Article

Prefab Homes in Texas: Barndos, Hill Country, and Makers

November 9, 2026

Written by

Kai Andrew

If you want a finished prefab home built on your Texas land, Kanga Room Systems in Waco is the only maker here that publishes a turnkey price: $133,600 for a 416-square-foot cabin, available in most parts of Texas. If you want a barndominium shell for acreage, the lowest published barndominium kit price is DC Structures’ 30-by-48-foot Meridian, starting at $71,132. Hansen’s larger 40-by-60-foot Carrington is $72,194 on sale (regular $75,993), with engineering and delivery included. The lowest price in the table for a finished unit is the Bob’s Containers Alpine, starting at $70,995, from an Austin company.

The table covers small finished units and large shells for a local contractor to finish. Every figure comes from the maker’s own page.

The Texas Makers Table

Maker	Model	Price as published	Size	What the price covers, as the maker states it	Texas service, as the maker states it
Kanga Room Systems	Modern 16x26, Cabins and Dwellings	$133,600 turnkey. $36,650 shell kit, $59,800 installed shell	416 sq ft	Turnkey is a fully finished interior and exterior	Turnkey in most parts of Texas. Installed shell in Texas only. Kits ship to the continental US
Kanga Room Systems	Cottage 18x56, Cabins and Dwellings	$318,250 turnkey. $125,200 shell kit, $168,400 installed shell	1,008 sq ft	Turnkey is a fully finished interior and exterior	Turnkey in most parts of Texas. Installed shell in Texas only. Kits ship to the continental US. Based in Waco
Bob's Containers	Alpine	$70,995 starting	One 40 ft high cube, 40 by 8 ft exterior	1 bed, 3/4 bath, 2-burner cooktop, mini-split heating and cooling, tankless water heater. An outlet for a refrigerator, with no refrigerator listed	"An Austin, Texas company" that sells nationwide
Backcountry Containers	Kennedy	$95,000 starting	One 40 ft high cube, about 320 exterior sq ft	1 bed, 1 bath, kitchenette, spray foam insulation, mini-split, tankless water heater. Shipping, taxes, decks, cladding, and stairs are extra	Built in Spooner, Wisconsin, with delivery throughout the United States. Shipping is quoted per project
Hansen Pole Buildings	40x60x12 Barndominium Kit, Carrington	$72,194 sale, $75,993 regular	40 by 60 ft, 12 ft walls	Steel roof and siding, wraparound porch, 2 entry doors, a patio door, 7 windows, engineering, and delivery. Framing is ready for insulation and drywall	Ships kits nationwide and can recommend a builder in Texas
DC Structures	Meridian Barndominium Kit, 30 by 48 ft	$71,132 starting	1,440 sq ft total: 727 sq ft conditioned, 713 sq ft garage	Wood roof trusses and sheathing, wall framing, Hardie siding, Andersen windows, doors per plan. Wet-stamped plans available as needed	Ships kits to any location in Texas. Installation may be available through DC Builders

On its studio page, Kanga says the installed shell adds delivery and full on-site installation by its crew. It says a turnkey build takes 6 to 12 weeks depending on location and permitting. Bob’s Containers gives typical lead times of 8 to 12 weeks. Backcountry says production takes 8 to 16 weeks depending on the size of the project, and plan or permit review can add to that.

Barndominium Kits Leave Out the Interior

DC Structures’ Meridian page lists what the kit leaves out: the final roofing layer, insulation, drywall, cabinets, flooring, heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical, site work, the foundation, and labor. Hansen’s framing is ready for insulation and drywall, so you buy those separately. Hansen sells a pole building kit with a steel roof and siding, and DC Structures sells a stick-framed wood kit. Ask each maker for a written list of what is in the kit, then get a contractor’s quote for everything else.

How Texas Classifies a Prefab Home

Texas splits factory-built homes into 2 categories with different rules.

Industrialized (modular) housing. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) runs the Industrialized Housing and Buildings program, which regulates modular homes installed on permanent foundations. Its FAQ says each module carries a certification decal, and once installed the house typically becomes part of the real property. The mandatory codes include the 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), effective July 1, 2024.
Manufactured housing. TDLR’s FAQ says manufactured homes are built to federal U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) code standards and may sit on a temporary or permanent foundation. TDLR refers manufactured housing questions to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA).

TDLR’s FAQ also says a city may not ban an industrialized house from its limits or restrict it to areas zoned for manufactured housing. If an area is zoned single-family residential, the city must accept a single-family industrialized house there.

A city may still enforce zoning that does not conflict with the program. It may also adopt an ordinance requiring the house to have a value equal to or greater than the median taxable value of homes within 500 feet.

Hill Country Short-Term Rental Rules, by Place

Each Texas city sets its own rental rules. These 2 are from each city’s own page.

Fredericksburg. Under Section 20.222 of the Zoning Ordinance, a dwelling rented for less than 30 days within the city limits needs a Short-Term Rental Permit. A rental in the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) outside the limits does not. The city requires inspections for a new permit, a transfer, a complaint, a modification, and each annual renewal. The C1, C1.5, C2, and Central Business District zones allow all rental uses by right, except condominium rentals, which need a conditional use permit (CUP).
Wimberley. Every short-term rental needs a CUP approved by City Council. The city notifies neighbors within 200 feet, and if owners of 20% or more of the adjoining land object, 4 of 5 council members must approve. An ordinance passed on August 20, 2026, removed the non-owner-occupied rental CUP in Single-Family Residential 3 (R-3) districts. The city page lists hotel occupancy tax at 6% state and 7% city.

Elsewhere, ask the county and any city whose limits or ETJ cover your land.

Where to Start

Get a turnkey quote from Kanga if you want one installed price. Kanga is the only maker in the table that publishes an installed price. Every other price covers a finished unit before delivery or a shell before the interior, so check each row for which of delivery, setup, and finishing you pay for separately.

Compare what each barndominium kit includes. Hansen includes the steel roof and windows for a 2,400-square-foot footprint at $72,194 on sale. DC Structures’ Meridian starts at $71,132 for 1,440 square feet, 727 square feet of it conditioned living space, and leaves out the final roofing layer.

Ask whether the unit will carry a Texas decal. A city must accept a decaled single-family industrialized house in a single-family zone. TDLR’s FAQ does not extend that rule to a manufactured home.

Before You Order

Run these 3 checks before a deposit, in order.

Price the site work. DC Structures leaves the foundation and site work out of its kit, and Backcountry lists the foundation and site utilities as separate costs. Run the lot through the site-prep cost estimator. For the costs after the unit, read the cost of prefab homes.
Confirm the loan. Start with the lender locator. Ask whether the lender finances a kit, a container unit, or only a decaled modular home on a permanent foundation.
Read the zoning. Use the zoning rules guide before you buy. Confirm whether the land sits inside city limits, in an ETJ, or in the county.

For finished cabins from makers outside Texas, see the 8 best prefab cabins, rated. A Hill Country operator outside Kerrville is in the Texas earth home case study. For related comparisons, see prefab barndominiums and prefab home manufacturers in the US.

Planning a prefab short-term rental in Texas? Book a free strategy call.

Host Camp is not a licensed tax, legal, or financial adviser. Confirm figures for your situation with a professional.

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