov 25, 2014)

Ralphy1 said:


> Some called it peeping but I called it looking, and I got to see some pleasing things...



except I'm not looking for naked people Ralphy.. lol!


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## Ralphy1 (Nov 25, 2014)

Women don't appreciate the finer things in life...  nthego:


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## QuickSilver (Nov 25, 2014)

Ralphy1 said:


> Women don't appreciate the finer things in life...  nthego:




As a nurse, I have seen far too many naked people.. and believe me.. NONE were particularly attractive.


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## Ralphy1 (Nov 25, 2014)

But you didn't see them at their best...


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## ClassicRockr (Nov 25, 2014)

I have a tendency to take a peek into some ones living room, if their curtains and/or blinds are open. Like already stated, "human nature". Obviously, Christmas is a really neat time to take that "peak". I've seen some folks walk by our apartment, take a short look, and I'll wave "hi" to them. 

A lot of people just don't like to have their curtains/blinds open, b/c they know that some people will take a peak in. They get a little scared that someone might be "casing out" their stuff with that "peak". Some people are just simply very, very private. Actually, I think those are the same type of people that would never buy anything online.


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## QuickSilver (Nov 25, 2014)

I have a friend like that.  Her curtains and blinds are closed 24/7 and the electric lights on.  I've asked her why..  She says it's a privacy issue..  To each his own.


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## ClassicRockr (Nov 25, 2014)

Then again, that "Privacy issue" has been linked to doing illegal things in the home. Yea, a "drug lab" home sure wouldn't have their curtains/blinds open! Having a Marijuana Plantation in a home would also qualify for curtains/blinds being closed. Just thinking.


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## Ameriscot (Nov 25, 2014)

I doubt anybody who lives on my road keeps their blinds/curtains shut!  Otherwise, what's the point of living on a coastal road if you can't see the view?!


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## Lon (Nov 25, 2014)

I am on the third floor of a three story apartment and leave all the blinds up untill sunset at 5 PM. I lift them at sunrise.


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## Twixie (Nov 25, 2014)

Ralphy1 said:


> But you didn't see them at their best...



No Ralphy..men's junk looks like it has been designed by a committee...


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## Ameriscot (Nov 25, 2014)

Twixie said:


> No Ralphy..men's junk looks like it has been designed by a committee...




LOL!  Some men's junk looks better than others.


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## charlotta (Nov 27, 2014)

The reason I love my garden home is all the windows to let the light in.  I don't even mind it in the summer as I have a covered patio and
face the north. I have a wooden fence that gives me some privacy.   I never close my blinds in that room. Houses that are dark, depresses me.  My daughter is wanting me to move, but I have family and live in a  neighborhood that  look after one another.  I think I will stay.


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## Melody1948 (Nov 27, 2014)

I like my blinds open in the day time so I can see outside at the beauty around me.  I close them after supper probably around 6:30PM


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## jujube (Nov 28, 2014)

I'm always depressed for about a month after we come home from our wanderings.  To go from looking out the window of our RV at a majestic mountain, the sea, forests, etc. to looking out at the house next door, the house behind us, the house across the street is an unpleasant shock.  I'm back to being used to it, though.  We've had some artsy "free spirits" move in across the street and their decorating is, to put it mildly, eclectic.  There are giant abstract paintings standing out in the yard and lights and flags strung all over the place.  It's going to be interesting to see what's next.  I imagine eventually the homeowner's association is going to come down on them.


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## crochet lady (Nov 28, 2014)

Me too, Melody1948!


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## AZ Jim (Dec 6, 2014)

Classic Rocker...

The downside is everyone knows when you are gone by simply observing your habits.  I had a neighbor who used to keep his garage door open except when he was gone.  One day he lost hundreds of dollars worth of tools.  The burglar simply slipped a coat hanger or something like it in the top of his door, hooked onto his quick release for the door and pulled  it then opened  it up to do his work.  Cars with anything worthwhile in plain sight are a target for a quick smash and grab.  This isn't the same world we used to live in.


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## Vala (Dec 6, 2014)

I bought a new home 8 years ago and there are no homes behind me, just an old farmers hedge row.   I don't even have  curtains, just blinds which I leave open until dark.  There is a pair of foxes there and they have 3 or 4 kits every summer.   I had a hawk that was almost tame.  I got within 6 ft of him before he flew.


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## SeaBreeze (Dec 6, 2014)

Excellent photo Vala!   We don't have any homes behind us either, just open space.  We see lots of coyotes, foxes, raccoons, deer, hawks, etc.


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## Linda (Feb 18, 2019)

I like it when people retrieve old threads.  I'm glad you did. 

 I think you should look for something besides the window film.  My daughter has it on a window at the top of her stairs and it's OK there but downstairs I'd go nuts if I couldn't see out.  Google window coverings and the name of your city and see what comes up.  Maybe someone can help you.  

And to answer the OP's question.  I have visited people who keep their drapes or blinds closed all day and I found it very depressing.  I have to be able to see outside.  Our house is about, I'm guessing, 150 feet from the road.  I have drapes on all the windows but they are usually open.  In the kitchen, at the bar where I am sitting right now I keep the curtains tied back 24 hours a day.  We have trees on one side of our drive way and I feel pretty private here at night with the lights on.  We have a fence, gate and an outdoor dog so I'm pretty confident I'd know if someone were sneaking around here.  Awhile back we had grand kids (in their 20s) house sit while we were gone awhile.  When we got back I couldn't believe it! The kitchen curtains were loose from the tie backs and someone had taken 5 or 6 of those clips we put on open potato chip bags or whatever and used those to hold the 2 sides of the curtains tightly together.   I wanted to ask them if they were still afraid of dinosaurs looking in the windows at night like they were when they were 2 and 3 years old but I didn't.  I'm a good grandma and keep things like that to myself.


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## hollydolly (Feb 18, 2019)

LOL...Linda, did you never find out why they did it?...They must be secretly afraid to be alone there without you and grandpa... hahaha..big brave grandkids!!


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## Linda (Feb 18, 2019)

Oh I know why they did it Holly, they are afraid of what might be out there watching them.  They always have closed the drapes and curtains tight.  And these are dudes in their 20s! Even the drapes over a window that is mostly already covered by our TV and I seldom close.  They close them and all other drapes but I just thought it was really over the top to use the bag clips to make sure no one could peek in at them.  What I don't know is, are they afraid of humans looking in at them or are they afraid a UFO landed in our back field and aliens are coming up and peeking in the windows to observe these earthlings!  All they'd see is the 2 of them sitting here playing video games.    I think I'll get that old movie Communion ,supposedly based on a true story, and tell them to watch it the next time they house sit.  [h=3]Communion (1989) - IMDb[/h]


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## Mike (Feb 18, 2019)

In Holland in 1960s when I was in the Air Force and
inthe 1970s when I worked there, every house had
their curtain and blinds open all the time, even when
they were all sitting round the table at meal times.

Some had nets, half way up the window from the
bottom, others had similar from the top, but none
ever closed any drapes/curtains or blinds.

Mike.


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## Ann (Feb 18, 2019)

I open all blinds first thing in the morning and don’t close them until bedtime. I love the sunshine. I could not live in a dark closed up house, it would just feel gloomy.


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## Tommy (Feb 18, 2019)

Mike said:


> In Holland in 1960s when I was in the Air Force and
> inthe 1970s when I worked there, every house had
> their curtain and blinds open all the time, even when
> they were all sitting round the table at meal times.
> ...



Just a little off-topic, but several years ago I worked for a company that was building a new headquarters office building in Amsterdam.  We were told that, under Dutch law, every office and workspace had to have a window or "direct line of sight" to the outdoors.  The Dutch seem to have a thing about being able to see outside.
:why:

ETA: Living well off the road in a rural area, we only have window coverings in the bedrooms (to keep the winter heat in/morning sun out).


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## toffee (Feb 18, 2019)

LIKE PRIVACY ' but live in rural parts of uK... SO ALL I HAVE IS FIELDS ... shutter blinds closed in eve time ' sun room-- big windows - never close ..


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## DaveA (Feb 18, 2019)

It seems like a personal matter to me, and as Quicksilver stated, "To each his own".  There are a lot of personal habits that each of us follow, as do others.  I might discuss why I do what I do, but would rather let others speak for themselves, and avoid making judgments as to what I think is proper.


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 18, 2019)

davidbarker805 said:


> Sorry for retrieving this thread, but we seem to be on the same hunt. Due to problematic neighbours, I would like to install privacy window film on my windows to prevent them seeing into my property.
> 
> However, I'd obviously still like to see out of my windows and have the benefit of natural light, so basically it has to stop them seeing in but enable me to see out.



I wouldn't care for the film.

I would prefer an approach similar to the one our friend Ruth n Jersey used recently in her dining room.  It provides reasonable privacy without blocking out the light and the view.

Good luck!


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## treeguy64 (Feb 18, 2019)

SifuPhil said:


> The exterior steel shutters are computer-controlled and roll up at 7AM (8AM in summer). The thumb-print and retina scanners also come online at this time.
> 
> We put the timberwolf/shepherds back in their runs at 9AM.
> 
> In the evening, the shutters come down at sundown and are hermetically sealed. The wolf/sheps are released to roam the property and the drawbridge is reeled in.



Lol...... hopefully!


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## Pinky (Feb 18, 2019)

We live in a corner condo unit that faces other condos. For that reason, we keep the verticals open, but slanted to give us enough light, but also privacy. I notice other units do the same or keep their blinds either wide open or completely closed.

When we were in a house, we kept the blinds open until sundown. Only our upper floor bedroom windows faced the street, so there was no issue with privacy.


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## norman (Feb 18, 2019)

...........


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## AZ Jim (Feb 18, 2019)

norman said:


> ...........


Very astute.....Thanks for contributing.  BTW Norman, your last name wouldn't be Bates would it??


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## C'est Moi (Feb 18, 2019)

I also open all blinds first thing in the morning and don’t close them until nightfall, except the windows on the back of the house.   We have a privacy fence around the back yard so those window blinds are open all the time.  

Our house faces west so I have to adjust the blinds as the sun moves during the day, especially in the summertime.


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## Keesha (Feb 18, 2019)

We have no neighbours at the front of our house or the back. Its all forest property so there is a lot of privacy. I don’t always close my curtains or blinds nor do I worry about being seen. Either way I keep decent just in case. Lol

We have a younger couple who live an acre away on one side and an older couple who live an acre away on the other side. We’ve been neighbours for the last 22 years and they are our only neighbours.


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## Keesha (Feb 18, 2019)

AZ Jim said:


> Very astute.....Thanks for contributing.  BTW Norman, your last name wouldn't be Bates would it??


:laugh:


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## RadishRose (Feb 18, 2019)

My drapes and 2 kitchen windows with mini blinds are open during the day and closed at night.


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## treeguy64 (Feb 18, 2019)

Everything is closed, unless we feel like looking out, for a specific reason. We have two, large skylights, and they have shades on them, as well. If there's a lunar eclipse, I'll open the one above our bedroom, and watch from the bed. Very cool.


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