Board-up and tarping for Plaza Midwood houses

Lots in the older part of the neighborhood are tight, and new infill often sits close to the side lot line. That leaves little room for ladders, panels and a work truck on the side of the house facing the neighbor. Crews often carry materials along a shared driveway or through the back yard to reach side windows.

Talk to the neighbor before work begins if a ladder must stand on their side of the line. A short heads-up avoids friction, and it also gives you a chance to check whether their house took heat damage from your fire.

Original wood windows in a 1920s bungalow are worth keeping where the sash and frame survived. Board-up panels can be fitted to the outside of the casing, or set inside the opening against blocking, so fasteners do not split old trim. Broken glass is cleared first so it does not fall later.

If the house is in a local historic district or you plan to restore the windows, photograph each one before it is covered. Those pictures help a window restorer and an adjuster see what was there. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks group keeps information on the area's older buildings ^[7].

Plaza Midwood bungalow roofs are fairly low, so a burned section can often be reached from a ladder at the eave. The risk is the decking around the hole, which may look fine but be charred underneath. Crews check from the half-story rooms or attic where they can and fix battens to rafters, not to weak boards.

Charlotte summers bring frequent afternoon thunderstorms, and tropical storm remnants can bring hours of heavy rain later in the season. A tarp that is not lapped well over the ridge or held at every edge can peel back in one storm. The local forecast is worth checking before and after the cover goes on ^[5].

Newer three-story townhomes in the neighborhood are a different job. Their windows are higher, their roofs may be flat or low-slope with a membrane, and units share walls. Reaching an upper window can call for a lift or a long ladder, and a roof cover may need to tie into a parapet instead of a ridge.

In a townhome row, check with the association before work starts. The association may handle the roof and exterior while you handle the interior, and they may already have a contractor on the way.

The deep front porch is a defining feature of these houses, and it often holds the most valuable trim. A porch fire can scorch columns and burn the beadboard ceiling. If the porch roof is sagging, crews may add temporary posts before anyone works near it, and they close the front door with a secure panel.

Houses close to the busy commercial strip along Central Avenue see more foot traffic than quiet blocks. A solid, locked cover on the main entry matters more there, and a sign with a contact name tells passers-by the property is being looked after.

Temporary covers usually go on before any permit, but repairs to the structure that follow generally go through Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement ^[4]. Keep notes on what was covered and when, since an adjuster or inspector may ask.

Most homeowner policies expect you to take reasonable steps to protect the house from further damage. The North Carolina Department of Insurance has consumer help on how claims work if you have questions about your policy ^[1].

With the house closed, attention turns to drying firefighting water in the crawlspace and cleaning smoke from plaster walls and knee-wall spaces. The Plaza Midwood page has more on how these older houses recover.

Our guide on what to do after a house fire walks through the first days in order, from finding a place to stay to calling your insurer.