Taylor Morrison upgrades: the Design Studio’s two phases, and what to add after closing

Updated October 25, 2026

The short version: Taylor Morrison splits its Design Studio into two phases. Phase 1 is the structure of the look: floors, cabinets, counters, tile and appliances. Phase 2 is the finishing layer, and window coverings are on that list. Spend your studio budget on Phase 1, which is hard to change later, and treat Phase 2 window coverings as one quote to compare, not a box to tick.

Shutter Boys and Shade Boys aren’t connected with Taylor Morrison. What follows about Taylor Morrison comes from its own published pages, linked in the sources; the rest is our own advice.

Where Taylor Morrison builds

In its SEC filing, Taylor Morrison says it operates in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North and South Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Washington, building “single and multi-family detached and attached homes in traditionally high growth markets”^[6]. It has since added Indiana through Pyatt Builders^[5]. That range runs from desert to Pacific Northwest, so the right window covering for a west-facing room in Phoenix isn’t the same as for a north-facing one in Seattle.

The Design Studio, phase by phase

Taylor Morrison’s Design Studio article sets out the two phases^[1]:

• Phase 1: appliances, cabinets, countertops, flooring and wall tile. This is where you “will lock down your home’s look and feel”^[1].
• Phase 2: cabinet accessories and hardware, stair parts, fireplace, plumbing fixtures, sinks, mirrors, lighting and electrical, interior doors, door hardware, window coverings and interior paint^[1].

Its older preparation article says to “plan to spend at least two or three hours” and to start an idea folder of photos and samples^[2]. The Bay Area studio article suggests devoting “the whole morning or afternoon” and says your design consultant “will help you work within your home loan allowance”^[3]. It names countertops and flooring as popular upgrades because they “can totally define a style”^[3], and lists Hunter Douglas PowerView motorized interior shades among the smart-home options^[3].

Window coverings: studio or after closing?

Because window coverings are a Phase 2 option^[1], Taylor Morrison buyers have a real choice that many builders’ buyers don’t. Neither answer is always right. Here’s how the two compare:

Two things are worth weighing honestly. First, anything financed in a mortgage is paid back with interest over the life of the loan, so a studio price isn’t comparable to a cash price on its own; the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s homebuying guide is a good place to work through the loan side^[7]. Second, you don’t have to choose all or nothing. A common split is studio shades on the sliding doors and the big great-room glass, where a motorized shade earns its keep, and shutters in the bedrooms and street-facing rooms after closing.

Ask the studio for its price on two or three specific windows, then price the same windows in our designer. A 36 × 60 in bedroom window in our basic build is $400 – $500, and a 48 × 60 in living-room window is $540 – $660, before tax and shipping.

From contract to the warranty years

The steps come from Taylor Morrison’s own pages where it publishes them; the last column is our suggestion. Your sales and construction team will give you the dates for your home.

Fitting shutters without creating a warranty question

Taylor Morrison says a Limited Home Warranty comes “standard with the sale of every new home” and “includes coverage for general construction quality” and systems from heating and cooling to the roof; terms and exclusions are in its Limited Warranty Manual^[4]. On its page for Pyatt Builders homeowners, it sends warranty tickets for newer contracts to its TM Portal^[5]. Read the exclusions in your own manual before you drill; builder warranties generally don’t cover changes and damage the homeowner causes. Three habits keep that clean:

• Report window problems before fitting anything. A window that sticks or a cracked sill should be ticketed while the opening is bare, so the repair isn’t complicated by a shutter frame.
• Photograph every window first. Dated photos of clean frames answer any later question about who caused what.
• Screw into the return, not the window. Our install guide fixes the frame into the drywall or wood return around the window. If you can’t tell what’s behind it, ask the warranty team first, and leave the window’s own frame and seals alone.

If you bought studio window coverings for some rooms, keep their paperwork with your warranty documents: the studio products and our shutters will have separate warranties, and it helps to know which is which.

Matching shutters to Taylor Morrison trim

Interior paint is a Phase 2 selection^[1], so you’ll know your trim colour before closing. Write down the brand, colour name and sheen of the trim, not just the walls. If it’s close to our standard white, use that. If not, the designer lets you name a colour to match; a colour match adds to the price, so price one window first. The sheen matters as much as the colour: louvers catch the light at every angle, and a satin shutter beside semi-gloss trim looks like a different white.

Questions to ask at your Design Studio appointment

These are questions, not claims about what Taylor Morrison offers; answers vary by studio and community.

• Which window coverings does this studio offer, on which windows, and are they installed before closing?
• What’s the studio price for these three windows, so I can compare?
• What paint colour and sheen is the trim and the window returns?
• Are the windows single-hung, sliding or casement, and do any have crank handles?
• How deep is the window return, from the room side of the trim to the glass?
• Which ceilings are pre-wired for fans, and is there conduit for an EV charger?

The trim colour decides the match; the return depth decides which louver size tilts freely; crank handles decide whether a shutter needs cut-outs. Our casement guide covers those.

What a whole house adds up to

If you skip studio window coverings, or do only the doors there, here is a made-up two-storey home priced in stages from our live price list:

Each window is priced on its own, so the stages add up to the whole; splitting an order only means each part ships separately. Keep the louver size, moulding and colour the same from the first order so later rooms match. The designer prices your own sizes in a few minutes.

Other upgrades after closing

Outside, and the rooms where shades suit better

Shutter Boys makes wood shutters. Our sister company, Shade Boys, makes the rest: windproof motorized patio shades that run in side tracks, for a covered patio or porch, which you can fit yourself or have a local installer fit, and indoor roller, solar and patio door shades made to measure. A sliding door or a wide wall of glass is often better served by a shade than a shutter; bedrooms and street-facing windows are where shutters earn their keep.

Anything fixed to the outside of the house usually goes to the homeowners association first. Ask for its architectural review form before you order patio shades, and expect it to ask for the colour, the mounting and a photo of a similar product. Shade Boys’ HOA guide covers what boards usually look for on the windows; no product is approved everywhere, because each association decides for itself.

Taylor Morrison areas we cover

Our region pages show local housing and weather figures and what they mean for shutters: Arizona, Texas, Florida, California, Colorado, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oregon, Washington and Indiana.