Western red cedar is the default cedar, the species most Ennis shake and shingle roofs are made of, prized for its grain, workability, and natural weather resistance.
When someone says cedar roof in Ennis, they usually mean western red: hand-split shakes for texture or sawn shingles for a tailored line. Grade matters enormously (premium heartwood grades earn their price in service life), and so does the air beneath: cedar breathes, and roofs that trap moisture under it age in fast-forward.
We install and service western red cedar shake across Ennis and the surrounding DFW communities. The work comes with free written estimates, documented inspections, and honest guidance on whether this system actually fits your home and budget.
Western Red Cedar Shake in Ennis, specifically
Western Red Cedar Shake behaves differently on Ennis roofs than the brochure version suggests. Out here lot sizes stretch and rooflines get more individual, and the inventory runs from older farm-town stock to brand-new builds on the same road. Cedar on those houses is a commitment with a maintenance schedule attached: honest owners budget for the care cycle or choose something that does not need one.
Ennis handles roofing permits the way most Ellis County cities do: required where structure or full replacement is involved, quick when the paperwork is right. We file it. Hail is the tax every DFW roof eventually pays. Shakes split on impact, and every carrier knows it, so documentation before and after storms is a cedar owner’s best friend. The install map around Ennis includes Waxahachie and Midlothian; seeing a five-year-old local roof beats any sample board. The next step costs nothing: a documented inspection and a straight answer on whether this system fits.
THE SYSTEM
Western Red Cedar Shake, up close.
Cedar shake. Hand-split shakes across a complex roofline, with character that earns its maintenance.
PUBLIC RECORD
The local record behind Western Red Cedar Shake in Ennis
How a roof system holds up in Ennis depends on the storms it has to take and the houses it sits on. Here is what the public record shows.
20
Hail days, 1 in.+ since 2006
8
Golf-ball-size hail days
2.5 in.
Largest stone on record
1990
Median year homes built
Hail near Ennis
NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 20 days since 2006 with hail one inch or larger reported within 6 miles of Ennis. On 8 of those days, the stones were golf ball size or bigger. 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 April 29, 2026.
April 29, 2026: 2.5-inch hail (tennis ball size)
June 14, 2023: 2.5-inch hail (tennis ball size)
May 16, 2025: 2-inch hail (hen egg size)
April 23, 2010: 2-inch hail (hen egg size)
April 8, 2024: 1.75-inch hail (golf ball size)
How old Ennis homes are
The median home in Ennis was built in 1990, and 37% of the city's 8,646 housing units predate 1980. Many of these houses are likely on their second roof or nearing the point where they need one.
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database (hail reports since 2006 within 6 miles of Ennis); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Data pulled September 2026.
Common questions about western red cedar shake in Ennis
Shake or shingle: what is the difference?
Shakes are split, thicker, and textured; shingles are sawn, thinner, and tailored. Same species, different character: shakes read rustic, shingles read refined.
What cedar grade should I buy in Ennis?
Premium heartwood grades. The price difference buys decay resistance and service life. Economy cedar grades in a DFW climate are a false saving.
Do you install this on shops and outbuildings near Ennis?
Yes. Barns, workshops, and outbuildings are first-class projects out here, not afterthoughts, and the material conversation (usually metal-forward) covers them alongside the house.
How often does hail hit Ennis?
NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 20 days since 2006 with hail one inch or larger reported within 6 miles of Ennis, including 8 days with golf ball size stones or bigger. Hail that size was reported in 9 of the last 20 years. The most recent report was 2.5-inch hail on April 29, 2026.
How old are most homes in Ennis?
The median home in Ennis was built in 1990, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. 37% of the city's housing units predate 1980 and 17% were built in 2010 or later. Many homes here are reaching the age when original roofs come due.
