Storm Prep & Plywood Service
Handis storm prep and plywood service is the same-week pre-storm visit when the National Weather Service forecast turns serious — a bomb cyclone, an atmospheric river chain, or a high wind warning above 60 mph pointed at Puget Sound. Plywood cut, labeled, and installed over exposed windows; overhanging tree branches trimmed back from the roofline; patio and yard furniture stowed in a hurry; gutters and downspouts cleared; sump pump and battery-backup verified; generator fuel and oil topped; emergency tarp pre-staged. From $400 for a quick prep on a small home with no tree work; up to $1,500 for a full pre-storm walk on a larger home with eight window cuts of plywood, branch trimming, and a comprehensive equipment check. Seattle does not get hurricanes, but the bomb cyclones that sit off the coast every few seasons hit hard enough to bring trees down on rooflines, blow out unprotected glass, and take power down for a week. The visit prevents the predictable failures before the worst weather lands.
Service
How the Storm Prep & Plywood Visit Works
Five steps every Handis storm-prep visit runs through — confirm the forecast threshold, pre-cut plywood and walk the perimeter, install plywood and stow yard pieces, verify sump and generator, and pre-stage the emergency tarp.
Confirm the Forecast Threshold and Schedule the Visit
The visit triggers on a National Weather Service threshold: a high wind warning above 60 mph, a bomb cyclone forecast (rapid pressure drop with central pressure below 970 mb), an atmospheric river forecast above category three, or a specific wind advisory pointed at Puget Sound. Maintenance-plan members get front-of-line scheduling; non-members get whatever capacity is left. We tell you on the call whether we can fit you before landfall.
Pre-Cut Plywood and Walk the Perimeter
If there is more than a day of lead time, plywood gets cut, labeled with room and orientation, and pre-staged in the garage. We walk the perimeter with you and identify every exposed window that needs a panel, every overhanging branch that needs a trim call, every piece of yard furniture or ornament that needs to come in. Decisions made together; tech executes.
Install Plywood and Stow Yard Pieces
Plywood panels mounted over the windows on the day, with appropriate hardware (decking screws into wood frame, masonry screws into stucco or brick). Yard furniture and ornaments stowed in the garage, in the house, or tied to fixed anchors. Branches we can reach safely trimmed and hauled to the curb; larger limbs flagged for an arborist.
Verify the Sump and the Generator
Sump pump run-cycle test (fill, float, motor, discharge). Battery-backup sump tested on battery power. Generator fuel level, oil level, start-test, and stabilizer if it has been sitting. Standby generator visual and self-test confirmation. Anything that does not pass gets flagged for emergency service before landfall when possible.
Pre-Stage the Emergency Tarp and Send the Photo Report
A 20-by-30 emergency tarp staged in the garage with rope and weights. Same-day dated photo report with every installed panel, every trimmed branch, sump and generator status, and any flags that need a specialty contractor before landfall (arborist for a major tree, electrician for a failed generator transfer switch, plumber for a failed sump). The report stays with you for the next storm.
Storm Prep & Plywood Service Pricing
Final pricing depends on the home size, the number of plywood window panels needed, whether tree branch trim is in scope, and how much lead time the forecast allows. Maintenance-plan members get priority scheduling and member labor rates; non-members get whatever capacity is left. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Forecast just turned serious — tell us the home size and what is most exposed. We will get there before landfall.
Why Seattle Homeowners Book Handis for Storm Prep & Plywood
A Pacific Northwest storm fails in the same predictable ways every time. The exposed west-facing window takes a branch and the living room floods. The fir at the corner of the lot roots out in saturated soil and lands across the driveway and the roof. The sump pump that nobody tested in two years does not run when the power-outage backup needed it. The portable generator sits in the garage with old fuel and will not start cold. The visit prevents the failures that are predictable from the forecast. We can not stop a storm; we can stop the part of the damage that did not have to happen.
Estimate
Tell us the home size, the number of exposed windows that worry you (especially first-floor and west-facing), whether there are overhanging branches over the roof or driveway, whether there is a sump pump and a backup battery, and whether there is a portable or standby generator. We send back a clear estimate for the visit.
Customer Reviews
Recent storm prep and plywood service reviews from verified Seattle-area customers.
November bomb cyclone forecast hit on a Tuesday for a Thursday landfall. Handis was at the house Wednesday morning. Two big windows on the west elevation got plywood, the maple branch that had been a worry all summer got trimmed back, the patio got stowed in twenty minutes. Power went out for three days. House came through clean. Worth ten times what we paid.
Magnolia bluff home, west-facing glass and exposed to every storm that comes off the Sound. The first time we used Handis was the night before a major atmospheric river. They had pre-cut panels labeled by window and reused them for the next two storms. Saves us hours every time we know one is coming.
Sammamish ridge home with two big Douglas firs at the corner of the lot. The tech walked them with us, said the bigger one needed a real arborist, called one and got him out the next day. The smaller branches he trimmed himself. The arborist took two hundred-pound limbs off the bigger fir. That tree did not come down in the storm.
Maple Leaf craftsman with a Generac 5500 in the garage. We had the generator for two years and never tested it. Storm prep visit included a start-test, oil top-up, stabilizer in the tank. Started on the first pull. Used it for four days during the December outage. Without that test we would have been sitting in the dark with a dead generator.
Vacation home on Whidbey, we are off-island October to April. Atmospheric river chain forecast for the second week of December. Handis drove out, cleared the gutters, verified the sump, tarped a known weak spot on the roof, and stowed everything off the front porch. House came through with no damage. We never had to make the trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Handis storm prep and plywood service — pricing, scope, forecast triggers, plywood reuse, and what routes to an arborist or electrician.