RV Garages: Sizes, Costs, and What to Know Before You Build
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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An RV garage needs at least 14 feet of door height and 16 feet of interior clear height for a Class A motorhome, plus roughly 10 feet more length than the coach. A 40-foot RV needs a 50-foot-deep building. Height is the dimension people get wrong, and it cannot be changed later.
Size it against the coach, then add working room
| RV Type | Door Height | Building Depth | Width |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel trailer (up to 30 ft) | 12 ft | 36–40 ft | 16–20 ft |
| Fifth wheel (30–40 ft) | 14 ft | 44–50 ft | 18–24 ft |
| Class A motorhome (35–45 ft) | 14–16 ft | 50–55 ft | 20–24 ft |
| RV plus a shop bay | 14–16 ft | 50–60 ft | 30–40 ft |
Two rules people learn the hard way. Add roughly 10 feet of depth beyond the coach length — you need room to walk around the front and back, and to open compartment doors. And interior clear height must exceed door height, because roof-mounted air conditioners, satellite domes, and antennas sit above the coach roofline.
Height is the decision that cannot be undone
Wall height is fixed once the steel frame is fabricated. A building sized for today’s trailer that cannot accept the next RV is the most common regret in this category, and there is no remedy short of a new building.
Buy the height. The marginal cost of two more feet during construction is a fraction of what it costs to discover later that the coach does not fit.
What it costs
An RV garage is priced like any metal building — by footprint, wall height, foundation, and openings. For reference, we build a 30x40x10 shell installed for $95,000 to $115,000. An RV building is taller and usually deeper, so it scales up from there, and we quote it against the actual site.
The tall overhead door is a meaningful line item on its own. A 14-by-14 or 16-by-16 insulated door with an opener sized to it costs considerably more than a residential garage door, and it has to be engineered into the frame.
The details that make it usable
- A 30- or 50-amp RV outlet inside, so the coach can be plugged in and maintained on shore power.
- Water access and a floor drain, if local rules allow, for washing and for winterizing.
- A dump-station connection, where the site’s septic or sewer permits it.
- Ventilation. An enclosed building with a coach in it needs air movement, particularly if any maintenance or generator running happens there.
- A slab designed for the load. A loaded Class A motorhome is heavy and concentrates that weight on a few axles. The slab is engineered for it, not for cars.
- Approach and turning room. The driveway has to let a 40-foot coach line up straight with the door. A garage you cannot back into is a very expensive storage shed.
Zoning, setbacks, and the HOA
Tall accessory structures run into height limits, setbacks, and lot coverage rules, and many subdivisions restrict or prohibit RV storage outright. On acreage north and west of Fort Worth these buildings are common and generally straightforward. Confirm the restrictions before designing — it is the cheapest step in the project.
See our metal building services or request a fixed-price estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall does an RV garage door need to be?
12 feet for most travel trailers, 14 feet for fifth wheels and many Class A coaches, and 16 feet for taller motorhomes with roof-mounted equipment. Interior clear height should exceed door height so air conditioners and antennas clear.
How deep should an RV garage be?
About 10 feet longer than the coach. A 40-foot RV wants a 50-foot-deep building so you can walk around it and open compartment doors without moving the vehicle.
Does an RV garage need a special slab?
Yes. A loaded motorhome concentrates significant weight on a few axles, so the slab is engineered for that loading and for North Texas expansive clay — not built to a standard car-garage detail.
Can you add living quarters to an RV garage?
Yes, and it is a common combination. It requires a rated fire separation between the garage and the living space, independent HVAC, and residential-code finish-out on the living side.
Do RV garages need permits?
Yes inside city limits — building permits, plus electrical for the RV outlet and plumbing if water or a drain is included. Height limits, setbacks, and lot coverage rules apply, and many HOAs restrict tall accessory structures.
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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.
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