Emergency Board-up
Providers
20 June, 2014
Posted by John Niewiecki
Emergency board-up providers and the importance of timely service
This page is part of the advice for victims of fire, water, or smoke damage FRL series.
Your house is damaged and nearly in ruin, so why bother boarding it up? It would appear upon initial consideration that boarding up a home severely damaged by a flood or fire would be similar to bothering to put a car cover over a totaled vehicle so that the rain does not damage the upholstery. Yet there are more than just aesthetic reasons to board up a house and to do it as quickly as possible.
First is to keep in possession anything of value that may still be salvageable in the home or office building damaged by a fire or flood. A closed and locked door keeps honest people honest. A wide open home that appears to have been abandoned is all too tempting for thieves who would like to rummage through the structure for anything of value. Family heirlooms, jewelry, precious metals, and other items do not necessarily burn or lose their full value in a fire or flood.
Second, safety. A qualified and experience board up company will not just secure a home, but also as Joe Duncan an editor at RestorationSOS.com states, a quality board up team will inspect a home for faulty electrical wiring and for utilities that are still open or connected.
Consider the risk involved when a seemingly abandoned home is used by children. An open structure is an invitation to young people seeking a different and exciting new place to spend time, and the risk to their health and safety falls squarely on the shoulders of the property owner. There is no time to waste when mitigating this risk.
Third, if the damage to a home or office is not a total loss, it could become one if vandals are allowed to freely enter the structure unabated by a proper board up. Weather as well could also cause further damage to a building if the openings are not covered and secured. If a building is not quickly secured from entry by people or the elements, recovery for lost and damaged property could be muddled by estimates too low due to damage occurring after an estimate is created.
This could even further create serious problems for an under-insured building that has been damaged structurally. Not only would ownership not fully recover the loss of their property, but rebuilding their home or business would be even more difficult due to the fact that vandalism after a fire or water damage only adds to the increased cost of recovery, adding insult to injury.
Being first on the scene with board up services for a home or business owner in need is more than just good business sense, it is a necessary service that mitigates further risk exposure, loss of property, and increased safety for everyone including those who may not know better