Giving Back to Our Community One Roof at a Time

By Guardian Roofing & Gutters. 

Every year the Guardian Family selects a deserving recipient and gifts them with roof repairs and reconnects with their community. This year, it was the Lenihan family! 

Since the beginning, we here at Guardian Roofing and Gutters, have been resolved to give back to others. But how? We could donate money, but we wanted to do more and do something to bring our community together. The answer: Guardian Halo Project. 

The Guardian Halo Project, an internal team lead project where one homeowner family in dire conditions would be gifted with a major roof repair or replacement. The local community was encouraged to nominate themselves or someone in need on the Guardian website, with the winner to be announced at the beginning of 2019. The overwhelming amount of nominations as well as support for the program made it an instant success and we have since been dedicated to annually helping our community. If you would like more information, are in need of roofing repairs or you would like to nominate a home, please visit our Halo Project webpage. 

Even before the Nomination Platform for the Halo Project 2021 was open, Guardian was receiving calls and emails inquiring about the philanthropic project with a special family in mind. As soon as the platform opened in late 2020, submission after submission was sent in for Sarah and Luke Lenihan, a young couple with two little children and one on the way. The family recently purchased a 104-year-old home in Enumclaw Washington, and while they knew it would need some fixing up, they never could have imagined the myriad of problems that would be revealed. 

One of the major problems was a failing roof, something Luke and Sarah were not prepared for. Fortunately, their local community gathered around them in support and by the time the Guardian nomination platform closed, there were over 100 submissions in their name! The Team at Guardian knew they had found their recipient and that it was time to get to work. 

Their roofing went through inspection and was passed. The second day, Luke was ready to get his hands dirty and start renovating their home and noticed that the insulation was sticking to the roof and molding. As he continued to work until he realized his hand was going through the roofing. This is when they knew this was more than just replacing insulation, they needed an entirely new roof. Since the inspections had been completed there was no more the inspector was willing to do or cover. The roofing damages were so extreme that many other roofing companies would be unable to help. That is, until Guardian Roofing.  

Upon our inspection we noticed the roof was rotting, the stick framing was rotting, there was no ventilation in the roof and we had a very, very serious task at hand.  The previous owner had cut rafters making the upper level of the home unsafe. In addition, the ventilation had been completely covered up. This promoted moisture build up and mold, and the structure needed to be completely reframed to create a safe area. 

First, we knew we had to reframe the rafters to make the roof structurally sound using 2×6 and 2×6 framing materials, blow in and poly iso insulation. Secondly, we had to tackle the ventilation.  We installed intake ventilation on the low portion of the roof, and exhaust at the ridge. We then installed insulation to keep the space warm. Now air travels between the roof and the insulation allowing the roof to vent but the room to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. This project took our team 3 days and were able to add approximately $32,000 to their home’s value. 

The final product was perfect! We were able to give them a new roof, a comfortable room and curb appeal. Adding more than just value to a home was immensely rewarding. We loved not only being able to help build a beautiful, functioning roof and ventilation system, but also becoming part of their amazing story of restoration, hope, and community involvement. Thank you to the Lenihan family for letting us be a part of your journey! 

Original article source: Guardian Roofing & Gutters