American Board Up Crew is a board up company serving customers in all 50 states. American Board Up Crew has been in business since 2009. American Board Up Crew employs 75 board up technicians. American Board Up Crew has boarded up over 127,464 windows and doors across the country. American Board Up Crew boards up more than 11,717 windows and doors each year. We cover broken windows, damaged doors and storefront glass with plywood.
American Board Up Crew works with homeowners, property managers and insurance adjusters. Our technicians measure every opening and provide a written price before work starts. We finish most board up jobs in a single visit. American Board Up Crew schedules appointments Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Contact us for a free quote today.
How Do You Know a Damaged Opening Needs an Emergency Board Up?
If an opening can't be closed and locked tonight, or it can let in rain, wind, or a person, it needs boarding before anything else happens. Damage that looks cosmetic from the driveway often isn't. After storms, break-ins, and fires, the same few patterns show up again and again.
- Cracked glass still hanging loose in the window frame
- An exterior door that won't latch after a forced entry
- Soot stains around a window opening after a fire
- Roof decking exposed where a tree limb came through
- A sliding glass door panel knocked off its bottom track
Why Does Cracked Glass Still Hanging in the Frame Need Boarding Instead of Tape?
Cracked glass left in the frame is under stress, and an overnight temperature swing or a single gust against the pane can drop it without warning. Ordinary annealed glass breaks into long, sharp daggers that slide out of the glazing. Crazed tempered glass can hold in a spiderweb pattern, then let go all at once. Tape adds no real strength. The right fix is to knock out the loose pieces from the inside and screw a sheet of 1/2-inch or 5/8-inch plywood over the exterior. Fasten it into the framing or brick molding, not the sash, because the sash is the part that's broken. Any shards on the sill or floor get swept into heavy contractor bags during the same visit, since cut hands are the most common injury in this kind of cleanup.
If the Door Still Swings Shut After a Break-In, Does It Really Need to Be Boarded?
Usually, yes. A kicked door almost always splits the jamb at the strike plate. The door still closes, but the latch and deadbolt have nothing solid left to bite into, and one good shove opens it again. We cover the door from the outside with plywood and run carriage bolts through to a 2x4 brace across the inside. Plain screws driven from the exterior can simply be backed out by whoever comes back for a second try. A new deadbolt in a split jamb doesn't fix anything, either. The damaged jamb section or the whole frame has to be repaired before that hardware means anything, and that repair is a separate job that usually follows within a few days.
Does Soot Around a Fire-Damaged Window Mean the Frame Underneath Is Still Solid?
Not necessarily. Soot is surface staining, and it hides what the heat did to the wood header, the jack studs, and the frame itself. Vinyl frames soften and sag near a fire, and aluminum warps out of square. Before we fasten anything, we probe the header and jambs with an awl. If the tip sinks into charred wood, we size the plywood wider and screw it into sound studs beyond the burned area, sometimes building out a 2x4 frame first so the screws have something to hold. Firefighters often break or vent windows to clear smoke, so an opening that looked fine during the fire can be wide open afterward, letting rain soak insulation and drywall that are already wet from the hoses.
How Is Exposed Roof Decking Covered After a Tree Limb Comes Through?
Exposed roof decking gets a two-layer cover, but the limb has to come off first. A tree crew usually cuts it free so nobody works under a loaded branch. Where the limb punched all the way through the sheathing, we screw plywood patches into the rafters to close the hole and give the tarp a firm surface. Next, a heavy reinforced poly tarp goes over the area, running up and over the ridge so water can't get under the top edge. We screw 1x4 or 2x4 wood battens down along every edge, because grommets alone tear out in the first strong wind. Check the tarp after every storm, and treat it as a stopgap lasting weeks to a few months, since sunlight breaks the material down.
Can a Sliding Glass Door Knocked Off Its Track Just Be Lifted Back In?
Sometimes it can, but after an impact it's rarely safe to try. Whatever knocked the panel loose usually cracked the bottom rollers or racked the frame. The tempered glass may also have a chipped edge, and that weak point can make the entire panel burst later without any new hit. A panel off its track also leaves the latch useless, because the lock only works when the panel is seated in the frame. We either brace the loose panel in place or remove it entirely, then screw a full sheet of plywood over the opening into the surrounding framing. Check the stationary panel too. If the frame is racked, that side's seals and glass edges took the same stress.
How Much Does Emergency Board Up Cost in Yakima, WA?
Emergency board up in Yakima, WA typically costs $287 to $1,868 for a single visit to secure the house. The biggest factors are how many openings need plywood and how large they are. Price also depends on whether the crew has to frame in 2x4s around charred or racked framing so the screws have something solid to bite into. Expect a premium for after-hours and holiday calls. Tarping a roof with battens and patching the decking with plywood costs more than covering one kicked-in door or broken window.