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40×60 Barndominium Shell Cost in Nashville, TN (2026)

A 40×60 barndominium shell in Nashville, TN has a dried-in shell estimate of about $115,945 in 2026 ($48.31 per sq. ft.). Here's the itemized breakdown of materials, site prep and labor, using local crew rates. A 40×60 barndominium shell gives 2,400 square feet, enough to split into living space and a garage or shop under one roof on a Nashville-area lot.

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40×60 ft, 14 ft walls (2,400 sq. ft.)

What does the $9.99 spec sheet add? ↓
Shell Materials Kit
$49,374
Frame, trusses, steel, windows, doors & spray foam
= Rows 3–8 below, materials only
Slab, Plumbing Sleeves & Site Prep
$21,076
Grading, under-slab plumbing sleeves & reinforced slab
= Rows 1–2 below, installed price
Dried-in Shell Estimate
$115,945
$48.31 per sq. ft.
Dried-in shell built by a local licensed crew
= All rows below, installed price

Prices updated Oct 2026

A fair bid from a local builder in Nashville, TN should land between $98,553 and $139,134, about 15% below to 20% above this estimate. Quotes for the same building can vary widely, so get 3 quotes on the same spec. If one is outside this range, ask what it includes or leaves out.

Reference wind speed for this area: 115 mph (local building-department figure, not a design value). Wind values here are reference figures for pricing. Confirm the design wind speed with your local building department or engineer.

Estimate only. Actual prices vary. No guarantee or warranty. Use as a guide only. Read the full disclaimer

Itemized cost breakdown

#ItemQuantityMaterialsLaborInstalled
1Site grading & building padLaser-leveled pad 2 ft past the walls, compacted fill2,816 sq ft$1,256$1,822$3,694
24" standard concrete slab + plumbing sleeves3,500 PSI ready-mix, #4 rebar 18" grid, vapor barrier, forms31.7 cu yd$8,189$6,296$17,382
36×6 treated posts, girts & framing lumber26 posts × 18 ft (.60 CCA ground-contact), 2×6 girts at 2 ft incl. gable girts, 2×8 treated skirt board26 posts + 1,496 lf$7,797$9,702$20,999
440' engineered roof trusses & purlins31 trusses at 2 ft on center, standard wind allowance, 2×4 purlins at 2 ft (24 rows)31 trusses + 1,488 lf$13,340$5,821$22,993
529-ga metal roof & wall panels + trimPainted steel panels, ridge cap, corner/door/base trim, closures56.3 squares$7,576$3,493$13,283
6Doors & windowsDetails in the spec sheet🔒 Included in $9.99 spec sheet——🔒
7Closed-cell spray foam (roof & walls)Details in the spec sheet🔒 Included in $9.99 spec sheet——🔒
8Screws, hardware & condensation barrierDetails in the spec sheet🔒 Included in $9.99 spec sheet——🔒
9Permit, stamped drawings & deliveryDetails in the spec sheet🔒 Included in $9.99 spec sheet——🔒
Dried-in shell estimate$62,377$34,243$115,945

The totals above already include every row, including the 🔒 rows. The $9.99 spec sheet lists them item by item with quantities.

What do these terms mean?
  • 29-ga metal: the steel panel thickness (a lower gauge number is thicker).
  • .60 CCA posts: treated posts rated to go in the ground.
  • Purlins and girts: boards across the roof and walls that the metal panels screw into.
  • PSI: a concrete strength rating.
  • #4 rebar: ½-inch steel bar laid in a grid inside the concrete.
  • Vapor barrier: plastic sheeting under the slab that keeps ground moisture out.

Prices use 2026 material costs and typical local crew rates. Site work, custom options and material price swings can move your final price.

$9.99 one-time

Builder Spec Sheet & Shopping List

A sheet for comparing 3 builder bids line by line, and a builder-ready spec so every builder prices the same building.

  • Every line item on this page, including the 🔒 rows, in an editable Excel file and a PDF (spec, quantity, materials, labor and installed price)
  • A permit and site-prep checklist
  • A full itemized takeoff: panel cut lengths, trim, a fastener schedule, lumber counts and concrete yards, with the spacing rule and source for each line

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Planning a 40×60 barndominium shell in the Nashville area

A 40×60 shell gives 2,400 square feet: room for a three- or four-bedroom plan or a home with a shop wing. It suits acreage in Wilson, Sumner or Robertson County, where farms averaged 112 to 179 acres in 2022. A wide clear span lets you move interior walls later, so decide early where plumbing walls will go.

  • Splitting a 40×60 into home and shop means planning the wall between them early. Ask the builder to show where the posts land so your floor plan works around them.
  • Middle Tennessee averages about 4.7 inches of snow a year at the airport (NOAA 1991–2020). Ask for the roof snow and wind assumptions in writing, and compare them with the ASCE Hazard Tool lookup for your address.

Nashville versus the Tennessee statewide estimate

For a 40×60 barndominium shell, the Nashville estimate runs about 3% above the Tennessee statewide figure (both are estimates; bids set the real price). Nashville construction and extraction wages averaged about 91% of the U.S. mean in May 2025 (BLS OEWS), and Nashville goods prices sat near 96% of the U.S. level in 2024 (BEA RPP). That Nashville area factor applies fully to crew labor and partly to materials; the Tennessee statewide page uses an internal planning allowance instead.

What the Nashville numbers say about building here

The Nashville metro area takes in 14 Middle Tennessee counties. Davidson County is the urban core, while Rutherford, Williamson, Sumner and Wilson have grown fast around it. Wilson County gained about 15 percent between 2020 and 2024 and Rutherford about 10 percent. Murfreesboro, at about 168,400 residents, is the second-largest city in the metro.

Building activity follows that growth. In 2025 Davidson County authorized about 2,740 new single-unit homes and Rutherford about 2,530. Wilson, Sumner, Maury and Williamson each authorized more than 1,250.

Middle Tennessee is also livestock and hay country. The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted more than 1,000 farms in each of Rutherford, Williamson, Sumner, Wilson, Maury, Robertson and Dickson counties. Robertson ranked fifth in Tennessee for cattle and calves, Williamson fourth for horse and pony sales, and Wilson seventh.

Lebanon grew fastest among the larger cities, about 34 percent from April 2020 to July 2024, followed by Gallatin at about 18 percent and Columbia and Spring Hill at about 17 percent each. Nashville-Davidson grew about 2 percent and Brentwood was nearly flat.

Farm tracts in the outer counties run larger: Hickman County farms averaged about 216 acres in 2022 and Robertson about 179, and Robertson reported about 141,800 acres of cropland. Maury and Wilson each had about 1,440 farms. Nashville International Airport averages about 66 nights a year at or below 32°F and about 4.7 inches of snow, and rain is spread evenly, with every month averaging between about 3.4 and 5.0 inches.

Local building offices

Contact the office for your address to confirm what applies to your project.

Statewide reference: Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office: residential permit jurisdictions

Site references to look up for your Nashville address

The Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area (Census CBSA 34980) covers a lot of ground, so look up the exact parcel rather than the city.

General planning reference from ASCE, USDA NRCS, FEMA and NOAA, retrieved October 25, 2026. Not a design value. Your engineer, builder and local authority set actual requirements.

Nashville climate at a glance

Nashville International Airport (NOAA station USW00013897) averages 60.8°F over the year, with about 50.51 inches of precipitation, about 4.7 inches of snow, about 54 days at 90°F or hotter and about 66 nights at 32°F or colder.

General planning reference from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, retrieved October 25, 2026. Not a design value. Your engineer, builder and local authority set actual requirements. NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)

Nashville month by month

MonthHigh °FLow °FRain, inDays ≥0.5 inDays ≥90°FNights ≤32°FSnow, in
Jan49.130.142.8018.82
Feb53.8334.53014.21.5
Mar62.740.24.53.207.40.7
Apr72.648.94.730.10.90
May80.458.353200
Jun87.766.44.42.810.800
Jul90.970.54.22.818.200
Aug90.4693.82.815.900
Sep84.461.83.82.56.800
Oct73.549.93.42.50.40.70
Nov61.439.23.92.608.40.1
Dec52.233.34.43.2015.80.4

Nashville wettest: May (5 in). Nashville driest: Oct (3.4 in). Jun, Jul and Aug: 10+ days at 90°F each. Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov and Dec: 5+ freezing nights each. Jun–Sep deliver 16.1 of Nashville's 50.5 inches (32%). Nashville lows bottom out near 30.1°F in Jan; highs peak near 90.9°F in Jul. Roughly 14 Nashville days a year bring 1 inch or more. For snow load, check your parcel in the ASCE Hazard Tool.

NOAA normals, USW00013897, Nashville International Airport.

Counties, cities and towns in the Nashville metro area

The Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area had about 2,150,553 residents in July 2024, across 14 counties. The price on this page is one figure for the whole metro area, so use the calculator if your site is far from the core.

Nashville places (55 incorporated, July 2024 residents within these counties): Nashville-Davidson 704,963 (+2.2%); Murfreesboro 168,387 (+10.2%); Franklin 89,142 (+6.7%); Hendersonville 63,947 (+3.5%); Smyrna 60,302 (+13.6%); Spring Hill 59,398 (+17.2%); Gallatin 52,489 (+18.1%); Lebanon 51,501 (+33.8%); Columbia 48,812 (+17.3%); Brentwood 45,525 (+0.3%); Mount Juliet 44,066 (+12.1%); La Vergne 41,430 (+7%); 43 more.

County2024 pop.Since 20201-unit homes authorized, 2025Farms, 2022Avg. farm acres
Davidson County, TN729,505+1.9%2,73935090
Rutherford County, TN376,996+10.4%2,5331,270107
Williamson County, TN269,136+8.6%1,2861,153117
Sumner County, TN211,721+7.9%1,5711,248112
Wilson County, TN169,948+15%1,7231,443125
Maury County, TN113,411+12.3%1,3181,442145
Robertson County, TN78,459+7.8%8141,117179
Dickson County, TN57,641+6.1%3921,060118
Cheatham County, TN42,604+3.9%285434104
Macon County, TN27,189+7.8%165788148
Hickman County, TN25,859+3.8%114651216
Smith County, TN20,783+4.4%146758167
Cannon County, TN15,142+4.4%92582155
Trousdale County, TN12,159+4.7%89293135

Nashville counties authorized 13,267 single-unit homes in 2025, led by Davidson County (2,739) and Rutherford County (2,533). Wilson County grew fastest from April 2020 to July 2024 (+15%); the lowest was Davidson County (+1.9%). Among Nashville towns of 1,000+ people, Lebanon grew fastest (38,486 to 51,501, +33.8%). The 2022 farm census counted 12,589 farms in Nashville's 14 counties; 5,979 of them (47%) had under 50 acres, and Wilson County had the most (1,443, averaging 125 acres). By use, Nashville farmland broke down as 741,378 acres of cropland, 483,254 of pasture and 401,259 of woodland, so cropland led.

Census city and town estimates; Census Building Permits Survey; USDA NASS county profiles; Census county estimates. Retrieved October 26, 2026.

Material suppliers near Nashville

Listed for reference, not an endorsement.

Office and supplier links checked October 25, 2026.

Common questions

How much does a 40×60 Barndominium Shell cost in Nashville, TN?

About $115,945 for a dried-in shell (structure, roof, walls and doors), built by a local crew. Interior finish, utilities and site work are not included. Roughly $49,374 for the materials kit alone. Most fair bids land between $98,553 and $139,134.

What drives the price up or down?

Site prep (slope, soil, driveway access), floor choice, doors and insulation, and local labor rates. Lumber and steel prices also move a few percent a year.

Do I need a permit?

Permit requirements vary by county and city. Check with your county or city building office before you build.

How do I make sure I'm getting a fair quote?

Get at least 3 itemized bids for the same spec. Compare them line by line against this breakdown and ask about anything far above or below it.

Can I live in half of a 40×60 barndo and use the other half as a shop near Nashville?

Many owners plan it that way. The shell price here covers the structure only. Finishing the living side is a separate, larger cost, so price the shell, the finish-out and the site work as three parts.

How do I compare barndominium shell bids in Middle Tennessee?

Give every builder the same size, eave height, door list and insulation plan, then compare their bids line by line against the breakdown on this page. Check that each bid lists doors, trim and concrete.

Estimate only. Actual prices vary. No guarantee or warranty. Use as a guide only. Read the full disclaimer

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