Recycled roof gifted to Tampa veteran

A local veteran will soon get a new roof as part of a project from Habitat for Humanity that hopes to use recycled shingles to give shelter to 500 residents in need. 

Carl Montgomery looks at the house he’s called home for more than 50 years.

“It’s a refuge, a place for safety, comfort,” he said. “There’s nothing like having your own home, that’s for sure.”

The veteran lives in the home with his elderly father. The house is well-loved but is in need of repairs, especially the roof, which has started leaking and coming apart.

“The insurance company won’t insure you if the roof is so many years old, so I had to get it done either way you look at it,” said Montgomery.

But a new roof comes with a hefty price tag that’s out of Montgomery ‘s budget. That’s when Habitat for Humanity became involved, partnering with roofing companies GAF and Watertight Roofing to help keep Montgomery ‘s home livable.

“I’m overwhelmed. It’s just exciting to watch. I’m sitting out here all day right along with them. It’s great,” said Montgomery. 

Not only is he getting a new roof, he’s getting a one-of-a-kind roof.

“So, you can see all the shingles already staged up there, they’re getting ready to lay them down,” said Jamie City with GAF.

Montgomery’s roof is the first of its kind to be made out of recycled materials.

“When you do a tear off, you have to pull apart the different components,” City said. “And in this case, it’s asphalt and granules, which are the rocks and colors that go on top of the shingle. There’s also some material on there as well.

“So GAF has figured out through a proprietary process how to pull apart of separate the asphalt from the actual granules themselves.”

About 11 million tons of torn-off shingles are put in landfills each year, he said.

This new method, which is processed in Tampa, will allow 90% of materials taken off a roof to be repurposed into a new roof. Only 10% will head to the landfill.

“It just happens that Carl is in the area, we just wanted to showcase that we’re giving back to Carl, not only as a veteran, but also to the community and the environment as well,” said City.

He said it’s their way of helping the community in more ways than one.

“It fills your heart up with joy,” said Montgomery. “All these people here coming together to help me and my father. It’s a great feeling. Love, that’s what I call it. And a blessing.”

GAF and Habitat for Humanity have a goal of donating 500 free roofs to family’s like Montgomery’s. They also hope to reduce the amount of shingles heading to landfills by one million tons in the next eight years.