Fire Damage Boarding Up in Bracknell

Once the fire service has handed your property back, the next job is usually to close up the broken windows, forced doors and any open roof sections so the building is weatherproof and secure again. Boarding Up Bracknell provides fire damage boarding up for homes, flats, shops and offices across Bracknell. Someone answers the phone 24 hours a day, and we can attend at night, at weekends and on bank holidays. If you’re ready to arrange it, Call 01344 951 955 and we’ll start with your postcode.

Wait for the fire service to hand the site back

We can’t start work, and you shouldn’t go back inside, until the fire service has finished and handed the site back. A building can look calm from the street and still be unsafe. Floors, ceilings, stairs and roof timbers may have been weakened, and broken glass can still be loose in the frames.

Until you’ve been told the property is safe to enter:

• stay outside and keep children and pets well away from fallen glass and debris
• don’t climb ladders or go onto a roof to look at damage
• don’t try to pull out loose glass or prop up a damaged door yourself

If you’re unsure whether the handover has happened, ask the fire service before booking anything. We’ll confirm it with you on the call too.

Sensible steps before you call us

You don’t need to have everything sorted before you phone, but these steps help:

1. Contact your insurer. Tell them about the fire as early as you can and ask what they need from you.
2. Photograph the damage, only if it’s safe. Pictures taken from the pavement or garden are fine. Don’t go inside or near unstable areas to get a better angle.
3. Note what’s open to the weather or to access. Count the broken windows, any doors that won’t close or lock, and any roof or skylight openings you can see from the ground.
4. Have the address and postcode ready. We use the postcode to work out when we can get to you.

What we secure after a fire

Fire damage varies a lot from one building to the next. Here’s what we’re most often asked to make safe.

Windows cracked or blown out by heat

Heat can crack or shatter glazing. Firefighters may also have had to break windows to get in or let smoke out. We clear loose glass from the frame where it’s safe to do so and fit window boarding cut to each opening. That usually means exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm, with OSB used for smaller openings.

Doors forced open or damaged

Doors are often forced during a fire or warped by heat so they no longer close properly. We secure the damaged door and frame first, then board the opening so the property can be locked up. Our door boarding page explains how this works in more detail.

Roof and skylight openings

If the fire has opened up part of a roof or broken a skylight, covering it keeps rain out of rooms that are already damaged. Roof work depends on safe access. If the structure is in any doubt, we’ll talk through the options with you rather than put anyone on it. There’s more on roof and skylight boarding here.

Shops, offices and flats above

In Bracknell, plenty of buildings mix uses. On Market Street, for example, there’s housing alongside offices and shops. A fire on one floor can leave the shopfront, the flat entrance and upper windows all needing attention. Tell us how the building is laid out and who needs access, and we’ll plan the boarding around that.

When the frame is badly damaged

Where a frame is still sound, we use security or anti-tamper fixings, and we fix the boards without causing extra damage wherever the frame allows. That makes the later glazing or door replacement easier.

Fire doesn’t always leave a sound frame, though. Charred timber, distorted uPVC or heat-damaged surrounds may not hold fixings well. When that’s the case, we’ll explain the options before we start, including fixing into the surrounding structure or using a different board arrangement. You agree the approach before any work is done.

What to tell us on the call

The call is where we work out arrival time and agree the quote. It helps to have:

• the postcode and the type of property
• how many openings need boarding and roughly how big they are
• which floor they’re on, and whether any are high up or on the roof
• whether a door or frame is damaged and needs securing first
• whether there’s broken glass or debris around the openings
• confirmation that the fire service has handed the site back

If it’s safe to take them, photographs help us judge size and access. You can send them to us by Email us. We’ll give you a free, clear quote on the call before any work starts. What it covers depends on the number and size of openings, height and access, the materials and board thickness, the fixing method, any door or frame that needs securing first, and the glass or debris to make safe. There are no surprise additions once you’ve agreed it.

Insurance paperwork for fire boarding

Most people dealing with fire damage will be making a claim, so we supply paperwork your insurer can use:

• an itemised invoice for the boarding work
• time-stamped photographs taken before and after
• a written statement describing what we did

Your insurer decides what is covered. We’re not loss adjusters and can’t advise on your policy, but clear records make it easier for you to show what was made safe and when. Our guide to insurance claims covers this in more detail.

What boarding does, and what comes next

Boarding is a make-safe. It closes the building to weather and unwanted entry so you have time to arrange permanent glazing, doors and roof repairs properly. Cleaning up smoke damage and removing odours are outside what we do. Your insurer or a specialist can advise on those.

We’re fully insured, our team is DBS-checked, and we’ve been boarding up properties for over ten years. The van carries boarding stock and fixings, so we can usually secure the openings we’ve discussed in a single visit.

Where we work

We cover Bracknell, including the town centre, New Town estates such as Easthampstead, the older Victorian pockets and the office areas. We also have dedicated pages for Binfield and Warfield. Crowthorne, Ascot, Winkfield and Sandhurst are covered too, subject to confirming on the call.

Arrange boarding after a fire

Once the fire service has handed the property back, give us the postcode, a rough count and size of the damaged openings, and any safe photographs. We’ll talk through access and agree a quote with you before we start. Call 01344 951 955 at any hour, or Email us.