Storm Damage Boarding Up in Epsom
If a storm has broken a window, cracked a skylight or opened a gap in your roof, the first job is to keep everyone away from the damage. The second is to get the opening covered. Boarding Up Epsom provides storm damage boarding up across Epsom. Someone answers the phone 24 hours a day, and we attend at night, at weekends and on bank holidays. Call 01372 656234 and give us your postcode. We’ll work out the arrival time on that call.
What to do first
Wind damage often continues after the gust that caused it. Loose glass can still fall and a cracked pane can still give way. Rain coming through a roof opening can also make a ceiling heavy. Before you do anything else:
- Keep people and pets out of the affected room and away from the outside wall below a broken window. Glass can fall from upper floors.
- Don’t go up a ladder or onto the roof, especially in wind or rain. Most falls happen when people try to check roof damage themselves.
- Stay out from under a damaged skylight or a sagging, water-stained ceiling.
- Keep clear of water near sockets, lights or the consumer unit. If you have any doubt about the electrics, get an electrician to check them.
- Photograph the damage only if you can do it safely, from a distance or from another room. Your insurer will find the photos useful, but they aren’t worth an injury.
- Contact your insurer to report the damage and ask how they want you to proceed.
You don’t need to sweep up glass or move debris before you call. Making that safe is part of the job.
Which service fits the damage
Storm damage usually affects one of three kinds of opening.
Broken or cracked windows
Falling branches, flying debris and strong gusts are the usual causes of storm-damaged windows. For boarding windows after storm damage, we remove loose and dangerous glass and then cover the opening. We normally use exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm thick, and OSB on smaller openings. Where the frame is sound, we fix the board without causing further damage, so the window can be reglazed cleanly later. There’s more detail on our window boarding service page.
Skylights and roof openings
If you need to make a broken skylight safe after a storm, the method depends on height and access. Some skylights can be boarded from inside. Others need work from outside. The same applies to boarding a roof opening in Epsom: it depends on where the damage is and how safely we can reach it. We’ll talk this through on the call before we commit to a method. Our roof and skylight boarding page explains the approach in more detail.
Doors and shopfronts
Storms can also damage doors, fanlights and glazed shopfronts. If a door has been damaged and won’t close or lock properly, we may need to secure it before boarding. We’ll explain this when you describe it.
When the frame is badly damaged
Board is only as secure as the frame it’s fixed to. Sometimes a branch strike or a hard impact twists or splits a frame. When that happens we won’t simply screw a board over it and leave. We’ll explain the options first, such as fixing to sound surrounding structure. That way you can agree the approach before any work starts.
This matters in the older parts of Epsom. Many buildings in the town centre conservation area are listed, including the Victorian and Edwardian frontages along the High Street, West Street and South Street. If your property is listed or in the conservation area, tell us on the call. We’ll aim for non-destructive fixing wherever the frame allows. That helps keep the original joinery in the best possible condition for the permanent repair.
What happens on the call and the visit
When you ring, a person answers. We’ll ask for:
- Your postcode, so we can work out when we can be with you.
- What’s damaged: windows, a door, a skylight, a roof opening or a shopfront.
- Roughly how many openings and how big they are.
- Height and access, for example a ground-floor window, an upper floor or a roof light, and whether there’s a clear route to it.
- The condition of the frame, if you can see it safely.
- Safe photographs, if you have them. You can send them to info@boarding-up-epsom.co.uk.
From this we give you a free, clear quote on the call before any work begins. What affects the quote:
- the number and size of the openings
- height and access
- the materials and board thickness
- the fixing method, including security fixings
- whether a damaged door or frame needs securing first
- how much glass and debris needs making safe
The van carries boarding stock and fixings. On arrival we make the area safe, deal with broken glass and debris, and board the agreed openings.
The paperwork for your insurer
When the work is finished you’ll receive:
- an itemised invoice
- time-stamped before and after photographs
- a written statement of the work done
Together these give your insurer a clear record of the damage we found and how we made it safe. Your insurer decides what your policy covers. We aren’t loss adjusters and we can’t advise on your claim. Our insurance claims guide explains how to use the documents.
Boarding now, repairs next
Storm damage boarding makes your property safe and secure while you arrange the permanent repair. That’s usually reglazing, a new skylight or roof repairs, depending on what’s broken. The board holds the opening until that work is ready to go ahead.
Why people call us after a storm
We’re an independent local boarding-up service with over 10 years’ experience. We’re fully insured, and we can send the certificate on request. We’re also DBS-checked, which matters when we’re working in someone’s home late at night. We cover Epsom and the surrounding area, including Stoneleigh, Langley Vale and Epsom Downs, subject to confirming your address on the call.
If the damage happened tonight and you need someone out now, our 24-hour emergency boarding up page explains what happens on an urgent call.
Get the storm damage made safe
Keep clear of the glass, stay off the roof and give us a ring. Tell us your postcode, what’s damaged and roughly how big the openings are, and send any photos you’ve been able to take safely. We’ll talk through access and give you a quote before anything starts.