The immediacy associated with emergency board up services may be what distinguishes this service from other, more permanent, damage restoration services. Once property owners are reassured about the safety of family members, office employees or the occupants of other buildings, their first concern is (or should be) to ensure the security and safety of the damaged property. In many cases, this requires immediate emergency board up services. Board is the temporary sealing of unwanted openings in damaged building exteriors. Emergency board up services may be needed after all kinds of natural or man made disasters and accidents, including floods, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, automobile accidents, snow storms, explosions, break-ins and vandalism.
Whatever the cause, sealing un-wanted openings in a property is imperative. In many states, it is also a legal requirement. Emergency board up services protect your home and its contents against the ravages of nature and against criminal acts such as burglary and vandalism. They also help to make unsafe and condemned properties inaccessible. Below are a few general safety pointers that can help you and your family to deal better with situations that may eventually require the hiring of professional emergency board up services.
- In the event of an emergency, all adult household members should be able to shut off utilities (water, gas and electricity).
- All households should have an emergency survival kit, containing items like drinking water, canned non-perishable foods, batteries, flashlights, portable radios, sanitary items, spare clothing, baby food and wipes, diapers and first aid supplies. Also, everyone should be aware of its location in the home.
- Prepare an evacuation route in advance and adapt it to specific emergencies.
- Try to keep your gas tank full at all times.
- Never re-enter a damaged building until the property is officially declared to be safe.
- Always keep an inventory of your property, personal effects and important documents inside it. Remember to update this list regularly.
- If you live in a hurricane or tornado zone, you may be alerted in advance. Close storm shutters and board up your windows. If you have the time, employ professional emergency board up services. While taping windowpanes may keep them from rattling, it will not prevent glass from shattering if impacted by strong winds or fallen trees.
- All heavy objects that can be picked up by strong winds should be moved or tied down.
- If you are at home during violent weather, stay inside the house. Do not approach glass windows, doors or skylights and don’t rush outside the minute the weather looks calm – strong wings often resume after quieting down.
- Remember to immediately mop away any flammable liquids that may spill. Leave the building at once if you detect the odor of gas. Never light candles in the dark; use flashlights instead.
Much more is involved in emergency board up services than just nailing plywood planks to broken window and doorframes. Naturally, the kind of emergency board up services that are needed depends on the extent of the damage to building exteriors and the underlying cause of this damage. A professional board up service provider will be able to properly assess the damage and to provide appropriate emergency board up services to effectively seal off all unwanted openings.
Of course, if your problem is an upper-level smashed windowpane that will be replaced in a couple of days, you can go ahead and board up the opening yourself. In more serious cases, it is best to hire qualified contractors providing emergency board up services. The tips below can help you to do so wisely and productively:
- Even though emergency board up services are usually urgent, try to interview more than one contractor and obtain free written estimates from each. The estimates should clearly define all emergency board up services to be undertaken.
- It is wise to look for contractors providing emergency board up services before emergencies actually occur, especially if you live in a hurricane zone.
- In the case of preparatory emergency board up services (hurricane alerts etc), do not assume that you know all the openings that need to be tightly sealed and boarded. A qualified professional contractor will go over your building, and inform you of what needs to be done.
- Make sure that the contractors you have decided to interview are licensed and / or bonded. If they plan to use subcontractors, confirm that they are licensed too. This is particularly important if the emergency board up services you need will cost over $500. Many states prohibit unlicensed contractors to do any work valued at over this amount. The advantage of hiring a licensed contractor is that he or she is knowledgeable about building codes and is liable for the work done – not you. If an unlicensed contractor improperly carries out emergency board up services and someone gets hurt as a result, you will be held legally accountable.
- Note that a contractor’s license is different from a standard business license; for a contractor to be licensed, he / she must demonstrate knowledge of construction techniques and building codes. Do not be satisfied with a simple statement by the contractor that he / she “has a license”.
- Verify the contractor’s credentials and make sure that his or her license is up to date by calling your state’s contractor licensing board. You can also do this online using the contractor’s license number.
- Request references; reputable contractors should be able to give you the names and numbers of customers they have done emergency board up services for. Contact them and ask them about the contractor's quality of work.
- You should also contact local or state agencies or the Better Business Bureau to check whether any complaints are, or have ever been, filed against the prospective contractor.
- Time permitting, it is best not to sign contracts for emergency board up services before your insurance company representative has determined the extent of the damage and the amount the insurance will pay. Alternatively, you can forward the estimate provided by your contractor to your insurance company for review before you make any payments.
- Homeowners who have a mortgage on their homes should be aware that lending institutions sometimes have requirements concerning the way insurance funds are spent.
- Handle payment arrangements with your contractor wisely. No honest contractor will expect to be paid in full before the work starts. The written agreement, or contract, between you and the contractor providing emergency board up services should specify payment modalities in detail. Disregard any contractor who requires more than 30% of the total cost up front.
- Inquire about the reason for any significant differences in the cost estimates supplied by prospective providers of emergency board up services. Do not automatically select the contractor offering the lowest bid; a very low cost estimate usually means that the contractor intends to use low quality material and / or provide poor workmanship.
· It is also a good idea to contact a contractor’s suppliers and subcontractors to inquire whether the contractor pays his bills on time.
- Make sure the contractor you hire is covered by General Liability and Workers' Compensation insurance. This will protect your property and ensure that you will not be personally liable should an accident occur while emergency board up services are being done. Ask to see the contractor’s insurance certificate, write down the agent's phone number and call to ascertain that the insurance policy is still in effect.
- You can also ask the contractor to provide lien waivers for all suppliers and sub-contractors working on your emergency board up services project. These indicate that the contractor has paid the suppliers and sub-contractors. You should obtain them before making your final payment.
- Once you have selected a contractor, make sure to get a written, dated agreement that includes: name of contractor, a (valid) business address, a telephone number (not a beeper), license number, estimated start date and end date, complete inventory of emergency board up services to be done and materials to be used, itemized and total costs and payment modalities. Informal letters of agreement are acceptable if the work is estimated at $1000 or less. For more expensive projects, insist on a formal contract.
- Inquire about your contractor’s guarantee policy, if applicable.
· Finally, Do NOT pay in cash for emergency board up services. Use a credit card or pay by check (made out to the contracting firm or company, not to an individual). Always get a receipt.
The pointers listed above should prove useful in helping you select a qualified contractor to provide the emergency board up services you need. Please also be on the look out for the following:
· Contractors who go from door-to-door, soliciting business;
· Contractors who offer materials left over from previous jobs, at discount prices. If the materials were good quality, they would not be offered cheaper;
· Scam artists who cancel insurance policies once they have received the insurance papers. Do not neglect to check out your contractor’s insurance.
· Contractors using an unmarked vehicle.
These steps will go a long way in ensuring that you get good quality work from reliable contractors.
