Walk the streets of Highland Park and University Park and you’ll see plenty of Tudor and English cottage homes: steep gables, tall chimneys, brick and stone, half-timbering and arched entries. That style was made for slate. The trouble is that real slate is heavy, many of these houses have been reroofed in asphalt along the way, and North Texas hail is hard on brittle roofing.
I’m Blake Snow. I’ve been roofing for 30 years, I’m the third generation of a family roofing business that goes back 75 years, and Snow Roofing & Exteriors is certified with Enviroshake. Here is how I think about Enviroslate, Enviroshake’s composite slate, on a Tudor or cottage home in the Park Cities.
What Enviroslate is
Enviroslate is the slate profile from Enviroshake, the same company that makes Enviroshake composite shake. Per the manufacturer:
- The tiles are molded from 3D images of natural slate, so the face has slate texture and the edges have a layered grain.
- The material is a composite of polymers, natural fibers and elastomers, made with about 95% recycled material.
- Each piece is 20 by 12 inches, about 2.1 pounds, installed at a 9-inch exposure, with a 3 in 12 minimum slope.
- It carries a UL 2218 Class 4 impact rating, Class A fire-rated assemblies are available, and wind testing is published at 180 mph.
- The warranty is a fully transferable limited lifetime warranty, which Enviroshake describes as 50 years.
You’ll find all three Enviroshake lines (Enviroshake, Enviroslate and EnviroShingle) on our Enviroshake roofing page.
The weight question on older Park Cities homes
This is the reason most owners ask about Enviroslate. Enviroshake publishes Enviroslate at about 275 pounds per square, and natural slate at 800 to 1,500 pounds per square. That’s roughly a third of the weight of natural slate, by the manufacturer’s numbers.
That matters in three common situations:
- The house was framed for a lighter roof. Plenty of Tudor-style homes were built or rebuilt with asphalt in mind. Putting real slate back on may mean an engineer’s review and added structure.
- An addition or a new wing. If the addition wasn’t designed for stone, a lighter slate look can keep the roofline uniform without rebuilding the framing.
- Moving from asphalt to a slate look. If the house already wears shingles, Enviroslate lets you step up to a slate appearance without adding a slate-sized load.
If your house was built for slate and still has it, read the last section before you decide anything.
Hail in Highland Park and University Park
NOAA lists 10 reports of hail 1.75 inches or larger within about 10 miles of Highland Park from 2016 through September 2026, the largest 2.5-inch hail on June 2, 2017. Natural slate can crack in hail and under foot traffic, and broken pieces have to be replaced one at a time by someone who knows slate.
Enviroslate’s published Class 4 rating is the top class under UL 2218. Texas insurers must offer a credit for UL 2218 rated roofs, though each company sets the amount, so ask yours in writing. After a qualifying install, we fill out TDI Form PC068 for your insurer. More on that in our impact-resistant roof insurance guide.
Making it read as a Tudor roof, not a product
On a Tudor, the roof is half the architecture. These are the things I pay attention to:
- Color. Enviroshake lists Stone Grey, Charcoal Grey, Onyx Black, Plum Purple and Sage Green, and offers custom colors. Most Tudors look best with a roof darker than the walls, so the half-timbering and stone stand out. Charcoal or Onyx Black usually fits; a gray with stucco and cream stone can be lovely too. We’ll bring samples so you see them against your brick in daylight.
- Hips and ridges. Enviroshake makes custom-formed hip and ridge pieces for slopes from 2 in 12 to 20 in 12, which covers the very steep gables many of these homes have.
- Dormers, turrets and chimneys. Tudors and cottages have a lot of intersections. Each one needs step flashing, counterflashing and a clean valley. On a long-life roof, I like flashing metal that lasts as long as the roof, often copper. See our copper flashing and valleys guide.
- Gaps and fasteners. Enviroshake calls for a gap of at least 3/8 inch between pieces for expansion and offers stainless steel nails and screws. Shortcuts here show up later.
- Gutters. Half-round gutters, often copper, suit the style. Our gutter services page covers options.
Enviroslate vs. natural slate vs. other synthetic slate
| Enviroslate | Natural slate | Other synthetic slate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | About 275 lb per square, per Enviroshake | 800 to 1,500 lb per square, per Enviroshake’s comparison | Varies by brand |
| Hail | UL 2218 Class 4, per Enviroshake | Can crack | Varies; check each product’s rating |
| Look | Molded from 3D scans of real slate | The real stone | Varies by brand and width pattern |
| Life | Enviroshake says 50+ years expected | Can last generations when the flashing is kept up | Varies by brand |
| Repairs | Standard roofing crews, to the maker’s guide | A slate specialist | To each maker’s guide |
We install natural slate and other composites too, including DaVinci Multi-Width Slate and the lines on our synthetic slate page. For a broader look, see synthetic vs. real slate.
Installation and warranty: what to ask for
Enviroshake says Enviroslate must be installed by a Factory Trained Installer for the warranty to be valid, and its Gold-Level Warranty also requires the Enviroshield synthetic underlayment. Before you sign with anyone, ask:
- Is the installer certified with Enviroshake, and will that person be on the job?
- Which underlayment is in the bid, and which warranty level does that qualify for?
- How are the valleys, chimneys and dormer walls flashed, and in what metal?
- Who registers the warranty, and when do you get the paperwork?
Permits, HOA and neighbors
Highland Park and University Park are separate towns with their own building departments. Check permit requirements with your town, and any deed restrictions or HOA rules that apply to your address, before material is ordered. If an HOA or architectural review applies, we’ll hand you the product sheets, color samples and ratings to submit. Get approval in writing first.
When I’d keep the real slate
If your Tudor still has natural slate and the stone is sound, replacing it isn’t automatically the answer. Many slate roofs leak at worn flashing or failed nails while the slate itself has decades left. A careful slate repair can be the better call. Enviroslate makes the most sense when the slate is truly at the end of its life, the structure wasn’t built for it, or you’re replacing asphalt and want a slate look.
About the photo
The image at the top is a manufacturer photo from Enviroshake showing Enviroslate in Onyx Black, with our SR mark added. It isn’t a Snow Roofing job, and it isn’t a home in Highland Park or University Park. I use it to show what the product looks like on a large, steep, stone home.
Start with a free look at your roof
If you own a Tudor or English cottage home in Highland Park, University Park, or nearby in Westlake or Southlake, we’ll inspect your current roof, check the slopes and details, bring Enviroslate samples, and give you a free digital photo report. See our slate roofing in Highland Park and slate roofing in University Park pages too. Snow Roofing & Exteriors is A+ rated with the BBB and certified with GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning, Atlas, Johns Manville, Carlisle, Tropical, Mule-Hide and Enviroshake, and we install the products of many other roof manufacturers. We serve the whole DFW Metroplex and towns within about 65 miles.
Call (817) 733-9228 or request an estimate.
