Roof and Skylight Boarding in Harlow
Roof boarding in Harlow covers a broken skylight, roof light or damaged roof opening with fitted boards. It helps protect the opening from weather and entry until the permanent repair is arranged. A person answers our phone 24 hours a day. We can talk through the damage, access and a quote on the same call.
If glass or debris has come down inside, keep everyone out of that room and away from the area directly below the opening. Please don’t go up a ladder or onto the roof to look. We’ll work out access with you on the phone.
When roof or skylight boarding is the right call
This service fits when the problem is overhead rather than at ground level:
- A broken skylight or roof light cracked by a fallen branch, hail, a dropped object or an attempted break-in
- A damaged flat-roof light or rooflight on an extension where the glazing has failed or been smashed
- An opening left in a roof after storm damage, such as where part of the covering has been lost or punctured
- Roof openings on commercial units, such as warehouse roof lights, which can be a way in once they’re broken
- Upper-level openings after a fire, once the fire service has handed the site back
A broken skylight leaves an opening for weather and entry, and an unprotected opening is a fall hazard. Keep everyone off the roof, even after boarding is fitted. The boards are not a walking surface or fall protection.
If the damage came from a storm, our storm damage guidance covers what to do first. For fire-affected buildings, see making safe after a fire.
How we board roof openings
Materials
For most skylights and roof openings we use exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm, cut to cover the opening with enough overlap to fix into sound material. On small openings OSB can do the job. Board thickness depends on the size of the opening and what it needs to resist. We’ll explain our choice before we start.
Fixings
Where the skylight frame or upstand is sound, we fix through it so the board sits firmly over the opening. Where we can, we use non-destructive fixing so the frame isn’t damaged further and the glazier or roofer has something to work with later. On roof lights that could be reached from outside, security or anti-tamper fixings make the board much harder to remove.
When the frame is badly damaged
Some skylight frames are cracked, rotten or pulled away from the roof. Then there’s nothing reliable to fix into without making things worse. In that case we explain the options before any work starts, such as fixing back to the surrounding structure or covering a larger area. You agree the approach before we do it. We won’t just screw a board onto something that won’t hold.
Access and safety
Access is the biggest variable with roof work, so it’s the first thing we’ll ask about. It helps to know:
- Whether the opening is on a pitched roof, a flat roof or a single-storey extension
- Roughly how high it is, and whether it can be reached from inside, from a ladder or neither
- Whether there’s glass or debris below that needs clearing first
- Anything that affects getting to the property, such as parking. In Harlow’s residential permit areas, visitors need a permit, so let us know if that applies on your street.
Some skylights can be boarded from the inside, which avoids roof access altogether. Others have to be covered from outside. If the opening can’t be reached safely with the access we can use, we’ll tell you plainly on the call rather than turn up and improvise.
What happens on the visit
- We check the opening and the area below. Loose or hanging glass is made safe, and broken glass and debris we’ve agreed to deal with is cleared.
- We photograph the damage before work begins, with time stamps.
- We cut and fit the boarding using the materials and fixing method agreed on the call.
- We photograph the finished work and check the board is secure.
- We go through what’s been done with you and what the permanent repair will involve.
The van carries boarding stock and fixings. We discuss the size of each opening and access on the call.
What you receive
- The roof opening or skylight boarded and made safe, as agreed
- An itemised invoice
- Time-stamped before and after photographs
- A written statement of the work done
That paperwork is useful if you’re making a claim. Your insurer decides what’s covered, and our guide to insurance claims explains how the documents fit in.
Roof boarding is a sound temporary make-safe that buys you time. The permanent fix, new glazing or roofing repairs, follows once you’ve arranged the right trade.
What affects the quote
We give a free, clear quote on the phone before any work starts. No prices are listed here because roof jobs vary so much. The main factors are:
- Number and size of openings. One small skylight is very different from a run of warehouse roof lights.
- Height and access. Upper floors, roofs, skylights and ladder work all change the time and preparation needed.
- Materials and board thickness, chosen to suit the opening.
- Fixing method, including security fixings where the opening could be reached.
- Frame condition, if it needs securing or a different fixing approach.
- Glass and debris to make safe and clear.
You’ll find more on how this works on our pricing page.
About us
Boarding Up Harlow is an independent local boarding-up service with over 10 years’ experience. We’re fully insured, with the certificate available on request, and DBS-checked. We attend at any hour, including nights, weekends and bank holidays. The arrival time is worked out on the call from your postcode.
Get a roof or skylight made safe
Tell us your postcode, what’s broken, roughly how big it is and where it sits on the roof. Send safe photographs taken from inside or from the ground if you can. That’s enough to talk through access, agree the approach and give you a quote.