Storm Damage Boarding Up in Staines
When a storm breaks a window, shatters a skylight or lifts part of a roof, boarding up the opening keeps out wind, rain and intruders until a permanent repair can be arranged. Boarding Up Staines secures storm-damaged homes, shops and rental properties across Staines. Someone answers the phone 24 hours a day. If the opening is exposed now, call 01784 774 186. We’ll take your postcode and talk through what’s broken.
First, keep everyone safe
Wait until the storm has eased before you deal with any damage. Then:
- Keep people and pets away from broken glass. Wind can loosen shards that are still in the frame, and they can drop without warning.
- Stay off the roof and off ladders. A broken skylight or roof opening has to be reached safely, and it isn’t worth the risk while you’re waiting for help.
- Keep everyone out of rooms under a damaged roof or ceiling if it is sagging, cracked or soaked through. If you’re worried about anything structural, or someone is in danger, call the emergency services first.
- Move valuables and electrical items away from the opening if you can do it without going near loose glass or standing water.
- Take photographs only if it’s safe to do so. Wide shots of each damaged opening are useful for your insurer. Never take a risk for a picture.
Which kind of boarding you need
Storm damage can leave several types of opening exposed. Each needs a different approach.
Broken or blown-in windows
Boarding windows after storm damage usually means making the remaining glass safe, then fixing a cut board across the opening so it’s weathertight and secure. On larger openings we usually use exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm. Smaller openings can sometimes be covered with OSB. Where the frame is sound, we fix the board without doing more damage, which makes the glazier’s job easier later.
Skylights and roof openings
To make a broken skylight safe after a storm, someone has to work at height, so access matters. On the call we’ll ask how high the opening is, whether it can be reached from inside, and what’s below it. Roof opening boarding covers skylights, roof lights and small sections where the covering has been lost. We board them to keep the rain out until a roofer or glazier can carry out the permanent repair.
Doors and frames knocked out of line
Strong gusts can split a door, break the glazing in it or push a frame out of square. If the door won’t close or lock properly, we can secure the opening so the property isn’t left open overnight.
When the frame is badly damaged
Sometimes a storm damages more than the glass. A frame might be rotten, split or pulled loose. Some of the older villas and terraced houses in Staines, such as those around Knowle Green and along London Road, still have original timber windows. If your frame isn’t in a condition to take fixings, we’ll explain your options before we start. That could mean fixing into the surrounding structure or securing the frame first. We won’t just screw a board onto something that won’t hold it.
What to tell us on the call
You’ll get a quicker, clearer quote if you have the following ready:
- Your postcode and the full property address
- What’s broken: window, door, skylight or roof section, and roughly how big each one is
- How many openings need covering
- Height and access: ground floor, upper floor or roof, and whether the opening can be reached from inside
- Glass or debris still in or around the opening
- Safe photographs, if you have them. We’ll tell you where to send them.
We work out the arrival time on the call from your postcode. We also agree a free, clear quote with you before any work starts. The price depends on the number and size of openings, the height and access, the materials and board thickness, the fixing method, whether a door or frame has to be secured first and how much glass needs making safe.
What happens when we arrive
The van carries boarding stock and fixings. Our work focuses on the openings we’ve agreed with you. We make loose glass at each opening safe, cut boards to size and fix them securely. If the property is a shop, a rental or a place that will be left empty, we can use security or anti-tamper fixings so the boards are harder to remove from outside.
We have over 10 years’ experience. We are fully insured, and we can send the certificate if you ask. We are also DBS-checked, which matters when we’re working in someone’s home or tenanted property.
Boarding is the make-safe step. It keeps the weather and intruders out so that the glazing, roofing or door repair can be planned properly rather than rushed.
Paperwork for your insurer
After the work, you’ll receive:
- An itemised invoice listing the work done
- Time-stamped before and after photographs of each opening
- A written statement describing what we secured and how
These help when you report the damage. Your insurer decides what your policy covers. We’re not loss adjusters, so check with your insurer about your own cover. Our guide to insurance claims paperwork explains what each document is for.
Shops, landlords and agents
Storm damage to a shopfront or rented property brings extra concerns: trading, tenant safety and getting a report to the owner or managing agent. Tell us on the call who the paperwork should go to, and whether we need to meet a tenant or keyholder on site. Commercial premises around the High Street and Market Square often have large glazed frontages, so give us rough measurements if you can. That way we can bring the right board sizes.
Covering Staines and nearby
We cover Staines and the surrounding area, including Laleham, Stanwell Moor and Wraysbury. Coverage for those places is subject to confirming your address on the call.
If the damage has to be secured tonight, our 24-hour emergency boarding up page explains how out-of-hours calls work.
Talk to us about your storm damage
Call 01784 774 186 at any hour. Have your postcode, the type and size of each opening and any safe photographs ready. If it’s not urgent, email us with the same details, and we’ll come back to you about access and a quote.