Temporary Window Protection While Waiting for Replacement Windows
The plywood went up the night of the storm. The new windows are weeks out, and the family is living in a dark house with no way out of two bedrooms.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Temporary window protection while waiting for replacement windows means covering every damaged opening so the house is livable for weeks, not one night: clear polycarbonate panels where you need light, plywood where you do not, film over cracked glass that still holds. JMB Builders photographs each opening first, fits the cover to it, and removes it the day the new window goes in. Priced per opening, Twin Cities metro.
- Clear panels, plywood or film, per opening
- Every opening photographed before it is covered
- Bedroom exits kept usable
An emergency board-up is built to get through the night. A house waiting on a full order of replacement windows has to get through weeks: rain, wind, maybe a cold snap, kids going to school, people sleeping in every room. Windows are made to order after one in-person measure of every opening, and the lead time depends on the brand and is written on the quote. On a whole-house claim, that waiting time is the part nobody plans for.
So the cover changes. Living rooms and kitchens get clear polycarbonate panels cut to the opening and fastened to the trim or stops, so there is light and the glass shards are out of the frame. Openings nobody needs to see through get plywood, sealed at the edges. Cracked glass that still holds gets a clear film on both sides. Bedrooms are handled so there is still a way out, with a panel that comes off from inside or an exit left usable. Screens and broken glass are kept for the adjuster.
Every opening is photographed before it is covered and numbered on the same log as the claim, so the cover hides nothing the adjuster needs. The temporary work goes on its own invoice by opening; whether your policy pays for it is a question for your agent. When the new windows arrive we go room by room, take each cover off the day its window goes in, and close each room the same day. You keep one person to call the whole time.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- Your claim number and any photos taken the night of the storm
- Which rooms need light and which bedrooms need an exit kept open
- Broken screens, sashes and glass kept for the adjuster
- Access to each room inside and out
What JMB supplies
- Photos of every opening, numbered, before anything is covered
- Clear polycarbonate panels, plywood or film fitted to each opening
- A cover on each bedroom window that can be opened from inside
- Edges sealed against rain and drafts
- An invoice by opening for the temporary work, separate from the repair
- Covers removed room by room the day each new window goes in
How it is priced: per opening
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Number and size of openings to cover
- Clear panel, plywood or film on each opening
- Upper-floor openings and access
- Removing and replacing a night-of board-up already in place
- How long the cover has to last, set by the brand's lead time
Send a photo of each damaged opening and how it is covered now. We reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
How long it takes
Covering a house's damaged openings: usually one visit. Covers stay until the new windows arrive; lead time depends on the brand and is written on the quote.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Clear polycarbonate panel
Cut to the opening, fastened to the stops or trim, edges sealed. Light in, weather out. For rooms you live in.
Plywood
Solid and secure for basements, garages and openings no one needs to see through. Sealed at the edges, fastened so it comes off clean.
Film over cracked glass
For panes that are cracked but still in the sash. Holds the glass together and keeps drafts out until the sash or unit is replaced.
Bedroom exit
A cover that opens from inside, so a bedroom window still works as a way out while the new window is on order.
Temporary Window Protection While Waiting for Replacement Windows: questions, answered
How do I cover broken windows until new ones arrive?
For weeks, not one night: clear polycarbonate panels on windows in rooms you live in, plywood where light does not matter, and clear film on cracked glass that still holds. Seal the edges and keep a way out of every bedroom. Photograph each opening before covering it so the adjuster can still see the damage.
Can I use plexiglass instead of plywood on many windows?
Yes, and for a long wait it is usually better in living spaces. A clear acrylic or polycarbonate panel cut to the opening lets light in and keeps weather out. Plywood stays the right call for basements, garages and openings that need to be secure.
Will insurance pay for temporary window protection while I wait?
Many policies cover reasonable steps to protect the house from more damage, but what yours pays is a question for your policy and your agent. Keep the invoice for the temporary work separate from the repair, with photos of each opening before it was covered.
How long can plywood stay on windows after a storm?
As long as it is sealed and fastened properly it holds up for weeks. The bigger problems are a dark house and bedrooms with no exit. On a long wait, swap living spaces to clear panels and make sure each bedroom has a window that opens from inside.
Do I need to keep the broken windows for the adjuster?
Photograph every opening before it is covered, and keep broken screens, sashes and glass until the adjuster has seen them or says you do not need to. Number them so they match the window they came from.
Who takes the temporary covers off when the new windows come?
We do, room by room, on the day each new window goes in, so no room is left open overnight. The covers come off, the old window comes out, the new one goes in and is trimmed, and the room is closed before we leave it.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All insurance repairs pages
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Insurance & Storm Damage Repairs near you
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