Natural disasters like fire damage, hurricanes, flooding, storms, or even vehicle accidents can strike at unexpected times and usually happen when people are unprepared. In these cases, emergency board-up services will be beneficial for a home under restoration. Disasters are swift and destructive and can cause ripped-off siding, shattered windows, collapsed walls or roofs, and damaged doors.
Similarly, a home fire can destroy the building’s structural integrity. For instance, charred wooden joists will become unstable when exposed to fire for a long time, and consequently, the windows may be broken by firefighters to extinguish the flames.
The damaged home is unsafe to live in and also a great place for unwanted guests. So, it’s better to invest in board-up service instead of leaving it unoccupied.
Why Do We Need Board-Up Services for a Damaged Home or Business?
We need a board-up in construction for protection from the various elements.
When a home is partially destroyed by adverse events, it becomes susceptible to extreme conditions. Heavy rains, flying debris, and high winds may cause the total destruction of a home that is already damaged. Shattered windows and broken doors make the home vulnerable to unwanted guests; with a collapsed roof or a hole in the roof, rain can easily pummel into the inside of the home; a strong wind tears down the home’s siding; and hail can beat a home down.
Water damage due to accumulated moisture from rain, sleet, and snow can severely hurt floors, electronics, and carpets. Moreover, moisture is the best source of nutrition for mold spores lying dormant in the house, in a way that can cause them to grow only in a short span of 24 to 48 hours. So, homeowners, in addition to dealing with water damage, should also deal with mold growth.
We need board-up services to prevent animals.
Rooftop openings can attract all kinds of pests; the attic can become a cozy and warm home for squirrels, and the interior home can be a safe haven for rats and raccoons. Overall, wild animals can cause extra destruction. Their scampering in and out tracks dirt into the home. Moreover, they tear up furnishings like sofas and cushioned chairs, and worse of all, they urinate and defecate all over the house. As a result, homeowners must perform extensive cleaning to turn this home into a habitable place.
We need Board-up windows to prevent vandals and delinquents.
Unboarded homes are a great target for thieves, burglars, and vandals who are searching for opportunities to easily rob a house or company after a calamity.
Once all valuable items have been emptied out, offenders and delinquents will continue to damage the house and engage in criminal activities like destroying things left inside or simply spray painting graffiti on the walls. Because security cameras stop working (due to storms), delinquents can easily keep up their illegal behavior.
The Advantages of Board-up In Construction
Emergency board-up services are significant to prevent further damage. For instance, boarded-up windows prevent additional water damage and, consequently, mold growth. When the property is sufficiently boarded up, wild animals will search for another residence to occupy. For example, a sheet over the roof will prevent birds from constructing nests in the attic. Small dogs or squirrels won’t be able to enter if the doors and windows are boarded up.
To prevent further damage to the house, emergency board-up solutions are essential because replacing doors, a roof, or windows takes time. Emergency board-up services are specially designed to deter vandals, wild animals, and other elements.
Boarding-up in construction is a simple method that can save the house in the shortest amount of time. For this purpose, cut the thick plywood (at least 5/8 inches thick) to cover the doors and windows. The thicker the plywood, the more resistant and durable it is. In addition, plywood is less expensive, and obtaining it is easy.
Benefits of Board-Up Services That Save Money
“Is hiring a board-up service really worth it?” we are frequently asked. Once you understand the numerous cost-saving advantages, you’ll find that the services frequently pay for themselves.
- Prevent harm: You can avoid the inconvenience and cost of fixing shattered windows by anticipating a storm and boarding up your windows beforehand. Even if damage has already been done to your house, as long as new boarded-up windows are installed, your damage will be minimal.
- Maintain insurance coverage: Your first course of action following a natural disaster should be to contact your insurance provider. The best coverage for your claim is ensured by boarded-up windows because the boards help stop additional water or wind damage. Please follow the board-up so that your insurance company has no reason to deny your claim.
- Deter vandalism: If you live in a damaged house or want to protect a foreclosed property until it sells, board-up services are essential. This straightforward technique minimizes liability problems that may arise if an intruder enters the building and gets hurt while also discouraging damage and theft.
Emergency Board-Up Windows for Hurricanes
If your house doesn’t have hurricane shutters, you’d better get to work covering your windows with plywood as soon as a storm is forecast. Plywood is affordable, easily accessible in the condition of not having to wait until 90 minutes, and has a 30% higher impact strength than oriented strand board (OSB), making it a good device for board-up windows. A minimum of 5/8-inch thick, exterior-grade (CDX) plywood is advised by insurance industry associations.
Installing hurricane plywood requires two people, especially when working with large panels. For safety’s sake, get them up before the wind increases and turns these sheets into sails. Here are board-up services for windows with a wood frame.
Emergency board-up windows for hurricanes
- Identify the studs that are closest to the window’s sides and underneath it. (If the siding doesn’t have nail-heads to indicate the location of the studs, you’ll need to use a drill and bit to probe the area.) Plywood that is only fastened for sheathing or trimming may blow off.
- Make each panel at least an inch larger than the window’s framing on all sides.
- Label each panel with a number to designate the opening it will cover. Include an arrow indicating which end rises.
- Insert long corrosion-resistant screws at least 2 inches into the framing. They are easier to take off than nails and hold better. Galvanized pan-heads or lag screws work best for this project since they have flat-bottomed heads that won’t sink into and weaken the plywood.
- While holding the plywood against the opening, drill pilot holes every 16 inches through it and into the framing. A minimum of one inch should separate each hole from the panel edge.
- Next, tighten all of the screws using an impact driver or cordless drill/driver.
Emergency board-up windows tips
- If you reside in an area where hurricanes frequently happen, set aside sometime during the off-season to drill matching holes in the plywood and screw stainless steel hanger bolts into the structure at intervals of 16 inches. When a storm is imminent, you can rapidly mount the panels and fasten them using nuts and washers. Prime and paint all surfaces and edges of these reusable panels to prevent deterioration.
- Fit the plywood within the window opening on masonry homes and secure it with 4-inch barrel bolts at no more than 16 inches apart. Each bolt’s sliding shaft slides into a masonry hole (not the grout joint).
Board-up Service Types
Emergency and preventive are two main types of board-up services. Preventive services avoid or minimize property damage due to natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. Property owners should prepare ahead of time with preventive board-up service because the damage can be quite costly and serious. You can easily take down the plywood and restart business as usual as soon as the weather clears.
Emergency board-up services, on the other hand, will be beneficial for a home under restoration (due to a natural disaster) and will prevent further damage. Owners won’t have enough time to board up their property if a natural disaster strikes suddenly and swiftly. There is a high probability of property destruction after a hurricane or tornado. An emergency board-up service can stop additional harm.
Emergency Window Repair Tips
The investment in double-glazed windows is much more valuable since they have a great impact on energy efficiency. However, there is always the possibility of a break. Though this risk is minimal, there is always a risk of shattering or cracking for no obvious reason. Here are some tips when you find yourself with an emergency glass replacement that needs emergency board-up services.
What should we do when we need emergency board-up services?
Cracked windows can affect their security and stability. Once a window has shattered totally, emergency board-up windows can be a good choice for safety.
You need to take these actions if you have broken windows:
- Find out which reason caused your window to break. If you don’t find an obvious reason, like a burglar or hurricane, it’s crucial to ensure you are safe inside of your home.
- Move your pets or children to a safe area away from the broken glass.
- Wear thick gloves and put on your shoes before sweeping up the glass. Sweep glass with a dustpan and brush.
- To prevent loose glass shards from falling out later and injuring your family members, it’s better to remove them from the window frame.
- Put the glass in a thick bin liner and put it somewhere that your children or pets can’t reach it.
- To pick up any pieces of glass, use pieces of tape to go over the floor area.
Board-up windows for a broken glass
You must properly board up your windows to prevent rain, snow, and hail from entering your home. This action is great for deterring vandals and burglars from entering. To board up a broken window, you can temporarily cover the window with bin bags. For this purpose, you need:
Board-up windows: the tools you need
- Drill
- Bin bags
- Saw
- Screws
- Tape measure
- Ply-board sheet
- Thick gloves
- Staple gun
- Masking tape
The method for board-up services
- Wear thick gloves and ensure the window frame is totally clear of glass.
- Use masking tape to cover any stuck pieces of glass.
- Use a saw to cut your ply-board sheet to the size of a window frame. You can also ask a DIY store to do it for you.
- Screw the ply-board to your window frame after you’ve made evenly spaced pilot holes.
How Do We Find the Best Emergency Glass Repair Company in Toronto?
Because there are so many available companies that are active in the board-up services field, finding the best one can be a bit overwhelming. As a result, we’ve compiled a list of helpful hints to assist you in finding a suitable company.
- Carefully look at customer reviews and real-life examples to give you the right ideas.
- Always search for the best price, but keep in mind that the lowest price is sometimes a sign of the lack of experience of the provider, and consequently, you’ll need to pay more cash later on.
- Take a time to chat about your problems with different companies. This action gives you a perception of how they are skilled and professional in their jobs.
Why Does a Double-Glazed Window Shatter Inside?
- Large windows have a greater chance of cracking and flexing.
- Incorrect installation put a lot of pressure on the glass.
- Window-defective thanks to an error during its production.
- A sudden temperature rise, an increase in pressure between the panes, or the scratching or weakening of a window.
Professional and Emergency Window Repair.
If one or more of your windows is broken, regardless of the reason, you need to hire a professional team to replace the glass to ensure the new windows are correctly fitted and will last for a long time.
Thankfully, our highly qualified professionals at EsnaGlass are always available to take the stress out of your broken window and ready to provide board-up services in construction.
Why Do you Need to Hire Professional Teams to Help?
The safety of your home is crucial, especially following a calamity. If a storm, fire, or other calamity damages your house or place of business, you’ll need a reputable restoration firm to begin the cleanup and repair process.
A variety of disaster restoration services, including cleaning up water damage, fire damage, mildew, trauma scenes, and hoarding, are provided by the restoration skilled specialists at EsnaGlass, an emergency glass repair company in Toronto. In EsnaGlass, comprehensive restoration services are offered to property owners. We give back your home or company in its original condition as quickly as possible. Don’t hesitate to contact us; we will answer all your questions and concerns and make sure that our professional experts will deliver quality results with high current standards
