Restoration Services Blog

A storm tore open your roof. Or a fire left a window blown out and a hole where a wall used to be. Now rain, wind, and anyone walking by have a way in — and your insurance company expects you to stop the damage from getting worse.

Here’s what protects you. Emergency board up and roof tarping seal the openings in your home right after a fire, storm, or break-in. It stops further damage and satisfies your duty to protect the property. All Clean Restoration secures homes across the Metro East and St. Louis, any hour.

Why Do You Need to Board Up Right Away?

Because an open home keeps getting damaged. Every hour the openings stay exposed adds to the loss.

• Rain and wind pour into the structure and soak what the fire or storm missed.
• Animals and intruders get easy access to a vulnerable home.
• Standing water feeds mold within 24 to 48 hours.
• Your claim can be reduced if you don’t take reasonable steps to prevent more damage.

Most insurance policies include a “duty to mitigate.” Boarding up and tarping is how you meet it.

What Does Emergency Board-Up Include?

We secure every opening the damage created. The work usually covers:

• Windows and doors: we cover broken openings with plywood and secure framing.
• Roof tarping: we install heavy-duty tarps over holes to keep water out.
• Structural openings: we close gaps where walls or roof sections are gone.
• Access control: we make sure the property can’t be entered by anyone but you and the crew.

We document each step with photos for your adjuster, so the emergency work is part of your claim.

Does Boarding Up Help My Insurance Claim?

Yes. It does two things adjusters look for.

First, it shows you acted to prevent further loss — which protects your payout. Second, our photos and logs create a clear record of the property’s condition. That documentation is exactly what speeds up claims, as we explain on our insurance FAQ.

We coordinate the emergency work and the full restoration under one roof, so nothing falls through the cracks.

What Happens After the Property Is Secured?

Board-up is step one, not the whole job. Once the home is sealed, the real restoration begins.

For a fire, that means soot cleanup, smoke and fire restoration, and odor removal. For a storm, it means water extraction and drying. Wet materials get dried with our Pro Drying Services before mold can start.

Storm water and fire water are handled the same careful way — extract, dry, verify. You can read how urgent that first step is in our guide to water removal after a flood or leak.

How Fast Can You Get There?

We answer live and aim to be on-site within 30 minutes, any hour. Storms and fires don’t keep business hours, so we don’t either.

We secure properties across Southern Illinois and the St. Louis Metro, from Granite City to Waterloo. See the full service area or reach us here.

An open home keeps losing. Call now and we’ll seal it. All Clean Restoration provides emergency board-up, roof tarping, and full restoration 24/7 — every day of the year, holidays and weekends included. Licensed. Bonded. Insured. IICRC-certified. BBB A+. Serving Southern Illinois and the St. Louis Metro since 1981. Illinois: 618-235-3202 · Missouri: 314-454-0442 · Se Habla Español: 618-792-3633