So last weekend we finally got everything finished. We hung the drapery and added on the cornice to cover the Somfy Glydea 35e rod. We had one problem in that when we measured how far the rod was from the wall for the cornice, we forgot to include added distance for the drapes so they rubbed on the cornice. We flipped the rod mounting brackets so the drapes were closer to the window which solved that problem.
For the blinds, we ran the power wire down the inside frame of each window, across the bottom, then down to the outlet. We paint the wires and they are very unobtrusive. The wall-warts are white and not very noticeable. Overall I'm happy we didn't go with batteries.
I'm still working on the programming, but I have most of the blinds opening in the morning, then closing is the sun gets too hot in the afternoon, then opening again when the sun isn't so bright, then closing at sunset. Somfy makes these round sensors that you stick to the windows, and if the temperature is above a threshold, and the sun is bright, the window coverings close. When the sun is less bright, the shades open.
The motorized shades and drapes are not something I thought I needed, but now that i have them, they would be hard to live without. The wife loves them as well.
What I learned overall? Shop around. Prices vary greatly, and not all places understand and sell motorized shades. If they do sell them, 90% of the time they use Somfy RTS motors. You can buy them and put them up yourself, but the savings won't be great.
Prices aren't cheap. Expect to pay $200 - $300 extra per shade, and $800 - $1200 extra per drapery or more. For us this added about 35% to the total cost.
Also, don't skimp on purchasing remotes. Yes I can control everything from my phone and home automation system, but 90% of the time the wife just wants to pick up a remote to change them. Have a remote for each shade or each group of shades. If you don't, the wife won't be happy.
If you only have money to motorize one window covering, and you have a large drapery, chose that. The cost is low relative to the total cost of the drapery, and watching those drapes open or close is a thing of beauty.