Quick answer
Board-up service in Fort Worth closes a broken window, door or wall with plywood, fastened from outside so the house is weather-tight and harder to enter. A single window usually takes well under an hour once we're there. We sweep loose glass, photograph the damage, cut the sheet to the frame and fasten it so the opening stays covered until the glass or door is replaced.
What Board-Up Service Involves
An open window or door after a storm, fire or break-in creates two problems: weather gets in, and so can people and animals. Plywood fixes both until permanent glass or a new door can be ordered, which can take days or weeks for a custom size. We measure each opening, cut sheets to fit the frame, and fasten them so they can't be pried off easily from outside. On the inside, we clean up broken glass so the room is usable again.
Board-up is often one piece of a bigger job. A storm that broke the windows usually also lifted shingles, so we check the roof and may need emergency roof tarping the same visit. After a fire, the house has to be secured before fire damage restoration can be planned. Either way, the photos we take before boarding go into the job record you can share with your adjuster.
What Happens When We Board Up Your House
- 01
Make the area safe
We check for hanging glass, live wires and weak framing, then clear loose shards from the frame so the opening can be measured and covered safely.
- 02
Photograph each opening
Every broken window, door and wall hole is photographed from inside and outside before we cover it, so the damage stays on record for your adjuster or a police report.
- 03
Cut plywood to fit
We measure each opening and cut sheets to fit the frame, adding blocking where the frame is split or burned, or where the span is too wide for one sheet.
- 04
Fasten from outside
Boards are screwed into the framing, not just tacked on, so they hold through wind and rain and resist being pried off by someone standing outside the house.
- 05
Clean up inside
We remove glass from floors, sills and furniture in the affected rooms, then check the wall and floor below each opening and tell you if rain got in behind it.
Broken Windows and Doors
Hail, wind-blown debris and falling limbs break glass, and strong wind can rip a patio door off its track. You'll see shattered panes, a frame pushed out of square, or rain blowing straight into a room. We clear loose glass from the frame and the floor, photograph the opening, then cut plywood to fit and fasten it to the framing outside the window or door. For doors you still need to use, we can board around a working entry. Cost depends on the number of openings, their size, and whether the frame itself is damaged and needs blocking before plywood can hold.
Fire Board-Up
After a fire, firefighters often break windows and doors to vent smoke and reach the flames, and burned walls may be open to the outside. Once the fire department releases the property, the house needs to be closed to keep out rain, animals and people looking for copper or tools. We board every open window and door, cover holes in exterior walls, and set a lockable entry so you and your adjuster can get in. The number of openings and how much of the wall is burned through decide the time and material involved.
Break-In Board-Up
A forced entry usually leaves a smashed window or a door kicked off its jamb, and the first worry is that someone could come back. Once police have finished at the scene, we board the damaged opening from outside, fasten it with screws rather than nails so it resists prying, and reinforce a broken door jamb with blocking. We photograph the damage before covering it, which helps with any report or claim you file. Cost depends on how many openings were damaged and whether the door frame needs blocking before it will hold a board.
Smoke, Soot or Water Damage Tonight?
The line is answered around the clock. Tell us what you see and we will tell you what to do first.
What Fort Worth Storms Do to Windows and Doors
Fort Worth field note
Glass and doors are where wind gets in first. During the March 28, 2000 tornado, the storm crossed the Trinity River into Downtown Fort Worth and blew out about 80 percent of the Bank One Tower's windows. A separate F3 tornado in that outbreak crossed I-20 in Arlington, where garage-door failures contributed to the damage. Once a large door or window gives way, wind pressure inside the house rises and more of the building can fail. Closing those openings quickly is how the rest of the structure stays dry.
Boarding Up Yourself vs Having Us Do It
| Task | What you can do | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Pick up broken glass | Wear shoes and gloves, pick up large pieces into a box and keep kids and pets out of the room. | We vacuum fine shards from carpet and sills and clear glass still hanging in the frame. |
| Cover a small pane | Tape heavy plastic over a single small broken pane from inside to stop rain for the night. | We replace the plastic with plywood fastened outside, which holds in wind and keeps people out. |
| Secure a kicked-in door | Brace it closed from inside with a chair or a board if you're staying in the house. | We block the broken jamb and board the opening so the entry is secure from outside. |
| Board upper-story windows | Leave these alone. Ladder work near broken glass in wind is how people get hurt. | We cover upper openings with ladders or lifts and fasten into framing at that height. |
Broken glass in frames can drop without warning, so pull nothing from a frame above your head or without heavy gloves.
What Our Board-Up Visit Includes
- Safety check for hanging glass and damaged framing
- Photos of every opening before it's covered
- Plywood cut to fit each window and door
- Screw fastening into framing from the outside
- Blocking for split, burned or kicked-in frames
- A lockable entry point on fire-damaged houses
- Glass cleanup from floors, sills and furniture
- A check for rain that got in behind the opening
What Sets the Cost of a Board-Up?
None of the cost sources we use publishes a range for board-up work alone, so we won't put a number here. What we can tell you is what changes the scope. Board-up is usually billed by the opening and the material, with time of day and frame condition adding to it.
- Number of openingsOne broken pane is a quick cover. A storm or fire that broke every window on one side of the house means many sheets and more fastening time.
- Size of each openingSliding patio doors, picture windows and garage openings take full sheets or more, plus framing to support plywood across a wide span.
- Frame conditionA sound frame holds screws well. A burned, split or kicked-in frame needs blocking before a board can be fastened to it securely.
- Second-story openingsUpper windows need ladders or lifts and more setup time than ground-floor openings, and they take longer to do safely in wind.
- Glass cleanupShattered glass in carpet, on furniture or across a floor adds cleanup time before the room is safe to walk through again.
Every job is priced after we see the damage and take readings; these factors explain why two jobs that look alike can cost very different amounts.
Board-Up Service Questions From Fort Worth Homeowners
Plywood fastened properly over a window can usually stay on for weeks while replacement glass or a door is ordered. Custom sizes and impact glass often take the longest. We check the boards on any follow-up visit, and if a board loosens in wind before the glass arrives, we refasten it.
If the door itself works and only the glass is broken, we can board the glass panel and leave the door usable. If the jamb is split, we block and board it closed and set a different entry for you to use until a new door or frame goes in.
In most cases, yes. Vented windows and broken doors leave the house open to rain, animals and people looking for metal or tools. Many policies also expect the property to be secured. We board the openings and set a lockable entry so you and your adjuster can get back in.
Yes. Storefront glass after a storm, a break-in or a vehicle strike gets the same treatment: glass cleanup, photos, and plywood fastened to the frame from outside. Large storefront spans may need framing behind the plywood, which we add so the cover holds up to wind and foot traffic.
Yes. Report the break-in first and let officers finish looking at the scene before anything is moved or covered. Once they're done, we photograph the damage and board the opening. Keep the report number with our photos for your claim.
Related Work We Handle
Close Up the Broken Window or Door Tonight
A house with an open window or door isn't secure and isn't dry. Tell us how many openings are broken and what caused it, and we'll cut and fasten plywood to close them up. Call now to get started.
Updated October 2026