![\"Gwen](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gwen-196x300.png\")
Gwen Maechling of Professional Restoration and APEX Home Solutions rallied members of the greater St. Louis community to help a family in desperate need of a new roof.<\/p><\/div>There is an old saying that goes, \u201cA good deed is its own reward.\u201d Sometimes one good deed can lead to another with amazing results. This is one of those stories. In the end, members of the greater St. Louis community came together to achieve something that once looked almost impossible: helping neighbors restore their home.<\/p>\n
The community service project was spearheaded by Gwen Maechling. Maechling has been passionate about construction since her first project, a custom home she helped build in the St. Louis area when she was just 20 years old. \u201cI was out there every single second during construction,\u201d she recalls. \u201cIt was so exciting. It was different than any job I\u2019d ever done. It just lit a fire in me. I\u2019d been searching for that passion, and I found it.\u201d <\/p>\n
She later moved to Florida, earned her real-estate license and worked on several residential development projects. When she returned to the St. Louis area, she took a job selling residential roofing, siding and gutters for a company specializing in storm restoration work. She now manages production and sales training for another storm restoration company, Professional Restoration in St. Charles, Mo. She also is the owner and founder of St. Louis-based APEX Home Solutions, which handles residential roofing and remodeling projects. <\/p>\n
A CHANCE ENCOUNTER<\/h4>\n
Maechling has overseen so many roofing projects in Glendale, Mo., that one realtor jokingly refers to it as \u201cGwendale.\u201d In February 2014, she was working on a roofing project there and saw an elderly couple taking advantage of a break in the winter weather to rake leaves. She noticed the gutters were overflowing with leaves and debris, and she brought over a ladder and offered to clean the gutters out.
![\"AFTER:](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/A-Front-L-300x199.png\")
AFTER: Professional Restoration donated the labor to install the new roofing and siding.
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As she spoke with the couple, Charles and Jennie Blank, she realized they were both hearing impaired. At first, communicating was a bit difficult, but Maechling realized they could read lips very well, and they indicated they did not want any help. Maechling persisted, and while cleaning the gutters she noticed the home was in need of several repairs. The roof was old and leaking in several places, and the soffits, fascia board and window sills were rotting. The old three-tab shingles and siding showed evidence of extensive hail damage. \u201cIt was one of the worst homes I\u2019ve seen,\u201d she remembers. <\/p>\n
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![\"BEFORE:](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/B-House-300x210.png\")
BEFORE: The existing roof showed evidence of extensive hail damage. There were also several active roof leaks, but the homeowners had been unable to make repairs, and their insurance coverage had lapsed.
<\/p><\/div>Maechling learned that Charles, 77, also had a severe heart condition, which made it impossible to conduct maintenance on the house. He showed her where the roof was leaking and where he had placed buckets in the attic to catch the water when it rained. When the Blanks told her they didn\u2019t have the money to pay for repairs, Maechling explained that the hail damage might be covered by homeowners insurance. Charles gave her the name and number of his insurance agent, and she offered to see how much of the cost might be covered. The initial news was not great; the policy covered pro-rated material replacement, but not labor, and the deductible was $2,500. When the Blanks filed their claim, the news got even worse: Because of a temporary lapse in coverage, the home was not insured for the hailstorms.<\/p>\n
Maechling tapped into social media to raise funds to help the Blanks pay for the repairs. Active on Facebook and Twitter as \u201cRoofer Gwen,\u201d Maechling spread the word and within 28 days she had raised the $2,500 for the deductible, but without the insurance coverage for the materials, she was at a standstill. She was determined to help Charles and Jennie Blank. \u201cI love them to death,\u201d she says. \u201cThey are the sweetest people I\u2019ve ever met.\u201d <\/p>\n
REACHING OUT FOR HELP<\/h4>\n
When Maechling joined Professional Restoration in 2016, she still had the Blanks in mind. She researched grants and sources of aid but had no luck. She decided to reach out to members of the roofing industry to see if anyone might be able to help. The big break came when she talked to Professional Restoration\u2019s CertainTeed rep, Tony Hock. <\/p>\n
\u201cI reached out to Tony to see if there was any- thing his company could do to help us out on this project,\u201d Maechling remembers. \u201cOnce I told him the story, he said, \u2018Absolutely\u2014whatever you need. Just send me a list.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n
That got the ball rolling. An anonymous donor offered to provide siding and gutter guards. Albany, N.Y.-based Window World\u2019s St. Louis location agreed to supply and install new windows. Professional Restoration donated the labor to install the roofing and siding. The new gutter system was paid for with the funds originally raised through social media. <\/p>\n
In the fall of 2016, crews completed installation of the roof system, siding, fascia, gutters and door wraps. The new windows are set for installation in spring 2017. The old siding and gutters were sold for scrap to help defray the cost of new materials. <\/p>\n
The most challenging problem involved replacing the rotten wood beneath the old roof system. The original decking had been constructed of one- by-eights, as was common in the area in the 1960s, but most of the original wood was rotting. \u201cThere\u2019s not much use in putting a new roof over a rotting substrate,\u201d Maechling notes. \u201cWe had to do this the right way.\u201d
![\"Rotten](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/B-Rot-300x181.png\")
BEFORE: Perhaps the biggest challenge in restoring the roof was posed by the rotting wood underneath the roof system and fascia.
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Malvern, Pa.-based CertainTeed offered to provide lumber to replace the deck, along with the 110 linear feet of fascia board. \u201cI knew I was pushing my luck, but the Blanks really needed it,\u201d Maechling says. Plywood was installed over the top of the restored deck to provide a better nailing surface. <\/p>\n
GOOD NEIGHBORS<\/h4>\n
After the roofing work was completed, Maechling organized a group of volunteers to take care of landscaping at the home. Neighbors who had followed the story on social media turned out to help cut down overgrown bushes and trim trees. The wood was mulched for use in the garden areas. <\/p>\n
Jennie Blank provided candy for the kids as their parents worked in the yard. The landscaping really made the transformation complete, according to Maechling. \u201cThe before and after comparison was amazing,\u201d she says. \u201cYou could really see the difference. I didn\u2019t even know the Blanks had a deck on the back porch until we had trimmed away the bushes.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Blanks are now safe and secure in their restored home. Putting 18 squares of shingles on a ranch home is usually a pretty straightforward affair, but this project was a unique mission for Maechling. She notes it just demonstrates the two things that set great roofing companies apart. \u201cNumber one is integrity,\u201d she says. \u201cI will not waver on that. I will not cut corners. As my parents drilled into us, \u2018No job is worth doing unless you do it right.\u2019\u201d
![\"BEFORE:](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/B-Deck-300x207.png\")
BEFORE: Sections of the existing deck needed to be replaced, and the restored deck was topped with plywood to provide a better nailing surface.<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
\u201cNumber two is good people,\u201d she continues. \u201cThe world is full of good people, and if you can\u2019t find one, you have to be one. Ask what you can do for people to set yourself apart. Everybody that I talk to has had that experience where they see someone do something and they say, \u2018I wish I could do that.\u2019 Well, what\u2019s stopping you? Just do it.\u201d <\/p>\n
Maechling is grateful for everyone who helped out on this project, as well as for her new friends, Charles and Jennie Blank. \u201cWe took what looked impossible and made it possible,\u201d Maechling says. \u201cIf I could put a roof on everyone\u2019s house who needed one, I would\u2014in a heartbeat.\u201d <\/p>\n
Photos: Gwen Maechling<\/p>\n
ROOF MATERIALS<\/h3>\n
Shingles:<\/strong> Landmark Architectural Shingles from CertainTeed<\/a> There is an old saying that goes, \u201cA good deed is its own reward.\u201d Sometimes one good deed can lead to another with amazing results….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":6551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Roofing Contractor Brings Community Together to Help Homeowners in Need","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[21,24,1],"tags":[5892,398,6998,6999],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nUnderlayment:<\/strong> DiamondDeck synthetic underlayment from CertainTeed<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"