An open structure invites weather, theft and liability — we secure it in hours, 24/7
When a storm, fire, or break-in leaves your Northbrook property with broken windows, open doorways, or exposed roof sections, the clock starts running against you immediately. Within the first few hours, wind and rain pour through broken openings, soaking drywall, flooring, insulation and personal belongings. What begins as a single shattered window can escalate into thousands of dollars in secondary water damage before morning.
Within the first night, an unsecured and visibly damaged property becomes a target. Northbrook is a prosperous community — and opportunistic thieves know it. Broken windows and damaged doors signal easy access. Vandalism, theft of fixtures, copper plumbing, and appliances are all real risks when a property sits open and unguarded after dark.
Beyond physical damage, there is a serious insurance implication. Most homeowners and commercial property policies include a duty to mitigate clause — meaning policyholders must take reasonable steps to prevent further damage after a covered loss. An insurance carrier can use an unsecured property as grounds to deny or reduce a subsequent water damage or theft claim. Failing to board up promptly can cost you more than the board-up itself.
There are also liability concerns. An open structure is an attractive nuisance — if a neighbor's child, a trespasser, or anyone else is injured on your property while it sits unsecured, you may be held liable. Animals, squatters, and ongoing weather deterioration compound the problem with every passing day.
Don't wait. Call Allied Emergency Services right now at (800) 792-0212 — our Northbrook crews are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Northbrook, Illinois is a prosperous and well-established community of approximately 35,000 residents situated in Cook County on the North Shore, approximately 25 miles north of downtown Chicago. The village is bounded by the North Branch of the Chicago River on its western edge, Interstate 94 (Edens Expressway) on the east, and borders communities including Glenview to the south, Deerfield and Riverwoods to the north, and Wheeling and Buffalo Grove to the west. Northbrook's diverse mix of residential neighborhoods ranges from the established estates near Techny Road and Waukegan Road to the newer developments near Sanders Road and Cherry Lane. The village's tree-lined residential streets, large lot sizes, and mature deciduous trees that line properties throughout Shermer Road, Meadow Road, and the Northgate neighborhood make it particularly vulnerable to storm damage — large branches and century-old trees come down with devastating force during summer thunderstorms.
Northbrook experiences the full spectrum of severe Midwest weather. Summers bring frequent thunderstorm complexes that sweep off Lake Michigan and across the North Shore, often producing straight-line wind gusts exceeding 60 mph, large hail, and intense rainfall. The Techny basin and the low-lying areas along the West Fork of the North Branch Chicago River can experience flash flooding that compounds structural damage. Winter storms deliver heavy lake-effect snow accumulations and ice storms that collapse gutters, crack windows, and load roofs beyond their design limits. Spring brings volatile tornado-watch conditions as Gulf moisture collides with Canadian cold fronts over northeastern Illinois. Schools like Northbrook Junior High, Glenbrook North and South High Schools, and Maple School are surrounded by residential neighborhoods that collectively experience hundreds of storm damage events per year.
Allied Emergency Services has worked throughout the greater Chicagoland region for years, responding to storm events that have impacted Northbrook and the surrounding North Shore communities. We understand the village's building stock — from the post-war ranch homes on quiet cul-de-sacs to the newer custom construction along Techny Road — and we know how to work efficiently in residential neighborhoods that require careful attention to landscaping, neighboring properties, and community standards during the board-up process.
From a single broken window to a full commercial property securing, Allied Emergency Services handles every type of emergency board-up in Northbrook — 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Northbrook's severe weather season runs from April through October, with the peak risk period in June and July. High-wind thunderstorms, large hail, and tornado-producing supercells are all documented hazards in Cook County. When a storm leaves your home or business with broken windows, damaged doors, open roof sections, or collapsed soffits and siding, every minute of delay increases your losses. Our storm board-up crews respond with properly sized plywood panels, industrial-grade waterproof tarps, specialized fastening systems, and the tools necessary to secure any opening regardless of height, pitch, or accessibility.
A fire leaves a structure in its most vulnerable state — weakened structurally, open to the elements through burned-out windows and walls, and highly attractive to opportunistic theft and vandalism. In the immediate aftermath, fire departments may leave doors or windows open for ventilation, and the property requires prompt professional securing. Allied Emergency Services coordinates with fire departments, insurance adjusters, and property owners to provide rapid post-fire board-up that secures the structure, prevents further weather infiltration, and preserves the site for insurance documentation and eventual restoration. Our crews are trained to work safely around smoke-damaged and structurally compromised buildings.
A break-in is traumatic enough without leaving your property exposed overnight or over a weekend while waiting for a glazier or door company. After police have completed their investigation and issued a report, Allied Emergency Services can deploy immediately to board up kicked-in doors, broken storefront glass, smashed garage windows, and any other openings left by forced entry or vandalism. We document the existing damage thoroughly before boarding — providing a clear baseline for your insurance claim — and secure every opening to prevent re-entry or further theft. We work with both residential property owners and commercial businesses throughout the Northbrook area.
Northbrook's commercial corridors along Waukegan Road, Skokie Highway, and the Northbrook Court area contain numerous retail storefronts, restaurants, professional offices, and light industrial facilities — all of which can suffer significant glass and structural damage during severe weather events or following a break-in. Commercial board-up requires heavier materials, specialized fastening to steel or masonry frames, and compliance with village code requirements for temporary protective barriers. We understand the urgency for businesses: every hour your storefront is unsecured is an hour of liability exposure, inventory risk, and potential business interruption. Our after-hours commercial response team is available around the clock.
Northbrook sits squarely in one of the most storm-active corridors in the Midwest. Understanding the region's weather history underscores why having a trusted board-up contractor on speed dial is essential for every Northbrook property owner.
The North Shore of Illinois, including Northbrook and neighboring communities, is subject to some of the most intense convective storm activity in the Great Lakes region during summer months. Squall lines and supercell thunderstorms tracking northeast from the Iowa and Wisconsin border frequently intensify as they approach Lake Michigan, producing peak wind gusts of 60–80 mph, large hail (1 inch diameter or larger), and intense rainfall rates exceeding 2 inches per hour. These storms can shatter windows on the windward side of an entire block in a matter of seconds and send tree limbs through rooflines without warning. Northbrook's dense tree canopy — one of the qualities that makes the village so desirable — becomes a significant hazard during these events, with large oak and elm branches frequently landing on roofs and vehicles.
Cook County and the immediately adjacent North Shore communities have documented repeated significant hail events in recent decades. Hailstones ranging from golf-ball to baseball size have impacted neighborhoods from Northbrook to Wilmette during isolated supercell events. These hail events are particularly devastating because they can shatter every window on an exposed facade simultaneously — turning a routine storm event into a major board-up emergency affecting dozens of homes in a single neighborhood. Hail damage to skylights, sunrooms, and older single-pane windows is especially common in Northbrook's established neighborhoods where original construction glass may still be in place.
Northeastern Illinois winters bring significant ice storm risk, with freezing rain events capable of depositing a half-inch or more of glaze ice on exposed surfaces. Ice loading on gutters, soffits, and roof overhangs can produce sudden failures, driving debris through windows and leaving structures open to the elements. Heavy snow loading is also a concern for flat-roofed commercial structures and older residential construction not designed to current snow load standards. When winter storm damage occurs, the combination of cold temperatures and open structures creates a race against time — pipes can freeze and burst within hours of a heating system being compromised by an open structure.
April through June represents the peak tornado season for northeastern Illinois. While direct tornado strikes on Northbrook are relatively rare, EF0 and EF1 tornadoes have touched down in Cook County and surrounding areas with enough regularity to warrant preparedness. More commonly, the extreme wind shear associated with tornado-producing storms generates straight-line winds that cause damage indistinguishable from a weak tornado — lifting roof sections, imploding windows, and leaving structures open to the elements across wide swaths of a neighborhood simultaneously. Post-storm board-up demand surges sharply following these spring severe weather events.
When homeowners see a broken window after a storm, the instinct is often to grab a sheet of plywood and some nails from the garage and handle it yourself. We understand the impulse — you want to protect your home immediately. But DIY board-up almost always creates additional problems that increase your total repair cost and can complicate your insurance claim.
The most common DIY mistake is nailing plywood directly into window frames and door casings. Window frames — especially on wood or vinyl windows — are precision-manufactured components that are not designed to accept fasteners. Nails driven into a vinyl window frame typically crack it, and a cracked frame means the window cannot be reinstalled without replacing the frame assembly. On wood frame windows, improper nailing splits the wood and may require frame repair or replacement in addition to the glass. Professional board-up uses specialized fastening systems — screws into structural framing, clip systems, and adhesive methods for certain frame types — that secure the opening without creating new damage to the existing structure.
Roof tarping is another area where DIY approaches frequently go wrong. Walking on a storm-damaged roof is genuinely dangerous — damaged decking can fail underfoot without warning, and wet roofing materials are extremely slippery. Professional crews use proper fall protection, extension ladders, and roof jacks to work safely on any pitch. More importantly, improperly installed tarps blow off in subsequent wind events, leaving the structure exposed at the worst possible time. Our tarps are installed using a weighted-and-fastened system designed to remain secure through subsequent weather.
Insurance documentation is a third critical advantage of professional board-up. When you hire Allied Emergency Services, you receive a timestamped photo documentation package showing the state of the damage before board-up and the completed securing work. This documentation supports your insurance claim by establishing the scope of the original storm damage and demonstrating that reasonable mitigation steps were taken. A homeowner's cell phone photos taken in the dark after a storm rarely provide the documentation quality that insurance adjusters require.
Finally, professional board-up positions you for a smooth transition to full restoration. Our team identifies all damaged components during the board-up process — not just the obvious broken windows, but damaged frames, water infiltration paths, compromised soffits and fascia, and secondary structural concerns. This holistic assessment means your restoration scope of work is more complete from the start, reducing the likelihood of change orders or supplement claims later in the process.
Your safety is the top priority. While you wait for our crew, follow these steps to protect yourself and preserve your property:
Allied Emergency Services doesn't just board up your property and walk away. We are a full-service restoration contractor, and we are with you from the moment of the emergency through the final inspection of completed repairs.
Within one hour of your call, our crew arrives on-site in Northbrook, assesses the full extent of damage, and immediately begins securing all open areas. We board windows and doors, tarp roof sections, and establish a safe perimeter. Our crew leader documents every opening and every damaged component before any boarding material is placed — establishing a clear, unambiguous baseline for your insurance documentation.
We conduct a thorough, systematic documentation of all damage — not just what is obvious, but what is beneath the surface. This includes inspection of attic spaces for water infiltration, interior walls adjacent to broken windows for moisture, and structural components that may have been compromised. Our written damage inventory and photo package is organized to meet insurance industry standards and is provided to you and your insurer for use in the claims process.
We work cooperatively with your insurance company's adjuster to ensure our documentation is complete and that the scope of necessary repairs is fully understood. We prepare a detailed written scope of work and cost estimate for all restoration repairs. We communicate directly with your adjuster to answer technical questions about the damage and repair methodology. Allied Emergency Services is a licensed restoration contractor — we document damage and perform repairs. We do not adjust, negotiate, or settle insurance claims on your behalf.
Once insurance approval is received, our restoration crews mobilize to perform all necessary repairs — window replacement, door reinstallation, roofing, siding, soffit and fascia repair, interior water damage remediation, drywall, insulation, painting, and any other components included in the scope. All work is performed by licensed professionals in compliance with Illinois building codes, Cook County requirements, and Village of Northbrook regulations. We pull all required permits and schedule inspections as required.
Before we consider a job complete, our project manager conducts a comprehensive final walkthrough with the property owner. Every repaired component is inspected against the original scope of work. We verify that all windows and doors operate properly, all roofing components are secured, all interior repairs are complete, and the property is in pre-loss condition or better. We do not consider the job finished until you are satisfied with every aspect of the restoration.
Reviews represent typical customer experiences.
"A massive storm rolled through our neighborhood off Shermer Road on a Saturday night and took out three windows on the back of our house. I called Allied at 11 PM and they had a crew here by midnight. They boarded everything up professionally, took photos for our insurance company, and explained every step of the process. The insurance claim went smoothly because of their documentation. Couldn't be happier with the response."
"Our retail space on Waukegan Road had a break-in on a Sunday morning. I was panicking because we had inventory exposed and the police had just cleared the scene. Allied was on-site within 45 minutes of my call and had the entire storefront boarded up within two hours. They were professional, thorough, and the documentation they provided made filing the commercial insurance claim straightforward. I've already referred them to two other business owners in Northbrook Court."
"A hail storm last summer cracked four skylights and broke two windows on the east side of our home near Techny Road. Allied came out immediately, tarped the skylights, boarded the windows, and did an inspection that caught additional damage we hadn't even noticed in the attic. They worked with our insurance adjuster through the whole claim and did a beautiful job on the final repairs. One contractor from start to finish — that's exactly what you want in a stressful situation."
From your first call to a secured property, the process is straightforward. We handle the complexity so you don't have to.
Dial (800) 792-0212. A live emergency dispatcher answers 24/7/365 — no voicemail, no callback queue during business hours only. Tell us your location in Northbrook and describe the damage. We gather the information we need to dispatch the right crew with the right materials.
Based on your location and the scope of damage you describe, we dispatch the nearest available crew immediately. Our dispatcher will confirm your estimated arrival time so you know exactly when to expect us. For most Northbrook locations, response is within 60 minutes.
Our crew arrives, introduces themselves, and conducts a thorough walk-around assessment of all damage before touching anything. Every opening and every area of damage is photographed and documented. This baseline documentation is critical for your insurance claim and for establishing the pre-board-up condition of the property.
We secure every opening using proper materials and fastening methods — plywood panels cut to size, industrial waterproof tarps, and fasteners that do not damage frames or existing structure. Work proceeds systematically from the most urgent openings (roof, primary structural breaches) to secondary openings. We leave no opening unsecured.
Before we leave, our crew leader walks you through everything that was done, provides the documentation package, and explains the next steps for moving from emergency board-up into full restoration. You will have a clear picture of what happened, what was secured, and what the path forward looks like — all in writing.
Our team responds within 1 hour — don't let damage get worse.
Allied Emergency Services provides emergency board-up service throughout every neighborhood in Northbrook, Illinois and the surrounding North Shore communities. Whether you are in an established residential area or a commercial corridor, our crews can reach you within the hour.
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