Built-up roofing, or tar and gravel, is the century-old system still protecting Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.
How Lancaster changes the math
Built-Up Roofing (BUR) behaves differently on Lancaster roofs than the brochure version suggests. Roofs on these streets have been replaced before, leaving layered history, patched decking, and flashing choices from three owners ago. On those buildings, the membrane decision is driven less by material fashion than by what the roof does all day: equipment traffic, ponding zones, and the tenant below.
City paperwork in Lancaster 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, so instrument surveys find what walking the roof misses. The install map around Lancaster includes Dallas and Irving, and 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
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 Lancaster
How a roof system holds up in Lancaster 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
2
Golf-ball-size hail days
2.5 in.
Largest stone on record
1991
Median year homes built
Hail near Lancaster
NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 20 days since 2006 with hail one inch or larger reported within 6 miles of Lancaster. On 2 of those days, the stones were golf ball size or bigger. Hail that size was reported in 12 of the last 20 years. The largest stones on record nearby measured 2.5 inches (tennis ball size) on June 13, 2023. The most recent report: 1.25-inch hail on June 6, 2026.
June 13, 2023: 2.5-inch hail (tennis ball size)
May 27, 2024: 2-inch hail (hen egg size)
April 9, 2021: 1.5-inch hail (walnut size)
June 6, 2026: 1.25-inch hail (half dollar size)
March 1, 2023: 1.25-inch hail (half dollar size)
How old Lancaster homes are
The median home in Lancaster was built in 1991, and 31% of the city's 15,458 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 Lancaster); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Data pulled September 2026.
Common questions about built-up roofing (bur) in Lancaster
My Lancaster 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.
Should we match the original material when re-roofing in Lancaster?
Not automatically. A roof on its second or third cycle is a chance to rethink: Class 4 asphalt for the insurance math, metal or premium systems where the home and horizon justify them. We quote the honest options against your actual house.
How often does hail hit Lancaster?
NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 20 days since 2006 with hail one inch or larger reported within 6 miles of Lancaster, including 2 days with golf ball size stones or bigger. Hail that size was reported in 12 of the last 20 years. The most recent report was 1.25-inch hail on June 6, 2026.
How old are most homes in Lancaster?
The median home in Lancaster was built in 1991, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. 31% 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.
