Built-up roofing, or tar and gravel, is the century-old system still protecting Southlake 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 Southlake 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 Southlake 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.
On the ground in Southlake
There is a Southlake version of the Built-Up Roofing (BUR) decision, and it is not the generic one. Much of the housing here has already been through a roof cycle or two, with mature trees, settled framing, and decking that has absorbed decades of North Texas heat. That inventory rewards the boring commercial virtues: documented seams, maintained drains, and a membrane matched to the building’s actual use.
The permit runs through Southlake’s building department; we handle the filing and the inspection scheduling as part of the job. When the next core drops through Tarrant County, single-ply shows bruise fractures that a chalk circle will not catch, and instrument surveys find what walking the roof misses. Because Fort Worth, Arlington, and Mansfield share our dispatch routes, examples of this exact system nearby are easy to arrange. If the roof is not a fit for this system, the inspection says so. That answer is free too.
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 Southlake
How a roof system holds up in Southlake depends on the storms it has to take and the houses it sits on. Here is what the public record shows.
25
Hail days, 1 in.+ since 2006
9
Golf-ball-size hail days
4.25 in.
Largest stone on record
1997
Median year homes built
Hail near Southlake
NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 25 days since 2006 with hail one inch or larger reported within 6 miles of Southlake. On 9 of those days, the stones were golf ball size or bigger. Hail that size was reported in 14 of the last 20 years. The largest stones on record nearby measured 4.25 inches (grapefruit size) on May 24, 2011. The most recent report: 1-inch hail on June 2, 2026.
May 24, 2011: 4.25-inch hail (grapefruit size)
June 11, 2023: 4-inch hail (grapefruit size)
April 28, 2021: 3-inch hail (teacup size)
April 13, 2007: 3-inch hail (teacup size)
March 30, 2009: 2.75-inch hail (baseball size)
How old Southlake homes are
The median home in Southlake was built in 1997. A large share of the city's 9,612 housing units are now old enough that original roofs are coming due, while 19% were built in 2010 or later.
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database (hail reports since 2006 within 6 miles of Southlake); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Data pulled September 2026.
Common questions about built-up roofing (bur) in Southlake
My Southlake 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.
Can you match the premium materials common in Southlake?
That's our premium catalog's home turf: tile, standing seam, stone-coated steel, and composite slate and shake, installed to manufacturer specification with the documentation the home's value deserves.
How often does hail hit Southlake?
NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 25 days since 2006 with hail one inch or larger reported within 6 miles of Southlake, including 9 days with golf ball size stones or bigger. Hail that size was reported in 14 of the last 20 years. The most recent report was 1-inch hail on June 2, 2026.
How old are most homes in Southlake?
The median home in Southlake was built in 1997, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. 5% of the city's housing units predate 1980 and 19% were built in 2010 or later. Many homes here are reaching the age when original roofs come due.
