Clerestory and Skylight Shades for Austin Hill Country Homes
Clerestory and skylight shades are motorized Lutron shades built for glass you cannot reach: windows mounted 20 to 30 feet up, single spans close to 18 feet wide, and skylights or angled glass where a normal roller would sag. Smarter Homes, a Lutron Dealer with a showroom in West Lake Hills, plans, installs, and programs them for great rooms in Westlake, Barton Creek, Spanish Oaks, and along Lake Austin.
Can Lutron motorize shades on 20 to 30 foot clerestory windows?
Yes. Lutron's Sivoia Roller 300 Clerestory shade is engineered for mounting heights of 20 to 30 feet, with a reengineered tube, reinforced brackets, and a 7-inch recessed pocket. Single panels run 26.5 to 176 inches wide, depending on fabric and height.
Lutron requires battens on shades over 20 feet so the fabric rolls up straight and does not billow, and it limits the fabric list to materials tested for clerestory use. The shade runs on 35V low-voltage wire, communicates over QS wired or QS Wireless, and operates at less than 50 dBA at 3 feet.
The shade must mount to blocking or other structural material. At 25 feet, that means the pocket, the blocking, and the low-voltage cable all have to be in the framing plan, because nobody wants to open a finished ceiling on a lift.
How wide can a single Lutron roller shade go?
Lutron offers a WIDR (Width Integrated Deflection Reduction) option for spans up to 18 feet wide. WIDR uses a larger, stronger tube to reduce sag and rippling across a wide panel, and Lutron's ordering tool calculates when each shade needs it.
A wide single panel removes the light gaps you get between side-by-side shades. When the glass is wider than one panel, the Roller 300 Clerestory shade can couple up to 6 panels on one drive, so a whole wall of upper windows moves as one.
For standard-height glass across a wide living room, see Sivoia QS shades and the Multi-Shade Designer for coupled sets.
What shade works on a skylight or angled glass?
The Sivoia tensioned roller shade. A concealed tension system keeps the fabric taut and parallel to the glass at any angle between -135 and 135 degrees, with integrated side channels and no visible cables. Sizes run 24 to 96 inches wide by 24 to 144 inches long.
Meet-in-the-middle tensioned shades extend the length to 288 inches using two drives, one at the top and one at the bottom. The shade can close top to bottom or bottom up, mounts inside, recessed, or on the surface of the opening, and runs at less than 38 dBA at 3 feet.
Lutron designs tensioned shades for new-construction skylights, angled windows, and bottom-up windows, so they belong in the plans, not in a punch list.
Why do Lutron skylight shades use fiberglass fabric?
Because a tensioned shade needs fabric that never stretches. Lutron says PVC-coated fiberglass does not stretch over time, which keeps the shade tracking straight and the hembar level for years. Lutron's Basketweave 90 and E Screen skylight fabrics are fiberglass-based for that reason.
Polyester tends to stretch, so it is pre-stretched to limit elongation. Under constant tension that stretch shows up as telescoping, where the fabric rolls up unevenly and bunches at the edges. Heat matters too. Lutron's fabric guide warns that polyester fabrics can wave or stretch under intense heat, while a fiberglass core keeps its shape on wide shades. In our experience, that same strength lets a thin fabric roll into a compact, hidden pocket.
The usual trade-off with fiberglass is edge wear. On a tensioned shade, the side channels cover the fabric edges, so any edge wear over the years stays out of sight. Lutron ultrasonically cuts and seals its shade fabric to minimize fraying, which melts the PVC coating over the cut edge, but it notes that some fiberglass strands can escape the seal and fray over time. On standard roller shades, where the edges show, we specify polyester fabrics, which can be melt-cut for a clean edge.
Why do west-facing Austin great rooms need these shades planned early?
West-facing hill-country glass takes direct late-day sun across its full height. Shades that track the sun, in 1% openness or blackout fabric, cut that glare and heat, but the pocket, the blocking, and the low-voltage wire all have to be framed before drywall.
In our field experience, stopping heat comes down to UV: 1% openness or blackout fabric does far more than a sheer, which lets UV in and warms the room. Natural Light Optimization, available with HomeWorks and RadioRA 3, moves Sivoia shades through the day to manage glare and heat gain while keeping the view.
Wire matters as much as fabric. We home-run each shade cable to a Lutron shade power panel and keep runs short enough to avoid voltage drop, which is the most common failure we find in builder prewires.
Which Lutron shade fits glass you cannot reach
Every value below is Lutron's published figure for that product; exact limits change with fabric and height.
| Sivoia Roller 300 Clerestory | Sivoia roller with WIDR tube | Sivoia tensioned roller | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Windows mounted 20 to 30 ft high | Wide spans of average height | Skylights, angled and bottom-up windows |
| Size | 26.5 to 176 in wide, single panel | Spans up to 18 ft wide | 24 to 96 in wide x 24 to 144 in long; 288 in long meet-in-the-middle |
| Top treatment | 7 in recessed metal pocket | Fascia or recessed pocket | Concealed in its own frame |
| Edge control | Battens required over 20 ft | Larger tube reduces deflection | Tensioned fabric, integrated side channels |
| Power | 35V low-voltage wire | 35V low-voltage wire | 35V low-voltage wire |
| Communication | QS wired or QS Wireless | QS wired or QS Wireless | QS wired or QS Wireless |
| Lutron systems | RadioRA 3, HomeWorks, Caséta PRO, others | RadioRA 3, HomeWorks, Caséta (with Smart Hub PRO) | RadioRA 3, HomeWorks, Athena |
| Fabric | Curated list tested for clerestory use | Sheer to blackout | Sheer, translucent, blackout (curated list) |
| Warranty | 8-year limited | 8-year limited (Sivoia) | 8-year limited |
What to bring to the framing walk, whichever shade you choose:
- Blocking drawn at every pocket and bracket location, sized for the shade Lutron specifies.
- A pocket detail on the reflected ceiling plan for each clerestory shade.
- A low-voltage cable home-run from each shade to the shade power panel location.
- A plan for lift or scaffold access at install and for future service.
Clerestory and skylight shade FAQ
Do clerestory shades run on batteries?
No. The Sivoia Roller 300 Clerestory shade and the Sivoia tensioned shade both run on 35V low-voltage wire, so there are no batteries to change at 25 feet. That is why the cable has to be pulled during framing. Lutron offers plug-in, junction-box, and central power panel supplies for these shades.
Can clerestory shades move with the sun on their own?
Yes. Natural Light Optimization is available for these Sivoia shades with HomeWorks and RadioRA 3. The system tracks the sun through the day and moves shades to manage glare and heat gain while keeping the view. You can still override any shade from a keypad, a Pico remote, or the Lutron app.
Is fiberglass fabric a problem on a skylight shade?
No. Lutron's tensioned skylight fabrics are PVC-coated fiberglass because it does not stretch, so the shade stays taut and tracks straight. The side channels hide the fabric edges, where fiberglass can wear over time. On standard roller shades with visible edges, we specify polyester fabrics instead.
How loud is a shade that large?
Lutron rates the Roller 300 Clerestory shade at less than 50 dBA at 3 feet, and the tensioned skylight shade at less than 38 dBA at 3 feet. Because a clerestory shade sits 20 feet or more above the room, you hear far less of it from the sofa than those figures, measured at 3 feet, suggest.
Can I see clerestory fabrics and pocket finishes before I choose?
Yes. Book a visit to our showroom in West Lake Hills to see shade fabrics, Ketra lighting on display, and keypads in person. Lutron offers the Roller 300 pocket in white, black, bronze, silver, or a custom color. Fabric openness and color read differently at height, so seeing samples in daylight helps.
Who services a shade mounted 25 feet up?
We do. We measure, order, install, and program every shade ourselves, with no DIY kits, and plan lift or scaffold access with your builder from the start. Lutron backs these Sivoia shades with an eight-year limited warranty. If you ever leave a support agreement, complimentary offboarding is always included.
How much do clerestory and skylight shades cost?
Price depends on width, height, fabric, pocket, and how many shades share a drive, so it is set from measured drawings. To start, size your openings in our Motorized Shade Designer and request your project price; we confirm clerestory and skylight shades from your plans.
More Lutron shades
- Back to the full guide: Lutron shades in Austin.
- For exposed metal brackets on reachable windows, see Palladiom shades.
Send plans for review
Upload your reflected ceiling plan or window schedule (PDF) and we will redline pocket, blocking, and low-voltage cable locations for each clerestory and skylight shade.
Visit the showroom
Book a private 30-minute session at our showroom in West Lake Hills to see fabrics, pocket finishes, and keypads.
See shade fabrics in our showroom
Smarter Homes Lutron Showroom5524 Bee Caves Rd, Unit J8
West Lake Hills, TX 78746
512-775-6101
Showroom visits are by appointment. Bring your plans and we will map products, wiring, and scenes to your floor plan.
Smarter Homes is a Lutron Dealer with a showroom in West Lake Hills, serving Austin, Westlake, West Lake Hills, Barton Creek, Tarrytown, Bee Cave, Spanish Oaks, Lake Austin waterfront homes, and Rollingwood.