Storm Damage Boarding Up in Barnet

If a storm has broken a window, cracked a skylight or opened a gap in your roof, the priority is to keep everyone clear of the damage and get the opening covered. Our storm damage boarding up service in Barnet covers those openings to help protect the property until permanent repairs can be arranged. A person answers the phone 24 hours a day, so you can talk it through now, even late at night or over a bank holiday weekend.

Call 020 4652 1801 and tell us your postcode and what’s broken. We’ll work out an arrival time and give you a free, clear quote on the call before any work starts.

First, keep yourself safe

Storm damage is often worse than it looks from inside, and wind can keep moving loose glass, slates or branches long after the worst has passed.

• Stay away from broken glass. Keep children and pets out of the room, and don’t try to pull loose shards from a frame. They can drop without warning.
• Don’t go up on the roof or onto a ladder. Not in wind, not in rain, not in the dark. We’ll assess roof and skylight damage with the right access.
• Keep clear of anything leaning or hanging. A fallen tree, damaged chimney or loose guttering may still be unstable. If a structure looks unsafe, stay out of that part of the property.
• Watch for water near electrics. If rain is coming through near sockets, light fittings or the consumer unit, keep away and get electrical advice.
• Move valuables if it’s safe to. Shifting furniture or belongings away from a leak or broken window is sensible, but only if you can do it without going near the damage.

Photograph the damage, if you can do it safely

Before anything is cleared or covered, take a few photographs from a safe distance: the broken window or skylight, any water coming in, damaged belongings and anything outside that caused the damage, such as a fallen branch. These help your insurer and help us plan the job. Never put yourself at risk to get a picture.

Then contact your insurer to let them know what’s happened. They decide what’s covered, so it’s worth asking early what they need from you.

What we can make safe after a storm

Storm damage can affect several types of opening. Each needs a slightly different approach.

Broken and blown-in windows

We cover broken windows with exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm, which stands up to wind and rain far better than tape or polythene. OSB can suit smaller openings. Where the frame allows, we fix non-destructively, so the frame isn’t damaged further before the glazier arrives. Our window boarding service explains the options in more detail.

Skylights and roof openings

If you need to make safe a broken skylight after a storm, or cover an opening where the roof has been damaged, access is the main consideration. Upper floors, roof lights and anything needing ladders all change how the job is done and what it involves. Read more about our roof and skylight boarding, and please leave the roof to us.

Damaged doors and frames

Falling debris or wind can split a door, crack its glass panel or twist a frame so it no longer locks. We can board and secure damaged doors and frames so the property can be closed up again.

Shopfronts and commercial premises

High winds can take out large panes on shops, offices and restaurants. For a shopfront on a high street such as Chipping Barnet’s, boarding the opening keeps the premises secure and the weather out until the glass can be replaced.

When the frame is badly damaged

Boarding works best when there’s something solid to fix to. If a storm has wrenched a window frame loose, split a door frame or left a roof light’s surround broken, we’ll explain the options to you before we fix anything. That might mean securing the frame first or fixing back to the surrounding structure. We won’t start work you haven’t agreed to.

What to tell us on the call

The more we know, the clearer your quote and the better we can plan access. Useful details include:

• Your postcode, so we can work out when we can be with you
• What’s broken: window, door, skylight, roof opening or shopfront
• Roughly how big each opening is, and how many there are
• Which floor it’s on and whether ladders or roof access will be needed. An upper-floor window in a block of flats is a different job from a ground-floor bay
• Whether glass or debris is still in place or lying around
• Safe photographs, if you have them. You can email us and we’ll look while we talk

Your quote depends on the number and size of openings, height and access, materials and board thickness, the fixing method (including security or anti-tamper fixings where needed), whether a damaged door or frame needs securing first, and any glass or debris to make safe. You’ll have the price before we begin.

What happens on the visit

Our van carries boarding stock and fixings. When we arrive, we’ll check the damage, confirm the agreed work with you and then:

1. Make broken glass and loose debris in the opening safe
2. Cut boards to fit each opening
3. Fix them securely, using non-destructive methods where the frame allows
4. Check that the property can be closed up and left

Boarding is the make-safe step that protects your home or premises from further weather damage and keeps it secure, and it gives you breathing space to arrange the permanent glazing, door or roof repairs properly.

Paperwork for your insurer

After the job you’ll receive:

• An itemised invoice
• Time-stamped before and after photographs
• A written statement of the work done

These give your insurer a clear record of the damage and the make-safe. Your insurer decides what’s covered; we’re not loss adjusters, so any questions about your policy are best put to them. Our guide to insurance claims explains the documentation in more detail.

Who we are

Boarding Up Barnet is an independent local boarding-up service with over 10 years’ experience. We’re fully insured, with the certificate available on request, and DBS-checked. We help homeowners, landlords, letting agents and businesses across Barnet. Nearby places such as Whetstone, Totteridge and Cockfosters can usually be covered, subject to confirming on the call.

Get storm damage made safe

If rain is coming in or an opening can’t be secured, call now. If it’s happening out of hours, see our 24-hour emergency boarding up page for what to do while you wait.

Call 020 4652 1801 with your postcode, the type and size of each opening and which floor it’s on, or email us with safe photographs. We’ll talk you through access, agree a free, clear quote and arrange the visit.