Built-up roofing, or tar and gravel, is the century-old system still protecting Combine 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 Combine 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 Combine 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 Combine
In Combine, the Built-Up Roofing (BUR) conversation usually starts with the roof that is already up there. 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. 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.
Combine handles roofing permits the way most Kaufman 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; instrument surveys find what walking the roof misses. Because Kaufman, Terrell, and Forney share our dispatch routes, examples of this exact system nearby are easy to arrange. Once we have looked at the actual roof, everything above gets specific and goes down in writing.
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 Combine
How a roof system holds up in Combine depends on the storms it has to take and the houses it sits on. Here is what the public record shows.
6
Hail days, 1 in.+ since 2006
3
Golf-ball-size hail days
2.75 in.
Largest stone on record
1990
Median year homes built
Hail near Combine
Reported hail is less frequent around Combine: NOAA lists 6 days since 2006 with hail one inch or larger within 5 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 5 of the last 20 years. The largest stones on record nearby measured 2.75 inches (baseball size) on May 24, 2011. The most recent report: 1-inch hail on May 16, 2025.
May 24, 2011: 2.75-inch hail (baseball size)
May 17, 2010: 1.75-inch hail (golf ball size)
February 5, 2008: 1.75-inch hail (golf ball size)
May 16, 2025: 1-inch hail (quarter size)
March 23, 2013: 1-inch hail (quarter size)
How old Combine homes are
The median home in Combine was built in 1990, and 20% of the city's 874 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 5 miles of Combine); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Data pulled September 2026.
Common questions about built-up roofing (bur) in Combine
My Combine 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.
Do you install this on shops and outbuildings near Combine?
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 Combine?
NOAA lists 6 days since 2006 with hail one inch or larger within 5 miles of Combine. Smaller communities have fewer storm spotters, so reports tend to undercount what actually falls. The most recent report was 1-inch hail on May 16, 2025.
How old are most homes in Combine?
The median home in Combine was built in 1990, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. 20% of the city's housing units predate 1980 and 11% were built in 2010 or later. Many homes here are reaching the age when original roofs come due.
