Built-up roofing, or tar and gravel, is the century-old system still protecting Van Alstyne buildings that were roofed before single-ply existed, and still a legitimate choice for the right structure.
BUR builds a roof in redundant layers: alternating bitumen and reinforcing felts topped with gravel that shields the assembly from UV and traffic. Existing BUR in Van Alstyne often earns maintenance and restoration over replacement, since the mass and redundancy that made it heavy also made it durable.
We install and service built-up roofing (bur) across Van Alstyne and the surrounding DFW communities. That includes free written estimates, documented inspections, and honest guidance on whether this system actually fits your home and budget.
The local case in Van Alstyne
Every city wears this system a little differently, and Van Alstyne is no exception. A large share of homes here are young enough that their original builder-grade roofs are only now meeting their first serious hail test. That building stock puts membranes to work: seams, penetrations, and drainage patterns matter more than brand names, and the moisture survey decides restore-versus-replace.
Van Alstyne handles roofing permits the way most Grayson County cities do: required where structure or full replacement is involved, quick when the paperwork is right. We file it. North Texas sits in the country’s most active hail belt, and single-ply shows bruise fractures that a chalk circle will not catch, so instrument surveys find what walking the roof misses. Because Gunter, Dallas, and Fort Worth share our dispatch routes, examples of this exact system nearby are easy to arrange. When we quote it, ask for nearby addresses; a real roof with weather on it is the honest brochure.
THE SYSTEM
Built-Up Roofing (BUR), up close.
Flat / low-slope membrane. Single-ply and built-up systems chosen by what the roof actually does all day.
PUBLIC RECORD
The local record behind Built-Up Roofing (BUR) in Van Alstyne
How a roof system holds up in Van Alstyne depends on the storms it has to take and the houses it sits on. Here is what the public record shows.
10
Hail days, 1 in.+ since 2006
4
Golf-ball-size hail days
2.5 in.
Largest stone on record
2005
Median year homes built
Hail near Van Alstyne
Reported hail is less frequent around Van Alstyne: NOAA lists 10 days since 2006 with hail one inch or larger within 4 miles. Fewer reports can also reflect fewer storm spotters in smaller communities, so a quiet record is not a guarantee. Hail that size was reported in 9 of the last 20 years. The largest stones on record nearby measured 2.5 inches (tennis ball size) on September 21, 2025.
September 21, 2025: 2.5-inch hail (tennis ball size)
June 15, 2023: 1.75-inch hail (golf ball size)
August 16, 2020: 1.75-inch hail (golf ball size)
May 29, 2016: 1.75-inch hail (golf ball size)
May 25, 2024: 1-inch hail (quarter size)
How old Van Alstyne homes are
The median home in Van Alstyne was built in 2005. A large share of the city's 2,465 housing units are now old enough that original roofs are coming due, while 44% were built in 2010 or later.
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database (hail reports since 2006 within 4 miles of Van Alstyne); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Data pulled September 2026.
Common questions about built-up roofing (bur) in Van Alstyne
My Van Alstyne building has tar-and-gravel. Replace it?
Not automatically. Sound BUR restores and maintains well; its redundancy is real. A moisture survey tells you whether the assembly beneath the gravel is dry, and that answer decides.
Why did BUR fall out of fashion?
Weight, installation labor, and odor during application. Single-ply installs faster and lighter. Neither of those points makes an existing sound BUR roof bad.
Is upgrading from builder-grade shingles worth it in Van Alstyne?
Usually at the first replacement or claim: Class 4 impact-rated systems earn many Texas carriers' premium discounts, and newer communities' HOA standards generally approve them easily. The math works hardest on homes facing decades of DFW hail.
How often does hail hit Van Alstyne?
NOAA lists 10 days since 2006 with hail one inch or larger within 4 miles of Van Alstyne. Smaller communities have fewer storm spotters, so reports tend to undercount what actually falls. The most recent report was 2.5-inch hail on September 21, 2025.
How old are most homes in Van Alstyne?
The median home in Van Alstyne was built in 2005, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. 30% of the city's housing units predate 1980 and 44% were built in 2010 or later. Many homes here are reaching the age when original roofs come due.
