Barndominium Interior Finish-Out in Dallas, TX

Barndominium Interior Finish-Out takes an empty, dried-in shell and makes it a home. It is the biggest single part of most barndo budgets: HomeGuide estimates interior and exterior finishing at about 40 percent of the total cost. Many DFW owners buy a kit or have a shell erected first, then need a builder to finish the inside. We do that work whether we built the shell or not.

Start with the envelope

Before interior walls go up, the shell needs to be sealed and insulated. Steel and metal panels sweat when warm, humid air meets a cold surface, which happens in North Texas on cool nights after humid days and during winter cold snaps. Spray foam on the panels is the most common fix; HomeGuide lists whole-house spray foam jobs at $8,000 to $20,000.

Mechanical rough-in

Plumbing, electrical and HVAC are run before drywall, then inspected. In unincorporated Collin County, the framing and mechanical stage is one of the three required third-party inspections on a new home. Plumbing under the slab must already be in the right place, so we check the existing rough-in against your floor plan first.

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Sizing HVAC for a metal envelope

Dallas averages highs of 96 degrees in July and August, with heat indexes above 105. A well-insulated barndo with high ceilings needs equipment sized for the actual envelope and able to remove humidity. HomeGuide lists HVAC systems at $7,000 to $16,000.

Finishes

Interior walls, drywall, ceilings, flooring, cabinets, countertops, trim, doors, fixtures and paint. Polished or stained concrete over the slab is popular in barndos and saves on flooring. HomeGuide puts drywall at $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot, flooring at $4 to $15 or more installed, and kitchen cabinets at $4,500 to $15,000.

Inspections and turning the power on

Finish-out is where most inspections happen, so the schedule has to account for them. In unincorporated Collin County, a new home needs a third-party inspector from the types the county accepts, and at least three inspections. The framing and mechanical inspection happens before drywall or any other wall covering goes up, and the final inspection comes at completion. The builder then has 10 days to email notice of the passing final inspection to the county. Permanent power is released only after a passing third-party electrical inspection, and, where the house has a septic system, only after that system has passed its initial and final inspections. Meter release requests are approved or denied within three business days. We line up the electrical work, the septic install and the inspection dates so the house is not finished and sitting dark waiting for a meter.

Doing it in phases

Some owners finish the living area first and leave a shop or upstairs loft for later. That works if the rough-in for the later space is planned now: stub-outs, panel capacity and duct runs. We price the phases separately so you can see the cost of waiting.

Finishing someone else's shell

If your shell was put up by another crew, we inspect it first: slab level and cracks, anchor bolts, roof leaks, door and window openings, and where plumbing comes through the slab. Any issue is noted in the estimate before we start.