A new roof adorns the lifelong home of an Army veteran

By Jonny Suchor. 

A St. Paul veteran has a new roof overhead thanks to a project designed for veteran assistance. 

Army veteran and St. Paul resident Paula Schilling received a new roof on her childhood home. A partnership between Owens Corning, Habitat for Humanity, and Sela Roofing and Remodeling allowed this project to happen.  

Paula has lived in her childhood home since 1945 and remembers riding bikes to the local park in her youth. She then served in the First Army Intelligence Corps in Baltimore for two years. Once she moved back to Minnesota to be with family, she returned to the house and has been there ever since. The two-story residence originated in the early 1900s, and the age of the house was starting to show. The home has been dealing with a crumbling roof and recently suffered an interior leak; issues that must be addressed immediately to prevent further deterioration. Despite the challenges of owning an older house, Paula didn’t give up. 

A friend recommended the Owens Corning project to Paula, and it was an automatic match. Owens Corning provided what Paula sought in a roof repair service without homeowners’ insurance. Workers began repairs on the house, removing years of roofing layers and redocking the entire surface. “A new roof does a lot to stabilize an entire house,” Teresa Bintner from Habitat for Humanity told Pioneer Press. “We’re working from the top down, in this case.” 

Paula is a true guardian of her house, and with the maintenance provided on the roof, she could not be any happier.  “After five years of the roof leaking, it feels fantastic to get a new one,” said the 79-year-old. 

Paula’s response to whether all the effort to preserve the house was worth it was simply, “It’s my home.” 

Original article source: Pioneer Press