Emergency Board Up Services in Farragut, TN

If an opening can't be locked, can't keep rain out, or could drop glass on someone before the permanent repair happens, it needs to be boarded the same day. Qualifying damage isn't always dramatic, and some kinds get underestimated more than others. These are the ones we see most often on calls.

• Cracked window glass still sitting in the frame
• Door jamb splintered at the strike plate after a break-in
• Hole punched through roof sheathing or siding by a fallen limb
• Sliding glass door shattered into tempered pebbles
• Fire-scorched window openings with glass blown out or cracked

Cracked glass stays under stress the entire time it sits in the frame, and an overnight temperature swing, a gust against the pane, or a slammed door nearby can finish the break. Older single-pane and other non-tempered windows break into long, knife-edged shards rather than small pieces, so a failing pane can fall inward onto the floor or outward onto a walkway. A crew covers the opening with half-inch or thicker plywood fastened over the exterior trim and leaves the cracked glass in place behind it, so nobody has to handle the glass. If the crack runs to the edge of the sash or the glazing putty is already loose, expect the glass to shift within a day or two. That makes waiting on the glass shop's schedule a gamble.

No, because the lock was never what failed. When a door gets kicked, the deadbolt usually holds while the thin jamb wood behind the strike plate splits along the grain. A new cylinder just throws its bolt into the same cracked pine that already gave way. Boarding a splintered jamb means screwing plywood across the whole opening from outside, or bracing the door shut from inside with lumber fastened into the studs, not the trim. The permanent fix is a repaired or replaced jamb with a reinforced strike plate and long screws that reach the framing. Check the hinge side too, since a hard kick often loosens those screws and lets the door sag out of its stops.

The limb comes off first, cut in sections so its weight doesn't tear the hole wider. Then the opening is trimmed back to solid decking. Plywood or OSB is screwed over the hole so it spans onto undamaged sheathing, and a heavy reinforced tarp goes over that, run up and over the ridge when possible so water can't get under its top edge. The tarp is held down with wood battens screwed through it, because nails through bare plastic tear loose in the first strong wind. Siding punctures get the same plywood patch, with house wrap or flashing tape lapped shingle-style above it. Inside, check the attic insulation and ceiling drywall below the hole within a day: soaked insulation keeps holding water against the framing long after the roof is covered.

Mostly it's about the frame. Tempered glass breaks into small cubes that usually fall out of the panel entirely, leaving a large open rectangle. The crew sweeps the track, then fastens a full sheet of plywood over the exterior of the opening, screwing into the surrounding wall framing rather than the aluminum or vinyl door frame, which won't hold screws under load. Inside, the remaining good panel is locked and a length of wood is dropped into the bottom track so it can't slide open even if someone pries at the board. Pebbles lodge in carpet edges, track channels, and the weep holes at the bottom of the frame, so you'll keep finding them for days. Vacuum the track before the replacement panel goes in.

They shouldn't. Most property policies expect the owner to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage, and an open, burned window lets rain into an interior that's already soaked from the hoses. Heat cracks or blows out the glass, weakens the window frames, and leaves the house a target for theft of whatever survived, especially since nobody is usually living there. Boards go over every compromised opening, often including scorched frames that still hold glass, and the crew photographs the damage before covering it so the adjuster still has a record. Keep the receipts and photos together, and expect the boards to stay up for weeks or months while the claim and rebuild move forward. That's why they go on with exterior-rated screws instead of being tacked in place.