Emergency board up: $75 to $300 a window, fire cleanup costs

No national cost guide prices board-up service. The ranges are two restoration companies' published 2026 pricing (Northeast and Chicago), labeled by company.

Do this now: after the fire department leaves

Securing the house is your job once the trucks pull away. In order:

1. Do not go back in until the fire department says you can. The Red Cross says to heed local fire authorities and not to cut or walk past colored tape unless they say it is safe.
2. Call your insurer from outside. The Red Cross says to reach out to your insurer to start the claim and that your insurer can help secure the property; FEMA says to call your agent as soon as possible.
3. Photograph every opening before it is covered. Triple-I says to document the damage and keep receipts for what you spend protecting the house; those payments are part of the settlement.
4. Order the board-up. Once firefighters leave, the Seattle Fire Department's guide says it is your responsibility to protect against further damage from weather, theft or vandalism. Ask the company for a per-opening price and the after-hours fee.
5. Leave the utilities off. FEMA says to keep main power and water off until a professional says they are safe; the Red Cross says not to reset tripped breakers, and to leave and call the fire department if you smell gas.
6. Do not sign over the claim. Filing a claim? Call your insurer as well as the restoration company, photograph everything before anything is moved, and do not sign an assignment of benefits or any contract that hands your claim to a contractor. Florida voids assignments on policies issued on or after January 1, 2023.

Is it an emergency? When a board-up cannot wait until morning

A board-up is an emergency when the house cannot be locked, when rain is coming through a vented roof, or when the fire department has left and no one can stay; Advanced DRI's after-hours surcharge of $100 to $300 is small next to a second loss.

• Tonight: broken doors or ground-floor windows, a roof the firefighters opened (the Seattle guide says they vent windows and roofs because fire produces temperatures over 1,200 degrees), or weather on the way.
• Tonight: a vacant house. Theft and vandalism are the risks the Seattle guide names after weather.
• Morning: upper-floor windows on a house someone is staying in, if the ground floor is secure.
• Before anyone boards a burned wall: Advanced DRI notes charred framing may not hold fasteners and may need a structural look first; HomeGuide prices a structural inspection at $350 to $900.

What is an emergency board-up, and who orders it?

Emergency board-up is temporary security, not repair, and the owner orders it: the Seattle Fire Department's after-the-fire guide says that once firefighters leave, protecting the house against further damage from weather, theft or vandalism is the owner's responsibility, and the Red Cross says your insurer can help secure the property.

• The fire department: tells you when the house is safe to enter and may open the building to fight the fire; it does not repair the openings. In some cities a restoration company's board-up crew meets the trucks; ask the officer in charge who they called.
• Your insurer: expects you to take reasonable steps to protect the property (Triple-I) and may send its own vendor. The Maryland Attorney General notes you are not obligated to hire the company your insurer calls.
• The restoration company: usually offers board-up as the first service of a fire job, then quotes the cleanup separately. Advanced DRI says it bills insurers directly in most cases; get that in writing.
• You: Bob Vila's guide puts materials at $25 to $50 a window with plywood at least 5/8 inch thick, if the opening is reachable and the framing is sound.

Emergency board-up cost: by window, door and house

Emergency board-up costs $75 to $300 per window on Advanced Disaster Recovery's 2026 price list and $150 to $500 per window in Restore Construction's Chicago estimates; a whole house with 3 to 5 openings runs $400 to $1,500, and a fire-damaged house with 4 to 8 openings and a roof tarp $800 to $3,500 (Advanced DRI).

• Doors: $100 to $400 each, or $150 to $600 for a temporary door and lock (Advanced DRI).
• Roof tarping: $200 to $800 per 100 square feet (Advanced DRI). Emergency roof repair covers what comes after the tarp.
• Extras: second-story access adds $100 to $500, 3/4 inch plywood adds 30 to 50 percent to materials, and temporary fencing runs $3 to $12 per linear foot (Advanced DRI). Restore Construction prices plywood at $20 to $30 a sheet, or $50 to $70 heavy duty.
• After hours: $100 to $300 (Advanced DRI) or $50 to $200 (Restore Construction).
• Commercial storefronts: $1,500 to $8,000 or more (Advanced DRI); $500 to $1,500 per incident (Restore Construction).

These are two companies' prices, not a survey. Ask for a per-opening price before the crew starts and a receipt you can hand to the adjuster.

House fire cleanup cost: what comes after the board-up

Fire damage restoration costs $3,083 to $52,031 for most homes, with a $27,477 average, in HomeAdvisor's and Angi's 2026 data (one data set), and HomeGuide's December 2025 average job is $8,000 to $18,000 at $4 to $7 per square foot.

National figures. Angi says about a third of fire jobs are smoke damage with little fire damage, and labor is 50 to 70 percent of the total.

• Kitchen fire cleanup: Angi prices a cooking fire at $12,000 to $20,000 for the whole job and as little as $800 when it is only smoke from a small one; HomeGuide puts a kitchen rebuild at $15,000 to $50,000.
• Water from the hoses: HomeAdvisor lists $1,000 to $6,000, and says drying walls and floors and dehumidifying is what prevents mold. The EPA's 24 to 48 hour window applies; see water mitigation.
• Smoke and soot: $200 to $1,200 per room and $2,000 to $6,000 for soot (HomeAdvisor); odor treatments are on smoke odor removal.
• Timeline: HomeAdvisor says one week for minor restorations and several months for extensive damage; HomeGuide says to hire the restoration company within 48 hours.
• What to throw out: the Red Cross says food, drinks and medicine exposed to heat, smoke or soot, but not until they are on your insurance inventory. The full list is on fire damage restoration.

Does insurance pay for emergency board-up?

Board-up is the kind of temporary repair a homeowners policy expects: Triple-I says to take reasonable steps to protect the property from further damage, save receipts and submit them, and that payments for temporary repairs are part of the total settlement.

• Keep it temporary: Triple-I says not to make extensive permanent repairs until the adjuster has assessed the damage and approved the price.
• Document first: photos of each opening before plywood goes on, and the invoice listed per opening.
• Living expenses: Triple-I says policies cover additional living expenses, generally up to 20 percent of the dwelling coverage, if you cannot stay in the house.
• Paperwork traps: the Texas Department of Insurance says never to sign a contract with blank spaces or pay the whole bill up front, and the Maryland Attorney General says that after you sign, you owe the restoration company even if the claim is denied. USFA's free booklet After the Fire: Returning to Normal walks through the insurance steps.

Fire restoration companies near me: what to ask on the first call

• Price per opening, and the after-hours fee. Before the truck rolls.
• Is board-up a separate invoice from the cleanup? It should be, for the adjuster.
• Will you tarp the roof, and how is it anchored?
• Do you bill my insurer directly, and what do I owe if the claim is denied? In writing.
• License number and proof of insurance. Check them yourself.

The cleanup itself is on fire damage restoration and smoke damage restoration; drying on water damage restoration. Other trades: home repair costs. Calls go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job; hours vary. How calls work.