Boarding Up Questions in Barnet
These boarding up questions cover making a broken window, forced door or damaged roof opening secure in Barnet. The answers cover safety, materials, damaged frames, quotes, empty properties and the paperwork your insurer may ask for. If your question isn’t here, a person answers our phone 24 hours a day.
Safety first
What should I do before you arrive?
Keep everyone, including pets, away from broken glass and anything that looks unstable. Don’t try to pull loose glass out of a frame or tape over a shattered pane. If it’s dark, keep lights on and leave the area clear. If you can do it safely, take a few photographs of the damage from a distance. They help with the quote and may help with an insurance claim.
I’ve had a break-in. Who do I contact first?
Report it to the police and keep the crime reference number they give you. Contact your insurer too. Photograph the damage if it’s safe to do so, but don’t move things around more than you need to. Then call us to make the openings secure.
Can you board up after a fire?
Yes, once the fire service has handed the site back. Until then, stay out of the building. After that, we can secure windows, doors and other openings. We don’t carry out smoke or odour remediation.
Boarding up versus permanent repairs
Is boarding up a permanent repair?
No. Boarding is a make-safe. It closes the opening and helps protect the property while you arrange glazing, a new door or other permanent work with the right trade. It also gives you time to get quotes and hear back from your insurer without leaving a gap open. We don’t replace glazing ourselves. Our guide to what boarding up involves and what follows it explains this in more detail.
How long can boarding stay in place?
Properly fitted exterior-grade boarding can stay up while repairs are organised. How long depends on the opening, the exposure to weather and how soon permanent work follows. We’ll talk this through with you when we quote.
Materials and fixings
What do you use to board windows?
For most window and door openings we use exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm. For smaller openings, OSB is often suitable. Boards are cut to the opening and fixed securely. We carry boarding stock and fixings in the van.
What are security or anti-tamper fixings?
They are fixings designed to be hard to remove with ordinary tools. They’re worth considering where boarding faces a street, on an empty property, or anywhere you’re worried someone might try to get the boards off.
Will boarding damage my window frames?
Where the frame allows, we use non-destructive fixing so the frame can be reused when the permanent repair is done. Some frames are already too damaged for that. In that case we’ll explain the options before starting, so you know what we’re fixing to and why.
Doors and frames
Can a damaged door frame be secured?
Often, yes, but it depends on how badly it’s damaged. After forced entry, a door may be split at the lock, the frame may be pulled away from the wall, or both. Sometimes the door and frame can be secured as they are. Sometimes the safest option is to board over the whole opening. If the frame is too damaged to hold fixings properly, we’ll explain what we’d recommend before any work starts. There’s more on this on our door boarding and securing after forced entry page.
Do you fit temporary steel doors or security screens?
No. We board openings with timber and secure damaged doors, frames and locks. We don’t supply steel doors, steel security screens, alarms, CCTV or temporary fencing.
Access and attendance
Do you come out at night or at weekends?
Yes. A person answers the phone 24 hours a day, and we attend at any hour, including nights, weekends and bank holidays.
How soon can you get to me?
It depends on where you are and what’s already booked. We’ll ask for your postcode on the call and give you an arrival time then, before you agree to anything.
Can you board upper-floor windows, roofs and skylights?
Yes, we board roofs and skylights as well as windows and doors. Height and access affect how we approach the job, so tell us about the floor level, any ladders needed and what’s below the opening. Please don’t climb onto a roof or lean out of a window to look. Photos taken safely from the ground or from inside are enough.
Which areas do you cover?
We cover Barnet, including New Barnet, East Barnet and Arkley. We may also be able to reach Whetstone, Totteridge and Cockfosters, subject to confirming on the call. Give us the postcode and we’ll tell you.
Quotes and cost
How much does boarding up cost?
We don’t publish prices because every opening is different. We give you a free, clear quote on the phone before any work starts. It’s based on the number and size of openings, the height and access, the materials and board thickness, the fixing method, whether a damaged door or frame needs securing first, and any debris or glass to make safe. Our pricing guide explains how each of these affects the job.
What information do you need for a quote?
Your postcode, what’s damaged (a window, door, shopfront, roof light), roughly how big it is, which floor it’s on and how easy it is to reach. Safe photographs help a lot.
Empty and commercial property
Do you secure vacant properties?
Yes. We board the windows and doors of empty properties for landlords, agents and owners. Anti-tamper fixings are often worth considering for these jobs. We don’t provide keyholding or monitoring.
Do you board shopfronts and offices?
Yes. We board shops, offices, restaurants and warehouses. Large glazed shopfronts often need more boarding and careful fixing, so photos and rough measurements help us quote accurately.
Insurance paperwork
What paperwork will I get?
You’ll receive an itemised invoice, time-stamped before and after photographs, and a written statement of the work done. These are the documents insurers commonly ask for. Our page on paperwork for insurance claims explains what each one covers.
Will my insurer pay for the boarding?
That’s your insurer’s decision. We can’t say what your policy covers. We’re not loss adjusters or legal advisers. What we can do is give you clear documentation to send to them.
Are you insured?
Yes. We’re fully insured, and we’ll provide the certificate on request. We’re also DBS-checked, and we have over 10 years’ experience boarding up homes and businesses.
Still have a question?
Tell us your postcode, what needs boarding and roughly how big it is. Send any photos you’ve been able to take safely. We’ll talk through access and give you a quote before any work starts.