The position of your window treatment hardware depends on the finished look you want to achieve. Where exactly do you want your curtains to hang when they are drawn back to the sides? And how far up should they hang?
If you were to make your track the width of the window, then even when drawn back the curtains would cover a large portion of the window. So extend the track past the window. The amount you add depends on how much room the curtains will take up. This can vary between 6" and 1' 6" depending on the number of widths of fabric used, thickness of fabric, and if they are interlined or not.
Height of track above window
As indicated in the above sketch, your curtains will need to hang from above the window. An approximate position is about one third up towards the ceiling. But this is a very approximate guide, and if your ceiling is high then ignore it. For most situations you don't want to place the track more than 5" or 6" up, but it depends on the exact requirements of your window treatments.
For example, you may have about 2' 0" above your window, but you want wall to wall drapes. In this case put your track or pole just beneath the ceiling.
Corded or uncorded?
Often you'll want to use corded tracks or poles so you don't have to keep handling the curtains. You can get tracks which are perfectly presentable, and will do the job well. But if you have heavy curtains, a suitable track may look a bit ugly, and needs to be covered by a cornice box or valance.
In some instances with your window treatment hardware you may just want a plain track or pole, with no embellishments. This is often the case where curtains are in a child's rooms, and you don't want them swinging from the cords or forgetting to use the cords in the first place!
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