Built-up roofing, or tar and gravel, is the century-old system still protecting Keene 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 Keene 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 Keene 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.
Built-Up Roofing (BUR) in Keene, specifically
Keene gives Built-Up Roofing (BUR) a specific job to do, and it is worth naming. Housing this far out is less uniform than the inner suburbs: age, pitch, and construction quality vary house to house, so the material fit does too. On those buildings, the membrane decision is driven by what the roof does all day more than by material fashion: equipment traffic, ponding zones, and the tenant below.
City paperwork in Keene is ours to carry: permit filed, inspection booked, final documentation in your folder. Hail is the tax every DFW roof eventually pays. Single-ply shows bruise fractures that a chalk circle will not catch, and instrument surveys find what walking the roof misses. Nearby Cleburne and Alvarado see the same crews and the same spec, so the install you would get has local addresses attached. The estimate comes with the local specifics in writing: scope, grade, timeline, and both warranty layers.
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 Keene
How a roof system holds up in Keene depends on the storms it has to take and the houses it sits on. Here is what the public record shows.
7
Hail days, 1 in.+ since 2006
3
Golf-ball-size hail days
3 in.
Largest stone on record
1985
Median year homes built
Hail near Keene
Reported hail is less frequent around Keene: NOAA lists 7 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 3 of the last 20 years. The largest stones on record nearby measured 3 inches (teacup size) on April 28, 2026.
April 28, 2026: 3-inch hail (teacup size)
March 16, 2023: 2-inch hail (hen egg size)
April 26, 2011: 1.75-inch hail (golf ball size)
June 12, 2023: 1.25-inch hail (half dollar size)
April 28, 2023: 1.25-inch hail (half dollar size)
How old Keene homes are
The median home in Keene was built in 1985, and 33% of the city's 2,697 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 4 miles of Keene); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Data pulled September 2026.
Common questions about built-up roofing (bur) in Keene
My Keene 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 Keene?
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 Keene?
NOAA lists 7 days since 2006 with hail one inch or larger within 4 miles of Keene. Smaller communities have fewer storm spotters, so reports tend to undercount what actually falls. The most recent report was 3-inch hail on April 28, 2026.
How old are most homes in Keene?
The median home in Keene was built in 1985, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. 33% of the city's housing units predate 1980 and 7% were built in 2010 or later. Most homes here are well past the life of their original roof.
