Emergency board-up for broken windows and doors in Oklahoma City

What a proper board-up covers besides plywood

The plywood is the visible part. Before it goes up, we pull loose shards out of the frame, sweep glass out of the room and check whether rain already reached the floor or the wall below the sill.

Each panel is cut to overlap the opening and fastened into the framing around it, not into trim that pulls off easily. On ground-floor openings, we use fasteners and bracing that cannot be backed out from outside. Where a door was broken, we board it so you still have a working, lockable way in and out.

We photograph each opening before and after, and note anything the board-up exposed, like a cracked frame, a damaged header or water in the wall, so the permanent repair starts with a complete list.

Board-up calls come from storms, break-ins and accidents. The method changes with what broke.

Window Board-Up

Hail, wind-blown debris and break-ins account for most window board-ups. We remove the loose glass, measure the rough opening and cut plywood to cover it with overlap on every side. Large picture windows may need two panels joined over a stud brace. If the frame or sash is cracked, we note it so the repair includes it instead of just new glass. Damaged screens and blinds are bagged and kept for the adjuster.

Restore Construction, writing about the Chicago market, puts residential board-up at $300 - $800 per incident and $150 - $500 per window.

Door Board-Up

A kicked-in or storm-damaged door is harder than a window, because the house still needs a way in. For a door that will not latch, we board the outside and secure it with a hasp and a lock you control, or we board one door completely and leave another entry working. Sliding glass doors get the same treatment as large windows, with the panel braced so it cannot be pushed in.

Vehicle Strikes

When a car comes through a front wall or a garage, the opening is only part of the problem. The impact can crack studs, shift the wall and damage the header above a garage door. We check whether the wall is still carrying the roof before we board, add temporary shoring if it is not, and then close the opening with framed plywood that keeps out weather and people until the wall is rebuilt.

How long the boards usually stay up

Plywood stays until the permanent repair is in. Standard glass can often be cut fairly quickly, but insulated units, tempered glass, odd sizes, full window replacements and doors are ordered to measure, and those can take weeks.

After a widespread storm, many households order windows at once and lead times stretch. That is why the boards are fastened to last, not just to get through one night.

How a board-up call goes

1. We ask what brokeOpenings, sizes and glass in the room, so the right materials come.
2. We make the area safeLoose glass out, debris cleared and damaged framing checked.
3. We cut and fasten panelsPlywood cut to overlap each opening, fastened into framing.
4. We secure the entryOne door stays lockable and working so you can come and go.
5. We document the openingsBefore and after photos plus a list for the permanent repair.

When hail breaks windows across a neighborhood

Local reporting on the May 16, 2010 storm listed Crown Heights, Belle Isle, Nichols Hills, Piedmont and the northwest side of Oklahoma City among the places hit, and in Piedmont hail broke windows and pierced home roofs. The same storm damaged 34 police units at a single substation. A night like that leaves whole streets with open window frames at once. Boarding comes first on those calls, because each pane has to be measured and ordered, and a house cannot sit open while it arrives.

What should be done before a board-up crew leaves

A board-up is a short visit, but these steps decide whether the house is actually safe and dry overnight.

• Loose glass pulled from the frame and swept from the floor and sill
• Plywood fastened into framing, overlapping the opening on every side
• Ground-floor panels that cannot be removed from outside
• At least one working, lockable door into the house
• Wet floors or walls below the opening noted and photographed
• A list of frames, sashes or headers that need permanent repair

What affects the price of an emergency board-up

Board-up is priced by the openings and the conditions around them.

• Number of openings. Each window or door needs its own measured panel.
• Size and height. Picture windows and second-story openings take more material and ladder work.
• Time of the call. Overnight and holiday calls usually cost more than daytime work.
• Glass cleanup. Glass embedded in carpet or upholstery adds cleanup time.
• Structural damage. Vehicle strikes and storm-damaged framing can need shoring first.

Board-up questions people ask us at night

Often booked with this job