A Return to Roofs: Replacing Ours!

It was a dark and stormy night.
Sounds like a typical beginning to a Halloween-themed story.

Unfortunately, it's not just a story, it had become our reality after a very wet summer and fall. The rainy nights led to dripping ceiling and drips coming down the wall, right in our bedroom. There's nothing like the gentle plop plop plop of water hitting the buckets. All. Night. Long.

Yes, it's actually a pretty frightful story indeed, especially on a home that's only 30 years old. But somewhere before us, two layers of roofing had been laid, so we bought the bullet--and a brand new roof.

Not a green roof, but of course, as with everything, I view all new major purchases through an environmental lens when I can.

Having never replaced a roof before, we got a bit of education along the way.

We went with GAF Timberline shingles. Here's some roofing environmental fun facts--some of which are GAF specific. (And no, unfortunately, they aren't paying me in free roofs to say this. Not one single shingle!)

• The shingles (& the way they are now made) today, the darker shingles absorb less heat than when our house was first constructed 30 years ago.

• 10% of landfills are filled with roofing waste. GAF has a Zero Waste Jobsite Policy. They also promote Resilient & Sustainable Roofing. 

• Asphalt shingles are often recycled into roads... making asphalt one of the most recycled materials. To find a recycler, the Shingle Recycling Map may be just what you need.

• Using Ecoscorecard, I was able to see the stats on environmental characteristics and certifications. With that, I learned that our roofing has 9.3% post-consumer recycled content and 100% recyclable. I can also find other fact sheets per product on the Sustainable Minds Transparency Catalog.

• Earlier this October, GAF donated $1 million in assistance to Hurricane Florence.

• To find out more, check out GAF's Sustainability/Social Responsibility Brochure

Now... if only there were solar panels up there too.

Hmm... maybe that's our next big home improvement--it certainly would be a dream come true! Maybe one day!

House from my camera, shingle picture from https://www.homedepot.com/p/GAF-Timberline-HD-Charcoal-Lifetime-Architectural-Shingles-33-3-sq-ft-per-Bundle-0670180/202052356, Snoopy pic from https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ItWasADarkAndStormyNight