Alterations & re-hems in Pakenham.

When altering beats replacing

Plenty of the curtains we see are worth keeping. Older curtains were frequently made at generous fullness in fabric that is no longer cheap to buy, and a pair that is structurally sound but 60mm too long is a two hundred dollar problem, not a two thousand dollar one. The three situations where altering almost always wins: new flooring has changed the hem line, you have moved house and the curtains are close but not exact, or the fabric is fine but the room is cold because there is no lining.

The situations where it does not win: the fabric has sun-rotted, which you can test by pinching the leading edge near the top and feeling whether it wants to tear; the lining has already separated or puckered from being machine washed; or the flat width is simply too narrow for the window, which no alteration can fix because you cannot add cloth to a curtain without a visible seam. We tell you which of these you are looking at before quoting, and we would rather send you to the pricing page for a new make than take money for work that will disappoint.

What we alter

• Re-hem, $80 to $180 per curtain. Shortening for new floors, or evening up a hem that has dropped on one side. Lined and interlined curtains sit at the top of the range because three layers have to be released, stepped and re-finished by hand.
• Lengthening. Only possible where the original hem has enough turn-up left, which on a well made curtain is often 100mm to 150mm. We check in a minute on site. If there is not enough, a contrast band at the bottom is sometimes a good-looking solution rather than a compromise.
• Re-heading, $120 to $300 per curtain. Pencil pleat to pinch pleat, eyelet onto a track, or resetting a tired heading tape. Note that going to S-fold needs 2.2 to 2.5 times fullness, so we measure the flat width first.
• Adding lining, $150 to $400 per pair. Standard, blockout or thermal lining machined behind an existing face fabric. The best value upgrade for a cold room in an older home.
• Width adjustment. Taking width out is straightforward. Adding it is not, and usually means a new make.
• Repairs. Re-weighting a hem that no longer hangs straight, replacing perished heading tape, resewing a leading edge, replacing hooks, gliders and carriers.
• Take down, clean and re-hang. Including re-dressing the folds afterwards, which is the step that decides whether the curtain looks right when you walk back into the room.

Fabric and lining, and what your curtains can take

What is possible depends on how the curtain was made. An unlined sheer is the most forgiving: it can be hemmed, re-headed and cleaned with little drama. A lined curtain has two fabrics that must stay in register, so any hem work has to step the lining correctly or it will show as a shadow line through the face fabric. An interlined curtain has three layers and is genuinely fussy, which is why it is at the top of the price range, and also why it is worth keeping: interlined curtains are expensive to make new.

When adding lining, the choice is the same as on a new make. Standard cotton and polyester lining adds body and protects the face fabric from sun. Blockout lining adds the light block and a real thermal layer. Thermal or coated lining adds reflective performance and suits a west-facing room. Interlining gives the deepest drape and the most warmth but adds noticeable weight, so the existing track has to be up to it, and if it is not, see tracks and rods.

How the job runs

We come to you, take the curtains down, and measure the finished drop against the actual floor rather than against the old hem, because the old hem is usually the reason you are calling. Where new flooring is going in, we wait until it is laid or work from the specified finished floor height, since carpet with underlay can sit 12mm above the bare slab and that is the entire hem clearance.

Curtains go away for the work, then come back, get re-hung, and get dressed: folds set by hand and the curtain tied loosely for a couple of days so the memory trains back into the cloth. Allow one to two weeks for most alterations, against 3 to 5 weeks for a new made-to-measure curtain. Cleaning adds a few days depending on whether the make can be washed or has to be dry cleaned.

Price and lead time

Re-hem $80 to $180 per curtain, re-heading $120 to $300 per curtain, adding lining $150 to $400 per pair, all in 2026 dollars including GST. Take down and re-hang is included in the alteration price. Most alterations turn around in one to two weeks. For comparison, a new made-to-measure curtain runs $280 to $900 per window, which is why we always check the alteration option first. Everything is set out on the 2026 pricing page.

Caring for curtains so they last

• Vacuum the heading and the hem every few months with the upholstery brush. Dust is what ages a curtain, not use.
• Never machine wash a lined or interlined curtain. The layers shrink at different rates and the pucker is permanent. Dry clean only.
• Most polyester sheers wash cold on a delicate cycle in a mesh bag, then go straight back on the track damp so the weight presses them. No tumble dryer, no hot iron.
• Rotate a pair end for end every couple of years if one side gets much more sun. It evens out fading, which is otherwise the thing that ends a curtain.
• Open the curtains fully on dry days through winter and let air move against the glass. Curtains left closed against a cold, damp window is where mould starts.
• Fix a dragging carrier or a loose bracket straight away. Nearly every torn heading we see started as hardware someone put up with for a season.

Next steps

Send a photo or just ring (03) 9962 4152 and describe what you have. If it is worth altering we will tell you, and if it is not we will tell you that too, and point you at blockout or sheer options instead. We cover the whole Cardinia Shire, and the assessment is free the same way a new measure is.