Roof and Skylight Boarding in Epsom

Our roof boarding in Epsom closes a broken skylight, roof light or damaged section of roof with fitted timber. It keeps out rain, wind and intruders until a roofer or glazier makes the permanent repair. A person answers the phone 24 hours a day, so you can describe the damage and agree a free, clear quote before any work starts. Call 01372 656234 if water or debris is already getting in.

Please don’t go up a ladder, onto a flat roof or into a loft under broken glazing to inspect the damage. From inside, move people, pets and valuables away from the opening, catch drips if it’s safe to do so, and leave the roof to us.

When roof boarding is the right call

Roof work fits when the opening is above you rather than beside you. Typical jobs include:

• A broken skylight or roof light, for example after a fall of branches, hail or an attempted break-in from a flat roof.
• A cracked or shattered roof lantern over an extension, kitchen or shop.
• Missing or displaced sections that leave a hole open to the weather after high winds. Our storm damage guidance covers what to do in the first hour.
• Flat-roof access points on commercial or rear extensions that need securing because someone has already forced a way in.

If a fire has damaged the roof, the fire service has to hand the site back before anyone goes near it. We can secure openings once they have.

How we board a damaged roof or skylight

Boarding at height isn’t the same as boarding a ground-floor window. Weather has to run off, not pool, and the fixings have to hold against wind lift as well as against anyone trying to prise the panel off.

Materials

For most skylights and roof openings we use exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm. It spans the opening without sagging and stands up to rain while the permanent repair is arranged. On smaller roof lights, OSB can be suitable. We’ll explain which we’re proposing and why when we quote.

Fixings

Wherever the frame or upstand is sound, we fix into it rather than into surrounding roof covering, and we use non-destructive fixing where the frame allows. This keeps the make-safe neat and limits extra damage for the roofer to deal with later. Where the opening is reachable from a flat roof or neighbouring building, security or anti-tamper fixings make the board much harder to remove from outside.

When the frame is badly damaged

Sometimes a skylight frame is split, rotten or pulled away from the roof. If so, there may be nothing solid to fix to without further work. We’ll explain the options first, before we touch it, so you know what’s involved and how it affects the quote. We won’t make it up as we go.

Glass and debris

Broken roof glazing often leaves shards in the frame and on the floor below. Clearing loose glass so the opening can be boarded is part of making it safe. If debris needs removing from inside, we’ll include that when we quote.

Older and listed buildings

Much of central Epsom is in the Epsom Town Centre Conservation Area. That covers the High Street and parts of West Street, South Street, Waterloo Road, Ashley Avenue and Upper High Street, and many buildings there are listed. If your roof light is on one of these Regency, Victorian or Edwardian properties, mention it on the call. We’ll talk through fixing options that avoid unnecessary damage to original fabric, so the permanent repair starts from the best possible point.

What happens on the visit

1. The call. We take your postcode, ask what’s damaged and how it’s reached, and work out an arrival time with you then. Safe photographs taken from the ground or from inside help us judge size and access. Please don’t climb to get them.
2. The quote. You get a free, clear quote on the phone before any work starts.
3. Access check on arrival. We look at the opening and how to reach it safely. If it turns out different from what we discussed, we tell you before going further.
4. Making safe. We clear loose glass and debris from the opening, then measure, cut and fit the board to the frame or upstand. Where needed, we use security fixings.
5. Paperwork. We take time-stamped before and after photographs and leave you with an itemised invoice and a written statement of the work done.

The van carries boarding stock and fixings, so most openings can be measured, cut and fitted in the same visit.

What you’re left with

You’re left with a weather-resistant, secured opening, plus documentation you can pass straight to your insurer, landlord or managing agent. Your insurer decides what is covered, and our insurance claims guide explains how the photographs and statement fit into a claim. Boarding is the make-safe that buys you time. A roofer or glazier then carries out the permanent repair at a pace that suits you rather than in a rush.

What affects the price of roof boarding

We don’t publish prices because two skylights rarely need the same work. The quote depends on:

• The number and size of openings, from a single roof light to a large lantern or several damaged sections.
• Height and access. A flat-roof skylight on a single-storey extension reached by ladder is a different job from a pitched roof on an upper floor.
• Materials and board thickness needed to span the opening safely.
• Fixing method, including whether security or anti-tamper fixings make sense.
• Frame condition. A damaged frame or upstand may need securing first.
• Glass and debris that need making safe inside or out.

Our pricing page explains these factors in more detail.

Who we help

Householders with a broken skylight over a landing or extension. Shop and restaurant owners with a damaged roof light or flat-roof access at the rear. Landlords and letting agents arranging a make-safe for a tenant. We have over 10 years’ experience, we’re fully insured (certificate on request) and DBS-checked, and we’re an independent local boarding-up service. We cover Epsom and nearby areas including Epsom Downs, Stoneleigh and Langley Vale, subject to confirming your address on the call.

Talk to us about a damaged roof or skylight

Tell us your postcode, where the opening is, roughly how big it is and how it’s reached. If you can take photographs safely from the ground or from inside, send them over so we can discuss access and give you a quote. Call 01372 656234 or Email us.