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As a third generation contractor serving the insurance industry, I have had to board up homes in the middle of the night after storms, vandalism, and break in's. I am always busy after a bad wind or thunder storm. When the storm is over, and my pager goes off, I go house to house securing homes for various insurance companies. For homes where there are holes in the glass windows, and it is difficult to board it up, I apply beads of silicon to the stable glass areas, and apply sheets of glass on top of it. In situations where there are only serious cracks, I run a bead of silicone on the gap, and that will be strong enough till new materials are available.

One of the biggest problem people encounter when they board up their homes is that they cause more damages then what would happen if they did nothing. Sometimes in the area where I live, I am hired to board up homes before storms to minimize damages. After years of screwing wood panels to door and window jambs, My father showed me a trick, he had me install clips on the outside of every door and window jamb and this makes the installation of the plywood panels painless and damage free. When I am finished installing the panels, I seal the gaps and joints with duct tape to limit water entry. When the panels are not installed, they are folded over and forgotten till next need.

Learn more about this author, Gabe Willows.
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