METAL BUILDINGS & BARNDOMINIUMS · NORTH TEXAS

Detached Garage Builders: What It Costs and How It Works

Straight answers on metal buildings and barndominiums from a North Texas general contractor with 500+ projects since 2009 — priced under a fixed-price contract.

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THE SHORT VERSION

A detached garage costs $30,000 to $90,000 in North Texas. A basic two-car metal building on a slab starts near $30,000; a matching stick-built garage with finished interior, insulation, and electrical runs $55,000 to $90,000. Adding living space or a second story pushes it well past that.

What drives the price

Four things, in order of impact: size, construction type, whether it is conditioned, and how far utilities have to travel. A detached garage is a small building with its own foundation, roof, and service run — which is why it costs more than people expect for the square footage.

Type	Typical Size	Typical Cost
Metal building, unfinished	24x24	$30,000–$45,000
Metal building, insulated & wired	30x40	$50,000–$75,000
Stick-built to match the house	24x24	$55,000–$90,000
Garage with finished shop or bonus space	30x40+	$85,000–$150,000+

These are typical North Texas ranges, not a quote. Every Birdseye build is priced under a fixed-price contract after a site walk.

Metal or stick-built?

A metal building goes up faster, spans wider without interior posts, costs less per square foot, and needs almost no exterior maintenance. It is the obvious choice on acreage and for anyone who wants shop space rather than just parking.

Stick-built framing with siding or masonry matching the house is the right call inside a subdivision, where an HOA will almost certainly prohibit a metal exterior, and where a garage that visually reads as part of the house protects resale value. It costs more and takes longer.

The costs people forget

The slab has to be engineered for vehicle loads, and on North Texas expansive clay soils that is a real design question, not a formality. Electrical service to a detached structure means a trench, a feeder run, and often a subpanel — if the existing panel does not have capacity, the cost climbs. Drainage matters: a garage pad placed without regard for how water moves across the lot creates a problem that shows up the first heavy spring rain. And if you want water or a bathroom out there, plumbing has to be trenched and the structure gets treated differently by code.

Permits, setbacks, and the HOA

Detached structures are governed by setbacks, maximum lot coverage, and height limits, and those vary by jurisdiction across Tarrant and Denton counties. Many neighborhoods also cap accessory structure size or require the exterior to match the primary residence. Confirm the HOA restrictions before the design, because they are frequently stricter than the city code and they are the cheapest constraint to discover early.

Birdseye handles the engineering, permitting, and inspections as part of the contract. See our metal building services for scope and recent work.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big should a detached garage be?

24x24 fits two cars with almost no storage. 24x30 gives you two cars plus a workbench wall. 30x40 is the practical minimum for real shop space, equipment, or a lift. Depth matters more than width for anything beyond parking.

Does a detached garage add home value?

It typically returns a meaningful share of its cost, and in acreage markets north of Fort Worth a good shop building can be a genuine selling point. Inside a subdivision, value depends heavily on whether it matches the house architecturally.

Do you need a permit for a detached garage in Texas?

Inside city limits, yes — building permits and usually electrical permits, plus setback and lot coverage review. On unincorporated county land the requirements are lighter but engineered drawings and utility approvals still apply.

Can you run electricity and water to a detached garage?

Yes. Electrical requires a trenched feeder and often a subpanel, and the existing service panel has to have capacity. Water and drainage require separate trenching and change how the slab and the structure are permitted.

Is it cheaper to build a detached or attached garage?

Attached is usually cheaper per square foot because it shares a wall, a roofline, and existing utility runs. Detached wins when the lot layout will not accommodate an attached structure, or when you want shop noise and fumes away from the house.

Let’s price your project

A free walkthrough and a fixed-price scope for your exact project — no pressure, no guesswork. Serving Haslet, North Fort Worth, Northlake, Westlake, Justin, Roanoke, Keller, Southlake, Trophy Club, Colleyville, and North Richland Hills.